Personally, I think tipping as mandatory is ********. But, I think its ******** on the basis that the restaurant owners aren't required to pay the equivalent of minimum wage. Get rid of the "service industry" minimum wage for those receiving tips, which is I think barely over $2/hr, pay them the standard minimum wage, and then only tip if they do a great job. Gets rid of the attitude associated with some ****** waiters/waitresses, and keeps the employees who get the bad shifts from getting screwed over.