Tipping!

I have been a server now for about 6 months and I love it! As I was growing up, tipping wasn't a subject. Not that my parents meant to leave it out, but I don't remember ever being taught to tip. I remember being a little kid and seeing money left on a dirty table and wondering why someone would leave their money...even after that, I never really witnessed my parents tip. For that reason, I almost NEVER did as I started paying for things myself. For this, I feel a particular type of 'karma' is headed my way...
Even as I became a server half a year ago, I didn't expect a lot of tips, I continued to think it was a bonus and since I had gone two months without working, anything was more than I was making then. As time went by, I started to care more about it. I have a servant heart anyway and part of my pay is simply making people happy. However, I can't help but feel somewhat disgruntled if I am not rewarded for going above and beyond to make sure my guests' dining experience is amazing!
I can count on one hand on how many debates I've been in on the subject of tipping, mostly because I feel as though it's beating a dead horse but I cannot help but express how I feel about it.
Of course, my opinion is somewhat bias because I make my living on tips, but hear me out...

I am not quite sure how tipping came to be, I believe it was an offering of rich people or even a bribery...as time went by, in America, it became a certainty. The question is raised though, why should you tip? I'll tell you why!
When I greet a table, I the first thing I want to make is a good impression, followed by getting their drinks out in a timely manner. After that comes knowledge of the menu, recommendations, and making sure I give them enough time to read over the menu and decide what they want. All of this - mind you- while making sure I got another table's order in right, keeping glasses filled at another, dropping off someone else's check, and making sure another table's food came out the way they want. With all of these things on my mind, I have to maintain that the table I am currently at has 110% of my attention! (Not complaining, just trying to paint a somewhat vivid picture of the ten thousand things on a servers mind).
I cannot express how angry I get when people complain about the obligation to tip or say things like 'get a real job!' Do you want to know why?
Think about an amazing dining experience you had, whether it was at iHop, Olive Garden, or even one of the nicest restaurants you've ever been to...why was it a good experience? The food is most of it, but was your glass refilled? Were you offered another alcoholic drink? Did your server read non-verbal communication that you wanted the check? Did you enjoy the dish he/she recommended? Was the conversation good? Whether you like it or not, the service you received is at least 70% of your dining experience.
So let's flip this around...what if that server was already making $10-$12 an hour? Do you think they would give a darn what you did that day? Seriously, you had to ask for your refill? When you asked how something tasted they said "I don't know, but it looks cool"?
The motive is irrelevant, I know some really rude people who are servers and they still make a living because they could be faking it to get your money, but who cares? When you go out, that person is motivated to make you happy so they can feed their family, pay their rent, and make a living. Without that motivation, you would hate eating out! A lot of restaurants hire for good looks because the people working will want tips but think about any other jobs' interview process...if I was hiring a server who was about to make a lot of money an hour, the reason for hiring would be different. If the minimum wage for servers was extremely high and you weren't expected to tip, should you expect ANYONE who waits on you to go above and beyond? Or even do what you asked? The answer is no.
When I go into work and I do not want to be there, I better turn that frown upside down and paint a MASK on, or I'm not going to be able to pay bills. Could you imagine getting the bitter server who was having a bad day if they weren't working for your tip?
All I am asking, is if you're the kind of person who tells servers to stop complaining and get 'real jobs', just do me a favor and think about it from their perspective. I'd love to do some roll play so you know how it feels to have 10 demanding people, expecting the world from you, all to be under appreciated. Don't even get me started on those of you who have 2 toddlers who rip apart their broccoli, a 5 year old who throws their cup at me for a refill, leaving less than a 10% tip while I stay behind for 20 minutes cleaning up after your messy kids...

There are two sides to everything, though I am a server and depend on my tips, I cannot say that when I have a low tip or even a no tip, at times, I fell I deserved it. Dillon and I go out to eat all the time, in fact our most recent experience was at Goodwood, I left $5 for a $60 meal, which I sort of felt bad about, but, we barely saw our server. Her manager took our order, she didn't even introduce herself, and she never asked how the food was. I even left her a little note saying we would have loved to interract with her more. Why pay much beyond the food or drinks if that's literally all we got?
If you have a bad experience with a sever, then by all means, don't tip them, or leave less than 10% but don't rob someone else of a chance to pay their bills when they DID do amazing. When it comes down to it, your server helps you enjoy the meal you just purchased. The world would be a different place without you expecting amazing service knowing that their income depends on it.
When you go out to eat, a person can make all the difference, so let them know how they did...it's the least you can do.