I'd still like to know a logical reason why server pay should be directly correlated to the cost of my bill. Is delivering a steak any harder than delivering a hamburger? Or is a burger at Disney World really twice as hard to deliver as Burger at Chili's just off property?
Regardless, the day waiters start getting a $15/hr minimum is the day I will stop tipping. There are many harder jobs in the world that pay far less than waiters, and the people that work them don't whine and bitch nearly as much. Plus the whole threat of "your service will suck if you don't tip" is also a load of crap, if service sucks somewhere people will stop going and servers will either get fired or the restaurant will close. Do you really think if management is paying you $15+/hr they are going to let you goof off and piss off customers? Somehow every other job in America gets done without your customer giving you extra cash at the end of the shift.
At least in most states, it is also pretty misleading to clam that waiters make less than minimum wage. If tips don't bring their shift average above minimum wage, the company has to pay the difference. So when you tip at a slow restaurant, you are truly just subsidizing the company not benefiting the waiter.
BTW: I do tip because it is expected and I do think waiters deserve more than the current minimum wage, but I also think it is a pretty stupid social institution and employers should pay their people a fair wage. I also get really sick of hearing all the whiny BS from waiters that make much more than any other person with similar skills, often with far less physical effort.