I worked as a waiter in a learning camp when I was youinger. The camp charged me for the summer, albeit a reduced fee – however, the only way I was able to cover even that reduced fee was using the $$$ I received in tips – and the camp knew this. The camp also put out that Rav Yakov ZT”L had said that not tipping the waiter in camp was a form of Gezel, as the tip was expected at the time the work was done.
I can truly say that to this day, decades later, I can still recall several individuals who did not tip – as well as several specific individuals who were particularly generous. One thing that really sticks in my mind is one of my tables where one of the guys had worked as a waiter himself a few years earlier. That table in particular was generous in tipping, and the former waiter came over to me to ask me to let him know if anyone there had not tipped, as he’d approach them about it – he said that since he’d been in that position hiself previously, he knew how hard we worked and how much it stung when no tip was given.
I can say that even now, years later, I remain sensitive to those who rely on tips, and tend to tip more generously than most (even when it was a financial strain), since I know how much it means to them.
an Israeli Yid