The "New" Art of Tipping

What's the big secret with tipping? We all know it is going on, but we rarely think about it, talk about it or consider how the practice might have changed. People who tip regularly seem to have many varied ideas about the process, but do not generally share their thoughts with others. Some rely on tried and true methods handed down for centuries, (with no change in rate), others have no precise idea what to do, and still others use the tip solely as a means to impress. Well, whatever people are doing, times have changed and the time has come to rethink the process. The time has come for the "New" Art of Tipping.

For one thing, if you still believe in the standard 10% tip, your age is showing. A few years back, the ante was upped to a mere 15% to 20% for satisfactory service and stayed the same. Statistics reveal that only one in twenty diners actually tips 25% or more and the average tip is around 18.9%. Under certain circumstances, that is nice, but under others, it is a bit chintzy. After all, we are not talking about throwing quarters at begging urchins in the street. These are hard working adults. Why shouldn't they be paid at least as much as the rest of us?

By law, restaurants are allowed to pay waiters, servers and bar staff lower wages as tipped employees. Anything else tipped employees make is usually theirs to keep. Establishments can, by law, require tipped employees to share their tips, and, if an employee's combined wages and tips do not add up to at least minimum wage, the employer must make up the difference. Now, does that seem fair? Are these people really deserving of only minimum wage? Isn't it true that a good server is worth his or her weight in gold and can make or break a restaurant? Sure, the restaurants making money hand over fist should pay their servers more, but they do not. After all, if you go into a fine restaurant, (or any restaurant for that matter), it means something when the food is valued higher than the people who take it to the customers. It is just logical that a hamburger served by Mr. French is just going to taste better than Filet Mignon served by Archie Bunker, and whom would you rather have taking care of your table? Do you prefer the neat, clean, trained professional or the inattentive, cigar-smoking braggart? Are you willing to pay more to get more?

For example, if Mr. French works at a restaurant serving entrees at $6.00 and Archie Bunker works

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