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I don't get the tipping thing, anyway, never have. In any other job, you either do the work well or you don't get a raise, or you eventually get fired, and you get paid a solid check.

That's the problem. They get nearly nothing. Something like $2.50 and hour. The IRS taxes them on the basis of like 12%, so if you tip less, your stay there costs them money!

It's a hard life from what I've read.

The #1 cause of this is a mis-communication from the restaurant industry. Blacks don't tip because for generations they weren't allowed into restaurants and after that only went out on special occations. Same for Europeans. They don't know any better because no one ever told them.

I have read a LOT on tipping (wierd subject that fascinates me) and I don't know how much to tip my barista. A few years ago $1 sounded generous, but now I don't know. How much do you tip the dudes who wipe your car down after a carwash? Did you know that it's now considered 10/15/20% for tips? 10 for substandard, 15 for normal and 20 for good?

You can make a decent amount if you're savvy, but you can also get eaten alive. All the restaurant needs to do is put "Servers get paid $2.50 per hour by this restaurant. A tip of 15% is customary for good service". End of problem.

Either that or they can build it into the price of the meal. I could care less either way, but there are answers why many don't tip well enough. Most of the time, it's ignorance. Sometimes it's just malice.

True story: I went to lunch with a professor who, much to my later surprise, left only a $1.00 tip! As we were getting into the car, the waitress appeared in the parking lot, waving the dollar and yelling, "This is not enough!" I have never been so embarrassed. He, on the other hand, literally didn't understand what the problem was. I knew he was a cheapskate but sheesh...

But here's the real rub: This professor is a Marxist liberal who has written 3 books on Marxist critical theory! No joke.