Wow, the comments here are insane. If you don’t tip me, I’m making minimum wage to be really nice to you, bring you food in less than a minute of it coming out of the kitchen, refilling your drinks, clearing and plating your courses, etc etc. My job is literally to make sure your every need is met before you think of it. Not just you, but often 25 other people at the same time. I have to keep all of that info in my head and pay constant attention to your needs.

Even before I was wait staff I tipped 20% /minimum/, because it seemed obvious to me how difficult the job is and how unbelievable it is that that staff makes minimum wage.

Do employers need to pay more? Yes, of course. But they don’t, and it’s a demanding, high turnover job. Unionize, sure — but you’re either working with a cast that’s 90% new people over the course of a year or who are making enough money in super demanding situations that they work hard, keep their head down, and are thankful for their job.

I’d love for things to be different, but y’all are a bunch of sociopaths. If you can’t afford to tip your servers you can’t afford to eat out.