> I'm not sure the comparison to other industries is apt- servers serve you, and the majority of the quality of their output comes directly from their personal interactions with you.
So it is for your doctor or your cab driver.
> Tips in serving and other interaction-heavy professions (doormen, barbers, delivery people)
Are either reserved for beyond flawless service or are basically bribes.
For my doctor, the primary measure of his quality is how good he is at medicine– that is, whether I get better or not. I'd prefer that he's nice and friendly, but curing my bronchitis is the more important aspect of our interaction.
For a server, the interaction is the primary thing I care about.
> For a server, the interaction is the primary thing I care about.
Really? Why would you do that? My primary measure of a server's quality is how fast he brings my food and how absent he is when I have no need for him. So the primary thing I care about would really be how close he is to the minimum amount of interaction necessary for service.
Not interfering at bad times is part of the quality of interaction that you can tip on. Furthermore, how fast he brings the food out is far more dependent on the kitchen staff than him, so penalizing him for it doesn't make any sense.
one could also say that a good server would come by and inform you that the your meal is taking a little longer then usual to cook because of some reason. If I am told that, I know that the server is at least trying. If the server is just absent for 30 minutes, then we have a problem.
So it is for your doctor or your cab driver.
> Tips in serving and other interaction-heavy professions (doormen, barbers, delivery people)
Are either reserved for beyond flawless service or are basically bribes.