Anna, I just want to say that if I had you as my server I know I would be in for a treat. Of course, I would get you in trouble by asking you about your furkids and just wanting to gab and gab and gab.

My only thought on this thread is how surprised I was to see so many heated emotions on this issue. Just yesterday I met an old friend for lunch at a nearby restaurant. We left a 20% tip. The server was not the best I ever had but not the worst. To me a tip is a "given." I would never not leave a tip unless the server was completely rude, which I have never experienced. I do think that it would make life easier all around, though, if tips were eliminated and servers just received more per hour. I know that sometimes when a group of us go out we wish we had a calculator to figure out who pays what. We can barely do the division let alone add the tip in.