The Tipping Debate

Look: In another life, I worked as a bartender (and service bartender) at a restaurant that had a lot of Europeans eat there. The rule was: if any table had a foreign accent, the waiter was allowed to ask the manager to automatically add a gratuity to the bill. The waiters would stand by the service bar and it would twist them in knots trying to decide, which was fun to watch. Sometimes they gambled and it turned out fine, other times, they got stiffed. I won't get into which nationalities did what, but the more experienced waitstaff all thought that the foreigners knew they should tip, but didn't do it on purpose. I guess it balances out all the Americans abroad who tip too much.