Too Much Is Never Enough

Funny story in the News this weekend about a guy leaving a $100 tip to impress his date and then asking for it back once the girl was out of ear shot.  The server’s response was priceless.  You can check the full story at the link below.  I have mixed feelings about tipping.  When I was a bartender I truly appreciated every tip I received but never expected them.  Personally I tip for good service and the percentage of the tip is based on the service received.  I am a slightly offended by some tipping practices though.  One is the expectation to tip because wait staff are forced to “tip out” a certain amount at the end of the night and have to make a specific amount in tips or they end up paying out of their own pocket.  I’m not against tips being disbursed to include cooks and kitchen staff but I think it would be much more fair to have servers tip out a portion of what they actually took in rather than a predetermined amount.  The other thing I really don’t like is the tip option on debit machines.  To me it’s like saying “we served you, now tip us”.  Just my personal feeling.  I know many find it much more convenient than leaving cash on the table.  I just find it puts people in a “guilt trip” position.  I totally respect people’s decisions to tip or not and to make the decision of how much.  I just don’t believe customers should be put in the position where tips are expected and people are judged if they decide not to for whatever reason.