When I served tables at a restaurant i made minimum wage + tips.... and I have a few friends who are still in school who work serving jobs that get paid minimum wage + tips.
I don't know which employer pays less hourly than minimum wage and which does the minimum and i dont believe its my job to tip every crappy server I come across
I'm just playing devils advocate to rustle some jimmies
If I go to a restaurant and receive excellent service - Water never empty, given the various things I ask for in a timely fashion (extra napkins, side of ____, no ice in my drink, etc), the server is NICE, the server doesn't look like they hate their job, etc. - I tip really well, between 50%-100% the cost of the meal.
But i absolutely refuse to tip food servers anything if they rude, do not give me what i ask for, etc.
Its either a good tip for a good server or no tip for a bad server.