Sorry, Zev, I didn’t know it had to be kosher. I understand that fully.
I’d think that if you were a “regular”, you’d get better service, no?
I remember once, something very similar happened to me and a date at a restaurant in Honolulu, and he let the waitress know in no uncertain terms what he thought of her (non)service. We never went back there again.
That restaurant went out of business quite quickly. Hmm, I wonder why? 
I think people should demand (to a certain extent) good service; after all, you are paying the bill.
MsWhatsit, you might want to reread my post - I explained what I considered acceptable resolution from the waiter (essentially, take the steak back/take the incorrect item off the bill), and that I wouldn’t reduce a tip if they handled it without causing me hassle.
zev_steinhardt
You did the right thing IMO . A gratuity is left for services well done. You are the recipient of that service and only you know how you rate that service.
Personally, I always tip…based upon how much I enjoyed the time spent. Not so much the amount time. Two examples of my tips are:
$5 for a $10 meal. Excellent service, highly enjoyable experience
1 penny for a $35 meal. Lousy service, ruined my disposition for an hour or so afterwards.
I found that when a waiter/waitress ignores one of her tables during a slow period (very few customers) to the point that you have to finish your meal with nothing to drink - after getting their attention on several occasions- leaving a single penny definitely gets their attention.
One word of advice, duck…when they throw the penny at you. Of course that usually attracts the manager’s attention.