I normally tip around 20%. Unless the server is rude.

My general tip scale is as follows:

Worst Service Ever = no tip (complain, get money off the meal or free items)
Bad = no tip
Mediocre = no tip
Good = no tip, perhaps a "thank you"
Very Good = no tip, a "thank you"
Best Service Ever = no tip, "goodbye" and "thank you"
Only attends to me, hot big-breasted waitress gives me loads of free stuff, sucks my cock twice and lets me do the motorboat = 0.5% tip and a "thank you"

While I was working in New jersey and New York for Hurricane Sandy I went to Applebee's a couple times. I went with my sister and a guy Ron I had just met thats works for my company, different office. When we walked in Ron asked the host to seat us in the section that had the most fiesty waitress. So this girl comes up, is drop dead gorgeous, had the best personality and was funny as hell. And most definitely fiesty. At some point we got into a conversation about the fact that she was Polish and was wanting to make a trip back to Poland to see her family, and also so she could get drunk legally since the drinking age there is 18 and she is apparently over 18 but under 21. We decided to leave her a nice, tip, for about a $50 meal we left here $40. Then we had about 100 or so other employees staying at the same hotel, and suggested to many of them to go to applebees and ask to be seated in her section. We went a second time ourselves, with a couple other guys and left about an $80 tip that time. I think we made her day, she was skipping around the restaurant like a total goofball by the time we left. Felt nice to have that effect on someone. She was totally cool and deserved it.

In my state, waiters/waitresses' pay largely depends on how much they receive in tips. Knowing that, I usually don't use tipping as a punishing tool. I tip at least 15% on the billed amount. 20% or more if the service is really good.

Does it vary much from state to state? I know here, the pay is somewhere in the $2 to $3 per hour range.

It does indeed, waitresses make at least $9 per hour in Anchorage, but we still tip heavy because minimum wage is closer to $15 in this city.

I know in some states, minimum wage rate for tipped employees is lower than that for other employees. Like here, the minimum wage rate is like ~$8/hr but only $3-4/hr for a waiter/waitress. So tips is essentially what makes up for the difference.

Workers that rely on tips, servers/valet's, usually make well below minimum wage because those businesses suck and are cheap. But sometimes you can make good money if you're good at what you do.

As a former valet who had to deal with shitty tippers, I like to tip well.

Are the businesses commiting an offence to knowlingly pay employees below minimum wage? Just wondering.

Is the minimum wage an enforcable law? or just a "suggested" wage?

It's enforceable. If the employee doesn't make minimum wage when they add their tips, the business must make up the difference.

Ok, fair enough. So, by not tipping, the employees are losing out on nothing. Good to know.

To me, it is still pretty simple:

Good service = tip

Bad service = no tip

I am willing to tip even for average service as long as everything just gets done. But I don't want to reward bad service.

Yeah! That's a good attitude!

I think so too.

Please, never come to America.

I'm coming. And I'm going to do it my way.

Burger King is overrated

Horse meat is delicious.