Going out to Eat... Do's and don'ts

So, as a waitress here are some points for both customers and servers to look at.
As a customer, please know that servers depend on tips to make a living, most servers here in Michigan only earn $2.65 and hour plus tips as their pay. The tip amount should be based on several factors and not on others. An average tip where I work is 20 percent and that is the base I go off of when I myself go out to eat. You should not lower your tip because your steak wasn't the right temp, that is the cooks mistake and if you speak up a good server will fix most any issue you have with that aspect, you should however lower your tip if your food came out and it was not what you ordered, that was a server mistake.
Please don't assume because it is taking a minute for your server to bring your food that they are slow, sometimes you may not realize there are to go orders and maybe even a large order from another area of the restaurant that was in before yours. On the other hand if you see your server standing around talking to other staff goofing off and your drink has been empty for minutes that is your servers fault.

Please also take note that in a lot of restaurants each server is limited during diner as to how many tables they are allowed to have at once, from my experience it is usually around 3 or 4 and it doesn't matter if you are done but still sitting and talking your table still counts. So if you want to just go in and have a drink and maybe a side of fries and catch up with a friend that's fine but, then you should tip based on time taken. If you take up a seat for 2 hours and only spend five to ten dollars then a $2 tip is not proper, but in that same manner your server should treat even the smallest order the same as the most expensive, after all you are still a customer and deserve the same attention.

One more note to pass on in alot of places a small tip effects the server more than you may know. Most places a server does not keep all of the tips at the end of the night they have to do whats called a "Tip Out" where they have to give a percent to the bartender, host, buser, and kitchen staff, even though those people make more hourly.