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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Janx" data-source="post: 6386817" data-attributes="member: 8835">It's probably a different economy.  Prices are different, wages are different.  Tipping doesn't enter the picture until you get to a $10/plate restaurant.  Less than that is usually a pay before food, no tip restaurant (mcDonalds is $3-$7 for a meal).At $10, we're talking about a $2 tip.  Chump change.  the real problem for waiters at those low-end places is the crappy base pay ($2.50/hour in Texas at some places) for $2 tips.  Chilis, IHOP, TGIFridays are examples of US restaurants in this cost/pay scale.A waiter needs to be working at a $100/plate restaurant to make real money for $20 tips per plate.Here in the US, by my made up cost of living estimate, a person needs to be making about $15/hour which is about $30,000/year to be living very very modestly (aka affording rent in a cheap place that's not great but not super terrible).  Things vary by city vs. rural but the rate is close enough.thus, the problem for a waiter making $2.50 an hour directly, plus meager $2 tips per customer.  On a busy day, they'll get to that $15/hour level, but it's not reliable, and a common problem is people don't tip or do less than 20%.</blockquote>