Ah. A good idea to always put the tip on the credit card (if used), to avoid theft, then.
I disagree. I've told this story before. My Dad was a member of a club. The manager of the club decided to save money by switching the servers from non-tipped employees to tipped employees. But he didn't tell the general membership. THe new cards had a spot for tips but since most people have never tipped at a CC, people generally didn't see them. On the rare occasion someone did list a tip there - the manager stole it.
Dad found out about the little con, when one of Dad's employees came to him for advice. The man's University aged child was working at the CC and was now struggling because of the drastic drop in wages. (they had been paid a good deal over min wage). Many members had been very pleased with the new manager's "improvements and increased profitablity" of the club. Dad made it very clear that this was morally corrupt and that when the media got hold of it it was going to play that a bunch of rich white men were cheating a bunch of poor largely Hispanic boys and girls out of fair wages. It took a month or so to fire the jerk. Part of the protest Dad and the other members launched was to tip the kids very well but in cash from member's hand to employee's hand.
Since then I've heard from several friends and family members about times managers stole tips left on cards. I try to hand cash tips to my server.
I've been chased by servers 2x - both because they thought I had left my change by mistake. Actually I had tipped them a large amount because they fixed a difficult situation.
1. The power was out at home. It was summer - in Houston. I was hot, tired and had a splitting head ache. I showered and went to get some food. I went to a Tex Mex place and was ordering one of their plates. The kind shown in a grid. Due to my fatigue and headache my dyslexia flip flopped the grid. I thought the numbers were under the description they were above the description. The plates were almost identical but my favorite part was left off what I ordered. Once we figured out what I did the waiter talked to the manager and got permission to let me order the item. It is hard to describe how good that made me feel - I was just so tired and uncomfortable I needed that comfort food the kindness was magnified by how down I was. So I left double my normal tip.
The other time was a new place, with a brand new waiter. He was doing a great job - but the manager or some person in authority kept giving him negative feedback about everything he did at my table. (I don't think the person realized I could hear him - but I have teacher hearing). Also what the person was telling the server was wrong. He put the drink down a little farther to the left than normal - but I had an Ipad sitting on the table. So what he really did was put the drink a safe distance from the very expensive electronic. I doubled my tip that time also. I this case I walked back in with him and told the person who had been critiquing him that It was all his tip and complemented him on his excellent service. I didn't go back - I just couldn't stomach the manager's attitude.
The only times I haven't tipped have been
1. When they lied about peanut products in the food and I was leaving to go to the ER. (Don't pay for the meal in that situation either)
2. The manager was so unbelievably rude to my friends and I that we cancelled the order and walked out before being served our food. This was back in the mid 80's when the feds were forcing states to change drinking age. 1/2 of us were of age. 1/2 weren't but had been 6 months before. The 1/2 that were ordered drinks. We were served then the drinks removed and we were told we would not be served. I knew from some comments that my Dad had made that TABC had been conducting sting opperations were mixed groups of nearly legal and legal people at the same time order drinks and the not quite legal people get served because of confusion. I explained to my friends and we agreed to all have tea or soft drinks. The manager got nasty again even though we weren't ordering acholol. We walked at that point. (He wanted us to pay for the drinks he took back - no go. )