RE: 'Tipping etiquette for waiters' [2/7/08]

Our thanks to Thomas G. Johnson for bringing up the apparently standard question brought by waitpersons in restaurants: asking if change is needed. We don’t like it either.

The only other practice that is worse is the “added gratuity of 18 percent.” We feel that if the waitperson knows they will get a tip regardless of service, why perform well?

We frequent a golf resort locally that indulges in this practice and find ourselves going elsewhere to dine after a round of golf, with increasing frequency.

Short of staying at home for dinner, anyone out there have any good suggestions?

Gene and Deb Zinn