On Sat, 16 Oct 2004 12:21:19 -0400, Dave Smith
> wrote:

> I agree with a lot of what you have to say here, and that brings me back to my pet
> peeve about tipping and corkage on the more expensive wines. I can go along with
> tipping to supplement substandard wages to wait staff,

In Canada, there is a wide spread practice of providing
uncorking the wine and providing glasses to drink it in for
free, in the US it's not a common practice. We have corkage
fees.

> but damn it I hate to be
> expected to pay an extra high tip based on a percentage of something where I am
> being gouged on the price, gouged on corkage fees and gouged on taxes. Around
> here, that bottle of wine that costs a dollar to produce sells for $8 in the
> liquor store. The restaurant charges $18 or more, then there is provincial and
> federal tax, so the bill adds up to about $21. So now I am expected to pay at
> least a $3 tip.

Geeze. You sound like you were born yesterday! Forget
including the corkage fee, it's a tip all by itself. In the
US, we make it easy on ourselves and double the tax for a
tip. So, if tax is $8, the tip is $16 and that's a fair tip
in these parts.

sf
Practice safe eating - always use condiments