I recently enjoyed a meal at an Owensboro restaurant, and could not help but notice the failure of many diners to leave their waitress or waiter an adequate tip. Not leaving a tip equal to at least 20 percent of the cost of your meal is very unfair to your waiter or waitress. In other words, if you don't leave a fair tip, it's actually costing your waiter or waitress money to serve you. The old concept that you leave tips only if you consider the service exceptional no longer applies today.
Tips now are part of the waiter's or waitress' base pay.
A tip of 20 percent is not a gift. Through tips, you're paying your waiter or waitresses for a service, just as you would pay the repairman, painter or barber. If you do feel the service was outstanding, you should tip more than the 20 percent. Also, if you're paying for all or part of your meal with a gift certificate, your 20 percent tip should be calculated on the meal's entire cost, not just the total after the gift certificate is deducted. Come on Owensboro, let's be fair.