Seems like there are a lot of comments about whether or not tipping promotes good or bad behavior from the servers. Seems pretty divided to me, opinion wise.

Seems like there are a lot of comments about whether or not tipping promotes good or bad behavior from the servers. Seems pretty divided to me, opinion wise. I think that's part of what the article was saying. Regardless of whether or not the server behavior was good or bad, the tipping culture created complex and unnecessary social dynamics that were difficult to control in a predictable, effective manner. My take away is that tipping was an inelegant, overly complex solution, and that simplifying it made the social context much easier to deal with, so that the owner could produce consistent, high quality results. After that point, I'd say that servers or employees that are good or bad become the same issue you have with any other customer facing job. You address it through culture, disciplinary action, ranking, scheduling, perks, reviews, wage increases, or any number of other methods (I'm not endorsing any of those specifically). The incentive structure becomes a job more or less just another retail job.