[Just another Joe]

The best way I ever found to tip was to estimate what you will spend and put 20% of that on the table.
When the wait staff comes over you tell them that is their tip. Anytime you have to look for them to get something, 1% of the money goes back in your pocket.
Normally they are not offended and you do get them to stop by your table more than others asking if everything is all right.

[Welsh Rabbit]

Just out of curiosity, did you get that idea from that episode of Cheers where Carla's brother visits?

[HairOfTheDog]

When the wait staff comes over you tell them that is their tip. Anytime you have to look for them to get something, 1% of the money goes back in your pocket.

That's just weird Joe.... I do not want waitstaff to pander and beg for tips from me. I tip well because it is a nice reward for doing well at a job that it is easy to do badly and hard to do well, it's not a bribe.

[Xenalyte]

The best way I ever found to tip was to estimate what you will spend and put 20% of that on the table. When the wait staff comes over you tell them that is their tip. Anytime you have to look for them to get something, 1% of the money goes back in your pocket. Normally they are not offended and you do get them to stop by your table more than others asking if everything is all right.

Never been a waiter, have you?

When I was waiting tables, I would have been quite offended, and I would have pointed out your table to the rest of the waitstaff.

[honeygrl]

I've always been told to look at the tax and double it. If the service is exceptionally good, we always tip much better than that though. If the service is really bad, we'll tip lower. For the pizza guy I always tip by rounding the price up to the next dollar and adding $2 unless it's a bigger than normal order when I'll add $3. My hubby has been known to leave much more than generous tips. And since the study is about race, we are white.

[visualops]

Anytime you have to look for them to get something

According to you one should just stand by the table so your highness won't have want or wait.
People like you who want the server's undivided attention are worse than the bad tippers.
Back in the day, I would have much preferred someone who was polite and understood I couldn't be everywhere at once than someone who felt their "big" tip entitled them to anything more than my usual excellent level of service.
Tipping is something that comes at the end of the meal to express satisfaction and say thank you. To put money up front and say 'let's see how much of this you get to keep' is insulting. Most people are completely unaware of what a PITA they become once they sit at a table. Every little picayune like, dislike and fetish comes to the surface.
Nitpickers aside, people generally are just as one would imagine and I had the pleasure of serving many excellent and interesting people over the years. Never a dull moment and you get all kinds...Cleavon Little once tipped me $20 for bringing him a ginger ale, Judd Hirsch dumped his Canadian change in with the tip, and Roberta Flack was rude and snobby and walked out without paying the check or leaving a tip.

[SoulStorms]

The best way I ever found to tip was to estimate what you will spend and put 20% of that on the table. When the wait staff comes over you tell them that is their tip. Anytime you have to look for them to get something, 1% of the money goes back in your pocket.

I've been doing this same thing mentally for years, starting with a generous tip, and subtracting for crappy service. Generally, I tip above average, since I was in the restaurant industry for a short while, and I know how hard it is for good food servers to make their living, but I have to say that your twist of making the tip tangible in advance is a good one! I'll be using that.