I waited on Bernie Sanders in Burlington

[woodsprite]

29. Is it possible the service wasn't as good as you thought?

A long time for an order to be taken or delivered to our table (without explanation or apology), forgetting to have someone cover you when you take a break, not being attentive to drink refills or to check on the customer after the food is delivered, the customer having to wait on the check a longer time than usual, especially if you mentioned you need to eat/run - like at lunch?

Those are all reasons my husband and I will lower a tip, and sometimes if meets multiple criteria, we'll give a less than 10% tip - even if the check gives tip "suggestions" at the bottom. The way I see it, if you don't leave a tip, people will think you forgot, but if you leave a lower than acceptable tip, they notice and may reevaluate their service. We've had a couple that have asked how they could improve their service.

If service is good, we do 20%, if better, we do 25-30%. So we're not "lousy tippers" as a rule. And it doesn't have a thing to do with perceived gender.