DEAR MISS MANNERS: What are you supposed to tip if your meal is free due to bad service?
The other night, we went out to eat. The hostess seated us with menus, but then no one took our drink order or spoke to us for quite a long time. They continued waiting on customers who arrived after us, some of whom already had their food before they realized the mistake. They apologized repeatedly and said our food and drinks would be free of charge.
We estimated what the bill probably would have been and gave them about 50% tip, feeling generous due to the fact that we weren’t paying for dinner.
GENTLE READER: Well, this is a fine conundrum. You were given bad service, but the food was fine. So you paid for the service, not for the food. What a world.
Miss Manners will refrain from lecturing the country yet again on why tipping is a terrible custom (workers should instead be given a decent wage), because this ridiculous situation defies logic itself. Until we reform the system, however, your solution -- for what seemed to be an honest mistake -- was as good as any. The irony is rich, however, that the only one who did not come out ahead in all of this was the innocent chef, who did his or her job well.