[PINeely]

If you can't afford to tip properly then you can't afford to eat out, and if you don't tip or look for reasons not to tip, you are an asshole. I worked as a server for half of high school and all of college and I can tell you that the waitstaff absolutely bust their asses just like the rest of us. Trouble is, they aren't paid for it. Servers make far less than minimum wage in the US. In Mississippi for example the minimum wage is 7.25; if you are a server you will start at 2.13 and probably stay there. They rely almost entirely on tips because it is assumed that they will get them.

Additionally you will work for longer than you are paid to. Restaurant closes at 9:30, you MIGHT get out of there by 11 if you are quick to reset your tables, roll silverware, clean the bathrooms, wipe up that unidentifiable shit underneath table 46 and the people who came in at 9:25 eat relatively quickly. You will cut lemons for the bar and nick your fingers while you are at it. You will panic when the kitchen goes to hell and your orders are coming out 10 minutes apart. You will get double or triple sat when the restaurant is short staffed and have to coordinate it at the drop of a hat. But worst of all, you will ALWAYS have some dick who tips you $3 on a $120 ticket and makes you worry about paying your bills on time. It's an incredibly stressful job and it's hard to do it right. It drives me up the wall when people talk about how they don't tip like it's some point of pride that they're a cheap-ass, because they're not just ordering food but also a service.

A proper tip is 20%. If your server is outstanding then 25-30% is in order. If your bill is less than 10 bucks, tip at least 30%.

Another thing, don't take pens from the table because servers often have to buy them from the restaurant (40 cents apiece was what I had to pay and at least 5 a night would get taken).