Tips should be only for service beyond adequate

To the editor:

Isn't a tip supposed to be a bonus for extra service? At least that's what it started out as. Then it evolved to a specific figure: 10 percent of the bill for giving good service, then 15 percent for just doing the job adequately. Now diners are expected to tip 20 percent regardless of the service.

I'm sorry, but it is a rarity for my family to go out to a nice sit-down restaurant. When we do, it costs a fortune.

I don't mind tipping a person for giving me good service, but I don't agree with it being required or setting a specific amount. I never in my life was tipped for any job I ever had. I think wait staff should be subject to the same minimum-wage laws as everyone else. Tips should go back to being just that: a bonus for giving service beyond what is expected.

AMBER KUEHN

Jackson