So you're going out on a date, or having a birthday dinner, or just a casual day to go out to eat. You order your favorite thing on the menu, whether it be an appetizer or a full course meal. You order a soft drink or a drink from the bar. You ask for extra things on your plate. Your server does everything they can to make your visit a legendary visit. You pay and tell your server they did a wonderful job.

But, did you leave a tip that says that?

When going out to eat, ALWAYS tip your server. Servers don't get paid minimum wage. In fact, they get paid less than minimum wage. In the state of Michigan, server wage is $3.23 an hour PLUS tips. So in reality, servers live off their tips, and when a person does not tip, it really messes up their mood, their pay and how their shift would end.

When you go out to eat, tipping is part of the routine. And yes, if you have coupons, tipping is still part of the routine. The average tip for good service is 20%. That's before the discounts, the comps, the coupons, anything to make your bill lower. If you order a drink fro the bar, that's a dollar more added to the tip for every bar drink you buy because not only do you have to tip your server, you have to tip your bartender because not only did they have to keep the bar up and running, making sure every guest is having a good time, they had to make your drink as good as it is to make you wanting to order more.

If you feel like the service was OK, tip them 15%. And no, not OK as in my-server-could've-done-better-because-they-had-5-tables-and-I-wanted-more-attention, OK as in your server had 2 tables and didn't pay attention but they still gave you their best. Understand that servers do have more than one table and have to give their best service to each and every one. Please be patient with your server.

If the service was bad, don't just not tip. A person should tip no less than 10 percent for bad service. That's more of a way to tell your server that you weren't satisfied with their service.

Yes, servers chose their job and knew what they were signing up for when they applied but for a person not to tip, it makes them want to quit and settle for fast food. Servers never see a big paycheck because at the end of the night, it's a must to claim all the tips they made at the end of the night. yes, they have to claim the tip that you did not leave. No, that doesn't show up on their check. So, the next time you go out to eat, always remember to tip your server.