I’ve worked as a waitress, cocktail waitress, bartender, kitchen staff, caterer, maid, etc.

As a restaurant waitress (in the US), I was paid about half the minimum wage because the government assumed I’d make the difference in tips. In fact, the government assumed I’d get at least 8% of our total sales (we’re talking 1990s) and that’s what they would tax us for. What this meant was if a table didn’t leave a tip, it would actually cost ME money to have served them their meal.

When you go into a restaurant, the service included in the price of the meal is someone taking your order, and then bringing your order to you. If they are pleasant, check on you to see if you want anything else, bring your refills, etc. THAT is where the tip comes in. Higher end restaurants cost more not just because of the gourmet food, but also because of the better quality of service. If I want to dine out, I tally cost + tip in my head and if I can’t afford to pay both then I don’t go there to eat. If all I wanted was to treat myself to a meal I didn’t prepare myself and not have to pay a tip, I’d be better off going to some place like McDs.

Many restaurants force their waitstaff to pool all tips together and then divide equally amongst the entire staff, including the folks in the kitchen. This would piss me off to no end, as invariably I always made more money on my own. Of course I did, I worked way harder than many of those slack-asses! I chose how much to give my busboy, the bartender, and the prep-cook to ensure their continued assistance with turning my tables and even after that I still took home more money than I would by ‘sharing’.

I know just how hard it is to waitress, so I can be quite a forgiving customer, but this also means that I have a higher level of expectation. Sometimes I’ll tip well just to compensate for the schmuck at the next table but I have left without tipping when the service & attitude were atrociously poor.