The Brits have a reputation in the US for not tipping or tipping poorly. I was recently at arguably the best restaurant in the UK and there was a 12½% "service charge". (This is the average of the 10-15% suggested by most social commentators) It is legal to withhold all or part of the so-called charge if you feel that the service has not been satisfactory.
Do I tip the pilot of my plane, the doctor, the shopkeeper, the garage mechanic, the paperboy, the postman, the plumber, electrician and the builder, the bus driver? No.
(But we tip a taxi driver...)
What distinguishes these professions from waiters?
"Oh! We do that because we have always done it!" I hear you say. "We do it so the employer can display a menu with deceptively low prices,; so the employer can fail to pay his workers a realistic wage; we do it because handing out money to the "small people" makes us feel good."
Ban tips. Your argument for bad service is with the boss - the man who employs the waiter, pilot of my plane, the doctor, the shopkeeper, the garage mechanic, the paperboy, the postman, the plumber, electrician and the builder, the bus driver and telling everyone you meet how bad it is..
Your argument for good service is repeat business and telling everyone you meet how good it is.
