I worked in restaurants/bars for 15 years until over a year ago. The last 10 of which was bartending. I've done ultra fine dining to applebee's.
Patriot76 - Places with multiple people doing different services for you have a hierarchy. It's not just the manager that runs everything. A server is master of their table section, and directs everyone else. If something goes wrong, it's their problem first. This is the person taking your order and checking on you. The other people actually get tipped by the server for their work...just like you tipping at the end of the meal. There is accountability in many forms, and if everyone is doing their job correctly, this kind of place will give you the best service possible.
What do I leave? 20% normally. It can go up from there. If the person is just plain rude, then it goes down. If something happens out of the person's control which is usually most of the problems, that doesn't affect their tip.
As a worker, what you left really didn't affect me. I'm going to make my money that day and it all averages out. What was important is that you were a pleasant customer. If a person is demanding, rude, extremely fussy, etc. your level of service is just normally going to go down. That's even if it's not intentional - in the back of your mind, you just don't want to go back to that customer.
So, being a pleasant customer leads to good service. Bad tipping and being pleasant will usually lead to either the server wondering what they did wrong, or they will be mad. It just depends on the person.
Believe it or not, most waiters/bartenders are able to give you free stuff! If you are a great customer AND tip well I would always go out of my way to provide you with extra perks for coming in. Maybe a free beer, other drink(free soda/coffee/etc was really easy to do), extra heavy pours on your cocktails, appetizer, dessert, whatever. I had several regulars that never paid for their sodas, never. It's not like things are being stolen either. This is an acceptable thing to do, and normally would either go through a manager or someone with authority. Bartenders are given a lot of leeway with drinks normally, but it depends on where you are working.
For me, it wasn't that big of a deal I guess. I just wanted my day to go well. If anyone has any questions about the intricacies of tipping, feel free to ask.
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