aem wrote:
> The NY Times today has a column by a food writer, Steven Shaw, about
> tipping. Thomas Keller has announced that he is abolishing tipping at
> his Per Se restaurant in NYC, replacing it with a European-style
> service charge.
>
> Shaw discusses the several topics that from time to time are discussed
> here but with the odd and unusual addition of facts.
>
> 1. "Customers believe in tipping because they think it makes economic
> sense." However, dozens of studies by Cornell's School of Hotel
> Administration have concluded that there is at best a weak correlation
> between perceived quality of service and the amount tipped. Customers
> actually tip based on whether they "like" the server, something that is
> distinguishable from service.
>
> 2. Tipping is an invitation to "upselling," since overall tips
> increase as the bill does.
>
> 3. Tip pooling is becoming more and more common, which guts whatever
> effect tip anticipation might have had on your waiter.
>
> 4. "Indeed, there appears to be little connection between tipping and
> good service."
>
> 5. Keller apparently wants to break the cycle where servers view their
> jobs as transient and are willing to sacrifice longer term salary and
> benefits for the quicker reward of tips and owners prefer to avoid
> paying real wages to real employees. The idea is that longer term,
> loyal waiters will actually perform better and make customers happier.
>
> The full column is at NYTimes dot com, op-ed page, called "Tipped Off".

Methinks this article must assume all folks frequent an establishemnt
but once... it definitely pays to tip, and well, at a restaurant one
frequents often. Naturally if the experience is such that due to poor
service you're never going to return then why bother to tip at all, I
don't, the consumer votes with its pocketbook. There's no rule that
says poor service deserves a tip anyway.

Sheldon