Restaurant owners want customers to pay their employees directly instead of providing them with a decent wage.

A lot of employees want this as well. Those who do well in well traveled restaurants or bars then to make WELL over the minimum wage. This is why the employees get mad at the patron/client rather than their employer when they don't get a tip. It works... it's what many of them want.

The sad part is that prices for things have already been going up considerably... So what was a $5 tip @ 10% years ago is now closer to $20 tip @ 20% today for the same meals/amount of food. It isn't a 2x increase at all... Since it's % based on subtotal and those costs have been going up... it's significantly more if you follow their "minimum" percent tips.

I follow something similar to Dandroid and refuse to change. I only tip for sit-down restaurants where an actual servers brings me my food. If I get shit service, you're not getting a tip. If it's basic service, you'll get 10%... 15% for "good"... 20% for outstanding. Although looking at the laws in my state, I'm debating on cutting it back considerably. Minimum wage in my state is not the $3.and change per hour for those positions. It's just about $11 and the normal minimum wage is $13 and change. So if I'm the only table in their whole section, and I tip 2$ per hour, they're making minimum wage. And people here still complain about the tipping... The only explanation is greed... and I can't stand that at all.