[Blarg]

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I should have at least made $10 or so on the table, even if I didn't do a good job.

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No, there's no "should" have gotten X amount even if you didn't do your job well. It's a gratuity -- not required. It must be earned. Service comes with the meal, and it's free. Good service is optional, but so is a good tip. It's a relationship thingy.

I'm a really laid back, informal, mild-mannered guy, but still find poor service very common. I tip well accordingly when it's not. But I have zero guilt about leaving little or even no tip if a server has shown me that they really couldn't care less about my comfort or concerns.

A restaurant usually only has one or two shots at me as a customer, and I have great loyalty to places I like, coming back for years on end and tipping well every time. I wouldn't be surprised if many restaurants and bars lose enormous potential profits and if some even go out of business just from the cumulative effects of having poor quality wait staff.