The rules for tipping at a restaurant are simple.  15%-20% for average or good service and 10%-15% for below average service.  Yet, when the bill comes, many patrons neglect to pay their server for the service.  This practice stems anywhere from ignorance to down right being heartless. nbsp; Here is a list of simple rules to guide you through your next dinning out experiance.

1. Servers make a different min. wage than the rest of the world (down to $2.13hr) so always tip 15%-20%.
2. Servers must tip-out EVERYONE; Bussers, bartenders, dishwashers, hosts, so don't short the tip!
3. Telling a server how good they are at their job is called a "verbal tip" and verbal tips don't pay the bills.
4. If you don't have enought money to tip, buy one less drink and tip.
5. Your server isn't in the kitchen making your food, so if it's taking too long, more than likely, it's not the server's fault.
6. Despite popular belief, over tipping IS NOT insulting.  If you want to empty your pocketbook on the table, do so.  It won't hurt anyone's feelings.  I once recieved a $125 tip on an $88 tab.  It made my week.
7. Serving tables is not hard, but not everyone can do it.  It takes a good memory and time management skills.
8.  Be nice to your server.  Chances are they're working their way through college and might be your boss some day.
9. For bad service, ask for a manager.  The good servers want the shifts and need to weed out the bad servers.
10. Don't be a regular at a restaurant or bar if you're a bad tipper.  You'll get poor service, crappy food and watered down drinks.

Most of these rulse have no acception.  I hold servers to a high standard because I was a bartender and server for many years.  If you get a poor server, chances are, it could be worse.

One night after work, a buddy and I went to IHOP for breakfast.  It was a tuesday, so the place was dead.  We sat at our booth for quite a while before our server came to help us.  The drinks came and my orange juice was warm and wattered down.  I knew that she added water to it because the bag was out and she didn't want to change it.  They did that at McDonald's when I was working there when I was 15.  She took our order and left.  A half hour later the server comes back and asks if we were ready to order.  We told her we already ordered with her.  She looks at her notebook and says, "I knew that!"  Then she went to the computer right in front of us and puts the order in.  This was the worst service I have ever had.  We tipped her a dollar, total.  Sometimes you must send a message to  your server.