baseline in NY is to double the tax - that gives you about 17%. People here usually round up to 20%, but that is so not typical for the rest of the country. Especially not for non "fancy" places.

I usually do around 20% but not less than 15% . except at the cafe where I eat breakfast. sometimes there is tip , sometimes no tip, and sometimes a 20.00 goes in the tip jar. They only take cash - so it just depends if I haven't tipped in awhile. Or if the person who cuts Matt's hair and colors my hair would take anymoney - since it is her family that owns the cafe I throw extra in the tip jar that week.

I generally tip 20%, unless they fucked up the order badly and forgot our table. Then it goes down to between 17-15%. You'd have to personally insult my child to get a 10% tip.

Forget my table and I forget the tip. Get insulting and I chat with the manager.

I rarely tip under 20% because no matter what kind of service you provide it is expensive to live in NYC. Plus the waiter has to tip out to the people who actually do all the work, the busboys.

kitchen screw ups - I am pretty forgiving about. forgetting my table, that's a bit harder for me to deal with.

My parents managed/owned a restaurant for almost 40 years. I tend to overtip out of empathy BUT I also don't put up with bad waitstaff (ie, attitude or cold food)

See, around here, 15% is standard, and I usually round to 20% because easier math. But I will go lower for horrendous service that is within the server's control. Like the time I had to be my own server, even getting our meal from the kitchen while the pompous little twit chatted up all his friends. He took our order, throwing attitude the whole time and that was it.

The bill for the table was nearly $100. We left a penny. And complained to the manager the next day.

Also, if you look at the complaints on the site, most of the tips listed are under 10%, which is shitty by anyone's definition. (Assuming that the waitstaff posting are being honest about the quality of service they provided, natch.)