Not too long ago, there was a thread about how well you tipped. But why you tip at a restaurant? and who do you wish would receive it?
I've been cooking for only a handful of years - started at 15, nearly 22 now - and there has always been a gray area in each and every restaurant I've worked in.
Should the waitresses keep 100% of their tips?
Should the cooks, head chef, dish monkey, bartender or even management get a portion?
For the most part I believe when people tip, they're tipping based upon their entire experience of the restaurant.
Did you have to send your food back at any point?
Was the food served hot & quickly?
Were the dishes clean?
Did the waiting staff attend to your questions & needs?
I think all of these attribute to how much of a tip is left behind. So naturally, everyone involved should get some portion.
There are many people who have been working as servers for varying amounts of years that firmly believe that having to split any amount of their tips with anyone (even the cooks, the people that their job depends on) is borderline theft. I guess I have a bit of bias.
What do you think?