as far as tipping is concerned, waiters get paid usually UNDER MINIMUM WAGE! in the midwest for instance, the typically hourly rate is around $2.55 an hour, yes, you read that right! so waiters rely on tips big time for an income! in europe the tip is included in your meal.
having been a waiter before it's hard work let me tell you and basically your begging people for money in a way. we all know dealing with the public is a pain in the ass, and really big when your depending on strangers for your livelihood in a restaurant/bar. because people are mean, rude, and dirty.
also alot of them are ignorant and self absorbed. i remember many a time, tables badgering me for their one hundredth refill of ice tea when i have many other tables and a table or two haven't got their first drinks yet, much less their hundrendth, obviously no one can be in one place at one time, but alot of people don't give a shit about your working your butt off much less the other people who your trying to take care of! it's all about them!
even now, that i don't wait tables anymore i still keep my eye out for what's going on. for instance, if i know a waiter that is waiting on me, is busting their ass running around like a chicken without it's head, i'm not going to sit and bitch and complain to them or their manager that i haven't been catered to within the last 10 minutes! as long as i know their trying i'm okay with it! unless you have worked in a restaurant/bar or any other service industry you don't know what goes on.
getting back to the whole sampras and agassi thing, i do think it's kind of blown out of proportion, yes, sampras started it but it was obviously in good fun, the whole crowd laughed, agassi's comeback should have been imitating pete not discussing to the crowd and the world how cheap pete is ( that is if he is cheap?) and how does agassi know that anyway, has he been eating and seated next to pete in restaurants around the world for their entire careers? also agassi put that in his tell all book. why?
agassi comes across as either needy or jealous of pete's career.
let's not forget that SAMPRAS WAS AND IS A BETTER PLAYER THAN AGASSI! he lead their career head to head and also far and away led agassi in majors. the only record agassi has over sampras is that agassi won all 4 majors, where sampras never won the french open.
unfortunately for sampras he wasn't flashy or attention getting enough so it was agassi that got the commercials and tv appearances and magazine layouts. for the unknowing and uneducated about tennis public, when they were both playing you would think that agassi was the top star and better player which was NOT the case.
pete was called boring when he played because he didn't show enough emotion? how boring can it be to the true tennis fan when you see how great he played is beyond me. i understand the public wanting to be entertained by a sports star personality not just their tennis ability, but i dont' think a player like sampras should be docked for it either. of course nowadays in our society personality usually means being an asshole, a loudmouth or having a criminal record. that's considered cool?
