Flat-Rate Tipping

I don't understand tipping as a percentage of the amount owed to the restuarant. Does the server work harder when I order prime rib than when I order a burger? I don't think so; and yet, the bill for a burger will be half of that for prime rib. Add a few more people to the party (such as our family of soon-to-be-six), and the disparity can be even larger (particularly for my family, as we choose inexpensive dishes to spend as little as possible).

So I've started flat-rate tipping. For most restuarants, I tip at a rate of $5 per half-hour for good service, rounding up to the half-hour. For a typical Miller family meal, lasting between 45-60 minutes, I'll tip $10. I'll go higher or lower for exceptional or poor service, and I'll obviously increase the flat rate for fine dining. If, by some chance, my flat-rate tip was less than 20% of the bill, I'd bump it up. I don't think this is ideologically neccessary, but I just can't bring myself to under-tip, even according to "normal" expectations. I admire and respect the work that servers do, and I'm happy to pay well to be well-served.