[QUOTE=Carlyjay]
I’ve worked in the industry for many years and in many different places, and at least in Ontario, that’s rare enough that I’ve never seen it, nor even heard of it.
Possible that it happens more in other provinces or in the states, but I wouldn’t know.
[/QUOTE]
I’ ve worked at many places and been friends with many folks who worked in restaurants, and this is the first I have heard of tipping out based on sales. Of course, our locations are different, but to me, any restaurant which forced that scenario on its staff would be <checks forum> real jerks.
I worked at a country club where they just flat added on 16% for everyone. 13% of it went to the wait staff, 1.5% went to the bussing staff, and 1% went to the house (split by head chef and general manager, I beleive).
The idea of tipping on the cost, however, implies that there is a relationship between the cost of the food and the quality of the server. A hoity-toidy restaurant that hires crappy staff won’t keep customers for long, so they hire better quality staff. You tip based on the food price because it’s also supposed to be a judgement of the service quality. You won’t likley find $20 bottles of wine there, but you might. You might also consider tipping more for a waiter that brings and serves you a $20 bottle of wine in the midst of a rush without spilling any 
By the same token, if a waitress is busting her ass at Denny’s and you get exceptional service there, you should really consider leaving 10 bucks tip on that $20 bill (assuming you can afford it), because getting exceptional service should be rewarded.
As I said, I was in the service industry for a long time, and I tend to tip an average of 15% for adequate service at a standard restaurant (chili’s, Applebee’s, etc) and more for exceptional service, less for substandard service. If a waiter/ress has done a really good job of bringing things just right for my 3-year old daughter, who tends to be impatient, there is a bonus in it.
