I hear what you’re saying and I agree with all of it. But that said, inflation is ripping apart many, many, mom and pop restaurant and they are simply trying to survive. The wait staff, who never had it easy, is struggling to keep their heads above water.
So I make it a point to tip generously. You can also tell that some of the older wait staff are struggling more than most, so I try to be more generous with them.
The media pretends that’s it’s not happening, but really hard times are here for many of our fellow citizens