Yeah...No shit. I have dozens upon dozens of stories how shitty waiting tables can be. It's decent money, but it sure doesn't make up for the bullshit servers receive from managers, cooks, and customers.

I ate at a place called Black Bear Restaurant today in Davis. The waiter was so damn good it would have been a crime to stiff him on the tip. I tipped him 16%.

I very rarely eat out, but I feel that when I'm in a mid-priced joint with attentive servers, it's like I'm making a secondary contract with the server.

If service was that good, the tip should have been 20%

I tend to start around 18% or so and add on for great service, or if my kids are difficult. If my kids make a big mess I will leave 40%, and if somebody pukes I will tip 100%.

My daughter has worked as a server in several restaurants, and she has told me some horror stories about the things that go on there.

Nowadays, knowing what I know about the forced tip-sharing, if I feel that the server has done an especially good job, I make a point of very discreetly slipping the tip - in cash - directly into his or her hand, while thanking him or her for the excellent service. That leaves the reporting - or not - of the tip up to the server.

Invariably, the response is a broad smile and a very sincere "THANK YOU!"

We basically only tip people whose job was a servant job in the 19th century.

Doctors, no tip. Weren't servants

The person standing out in the weather all day long controlling traffic at highway construction sites, no tip. 20th century job. Ditto, fast food workers.

Hotel bellhop, tip, even if your bag has wheels, and you are perfectly capable of finding your room. 19th century servant.

Pretending we are upper class Victorians makes us feel important and cultured. Think of it as the Downton Abbey Effect.

The article is accurate. I have worked as both a server and a line cook. In neither job did I ever receive sick days nor health insurance. The result? I would often come to work even when I was extremely sick.

As a line cook, I always worked for far less money than the servers. That caused resentment. I also resented that the servers (at least in that day) almost never paid full taxes on their tipped income. They would declare just a portion of what they earned, since most tip money could be hidden. Since all my income was from my employer, I always paid a full tax.