Pappy, don't remove this from the main page. This is for Caniprokis, who insists that you leave a 15% minimum tip for lunch and a 20% minimum tip for dinner. Dumb argument, I know, but I figured I'd found out where he got this idea from when every other one of us grew up with 15% for average service all the time. I found absolutely nothing supporting the notion, so the only conclusion I can come to is that because FatherOfCaniprokis finds 20 bucks in his asscrack when showering every morning, he's able to leave 20-25% tips all the time for dinner. But, because you need concrete evidence for matters of etiquette, I present several links to prove my point.
First Link- search for "phoenix" and you'll find it- Second Link - search for "GRATUITY" and you'll find it
Third Link- search for "tipping" (wow)Fourth Link- search for "restaurant"Fifth Link- search for "benchmark"Sixth LinkSeventh Link
I think the most compelling evidence of all comes from Walt Disney World.
Lunch wasn't mentioned in any of these; I'm assuming that you leave the same tip for both lunch and dinner. So, from these sites, I was able to come up with a good tipping guide. If you get poor service (I would suggest when it's not busy - it's not necessarily the server's fault when it's busy), you leave a 10% tip. Maybe a little more or less. I would never leave a penny. People who do that are rotten. Nobody gets service THAT bad. Anyway... If you get average service - the person doesn't do anything wrong, but just doesn't go that extra mile - you leave a 15% tip. And, if you get great service you leave 20%. If you're in a big party or a fancy restaurant, I'd leave 20% for regular and 25% for great service. Simple as that.
And I don't especially consider the Ground Round or Modern as fancy restaurants. Nor do I consider four or five people a big party.