Okay, I'm really going to stir the hornets nest here and get some folks mad at me, but oh well. A couple of points/observations/comments from this thread.
(1) Tip 10% - your a cheapskate, you should stay home and eat baloney and cheese sandwhiches, you have no right to enter a fine restaurant, and you've don't know what God's grace is about (your not thankful), Tip 15% - your getting a little closer, but thats still not enough. Tip 20% - your an excellent Christian, the waiters/waitress will fight over you and treat you like the royalty that you are.
(2) I don't know where you folks in BB land are eating, but a night out for me in the wifey is not that extravagant. The most I've ever spent on a meal was about $100 when we were dating. I was trying to impress her, but it didn't, she's just as happy with a burger and fries. The last big meal we had was on our 5th anniversary, I think the total was about $75. A typical night out for us at a sit down restaurant, the total might be $20 to $30. Usually we drink water, and sometimes we will split the ticket.
(3)I've never served, but based upon my observations a typical server can wait on at least 4 tables at a time. If we are there for an hour, at the most between greeting, taking our order, bringing the food, filling up drinks, and bringing the check, I seriously doubt the server is spending more than 15 minutes at our table. If we tip $2.50 (10%), and everybody at the other tables tip the same, than thats $10.00 and hour from tips. Assuming the base pay from the restaurant is $4.00 (half of the minimum wage, I don't know what it actually is but I know its lower) than that is $14.00 an hour. A server that works 40 hrs a week is making a liveable wage in my part of the country. The reality is however, that most are only working part time while in school or as additional income. Either way, at a minimum $14.00 an hour is sufficient for the skill level IMO.
(4)Again, I've never served, but the premise that a larger party is harder work is a fallacy IMO. Instead of making 4 to 5 trips to bring out water, the server is doing it all in on spot, etc.
(5)Wether I eat at the good ole favorite sit down chain restaurant or some upscale joint, does the waiter work any harder. Seriously, if I'm ordering a $10 collosal burger or a $30 surf and turf plate, it takes no more effort. The server that works at the upscale restaurant is naturally going to make more because the final ticket will be higher.
(6) While I admittedly tip at least 10%, which is cheap to some, does not mean I'm not thankful for God's blessings/provisions. There have been several times in the past that the wifey and I have gone somewhere like Waffle House around Christmas time and left large tips. In fact this thread reminds me that we need to do that again sometime soon. There have been other instances where I've been led to tip very generously where I get the impression the server is really struggling or having a hard time.
(7) This one will really be taken the wrong way, but here goes. On numerous threads in the past on BB some that Ive participated in and some that I've not, regarding the issue of tithing, if someone believes in the literal 10th, their usually percieved as a legalist. I understand there is nothing in the NT, but myself I generally try to use the OT standard as a rule of thumb. The majority here seem to feel its okay just to give from your heart. However, if someone doesn't tip 20% they are somehow lacking in thankfulness to God for his mercy. Just seems like a bit of a double standard to me.
