Why not weigh in on tipping. Everyone has an opinion, so here's mine.
This only applies to tipping in the US and Canada. If you're traveling abroad, then find out what the local custom is and follow it. In come countries, tipping your server is an insult, in others it's part of your meal.
Servers compensation is calculated to include tips. Many places pay below minimum wages on the assumption that tips will make up the difference.
Tipping gives you an opportunity to pay based on the quality of the service provided, that's why it's variable. You should have a standard tip for acceptable service. For me, it runs around 18%. (I usually calculate on the dollar amount to 20%, so a bill of $20.75 is a $4 tip. Not quite 20%, but the math's easier.)
If the service is very good, the tip should be very good. Normally, I'm pleased with the service I get, so tips are often in the 22%-25% range. I have on one or two occasions tipped 30%, but the server was incredible, the restaurants were full and the server replaced a meal at no cost, even though it was exactly what was ordered, but the person ordering didn't like it.
If the service is poor, then the tip should be reduced. I've gone as low at 10% and considered not tipping on a few occasions. These are occasions where the server was rude, or messed up the order and blamed one of the people in our group. "I know what you ordered, and that's exactly what I brought you." The problem I have with low or non-tipping is I want the person to know their service is the reason I didn't give a big tip, not because I'm cheap.
When considering the quality of service make sure you take into account how busy the server is, not the restaurant. We went to one place that had three servers and only 5 of maybe 25 tables were filled. One server was serving all five tables. The restaurant may have been slow, but our server was busy.
Finally, tip based on the amount you would have paid if nothing was comp'd. On several occasions, servers have taken items off the bill, just because the person didn't like it. The meal was made correctly and was fine. The person ordered was just trying something new and turned out they didn't like it. Yet, the meal was still taken off the bill. It's not the servers fault someone didn't like the meal. Don't penalize them for being nice.
