The idea behind tipping is a good one, you give someone who is serving you a little something extra for good service. The important words in that sentence are “extra”, “good service”, and maybe “little”. Somewhere along the line tipping has morphed into this terrible beast which will smite you if you dare oppose it. Everyone wants to be tipped if they do anything at all, I had a taxi driver demand a tip, and the worst part is I gave him something.
Restaurants are the nexus from which this cancer is spreading. The whole idea of a “mandatory tip” for large parties (to the tune of 18%) is both an oxymoron and plain insulting. Not to mention that the level of bad service that is required before not tipping is acceptable is for the waiter to light your hair on fire, on purpose, then laugh at you.
I would start on a campaign and boycott tipping. This would have the advantages of striking out at an evil situation and saving me 20% when I go out to eat. However, this tends to upset others in the party resulting in me being called names (cheap) and cries for the poor waiters (How will they eat? How will they feed their children? Oh the humanity!). So instead I will merely grumble about it on my blog.