Stranger said:
But seriously, why would someone not tip "out of principle"? What principle? And, what percentage of patrons would you say don't tip? Just curious.
I've had a server piss me off before. Basically leaving us stranded the whole meal. No refills on drinks, food took forever to get out, never stopped by, etc. He basically took our order, brought the food, and then dropped the check off. Fuck that. Tip YOU? Get the fuck outta here.
Conversely, we had a LOVELY server one night. Stopped by a few times, kept the drinks filled, very pleasant, nice small talk, answered all of our questions, brought out boxes of our leftovers without asking if we wanted them (we did, lol). Things like that go a long way. She was working her way through school, so I dropped her a 100% tip. $50 on a $50 bill. You get what you give when it comes to my dining experiences.
But. Typically. I'll tip 20% if the servers even pretend like they care about their jobs.
Ignore me, and I'll ignore you. It's a pet peeve.