There are many ways to encourage, or even demand, quality service while out for a nice meal. Telling your waiter in advance that you’re going to be a dick about the tip is most certainly not a good method for doing so.

Over at ServerNotServant.com, there’s the tale of a diner who thought it would be a good idea to start out the night by pulling out 20 singles, placing them on the table and telling the waiter, “[let’s] play a little game… I’ll take one away (from your tip) every time something goes wrong.”

“Where the hell do these people come from?” asks ServerNotServant’s Patrick Maguire. “Demeaning fellow human beings is never funny or cute. You don’t play games with hard-working people who are just trying to make a living.”

We couldn’t agree more. Behavior like this is how you end up with phlegm in your food. It can also have a negative effect on other customers as that waiter does his best to quell the desire to pummel you.

It’s time like this that we really miss our commenters…

If you feel compelled, you can still go over to Patrick’s site to say your piece.

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.