Please always tip at least 15%, regardless of the service.

[athena]

24. It's a very tough job.

I've never done it myself, but I had a friend who took a year off college to be a waiter at different places across the country. He's the one who taught me this lesson about tipping one time, almost 18 years ago. We went out to a restaurant with a bunch of people and had to wait two hours between the time we ordered and the time the food arrived. When the check arrived, I suggested that we not leave a tip. Everyone enthusiastically agreed. As the rest of us were leaving, I saw that my friend was taking out whatever cash he had in his pockets to leave at least a small tip. He was very upset; he said the delay was clearly the fault of the kitchen, not the servers. I left some cash, too, but the two of us didn't have enough money on us to make up for the whole party. I felt horribly guilty. I have never forgotten that lesson.