[haswell]

Embedded in that culture is the fact that the wait staff is often (legally) paid far less than the other people involved, and that their survival depends on those tips.

The pricing of the meal is what pays for the music, lighting, ambience and decor.

I'm not saying any of this makes sense, or that I think it's a good system, but I know too many people who rationalize poor tipping because they disagree with a system that the wait staff has no power to control.

I want the system to change, but I also don't feel that it's right to protest against it at the expense of the people least able to do anything about it.