I think you're missing the point. The client has those options. Whether they choose to use them or not is a different matter. But they are all very effective. E

I think you're missing the point. The client has those options. Whether they choose to use them or not is a different matter. But they are all very effective. Especially the 3 where the "pain" is almost exclusively with the restaurant [%] and staff (no tip, not coming back, bad reviews). It's the last resort measures that are the most effective. They're still perfectly valid measures if they can give you leverage over the other party. > Chances are most people would stay. Chances are most people would tip even if their experience wasn't that great (saying this both as client and former waiter in a different life). But tipping is still a perfectly good leverage against bad service. Leverage isn't judged by how many people use it but how effective it is. Unfortunately for the waiter there's little to no leverage in a conflict with the cook. I worked as one in my teens. We were the last in the food chain: arguing with the customers or cooks was terminal because the boss could not afford to lose either one over an ill-tempered waiter, especially when we were seen as "a dime a dozen". [%] The measure of leaving when the food is served is not the most effective because in many run of the mill restaurants it just gets recycled in the kitchen. Not much is lost from the restaurant's perspective while the client may have lost more time. In some cases though where the dish can't be recycled it could come out of everyone's paycheck (cooks and waiters alike).