In message Martin D. Pay
wrote:

I have a sort-of-related question...

When I've traveled in the US, sometimes I've paid the whole bill
and tip in cash, sometimes paid the whole bill and tip on plastic
and sometimes paid the bill on plastic and left the tip on the
table in cash. Is there a preferred way (preferred, that is, by
the waiting staff)? I sometimes wonder how much the waitress sees
of a tip that goes on the plastic and so through the
establishment's books...

This will vary by restaurant and region. IIRC, where I live the owner
must treat cash tips the same as credit card tips, and can choose to
distribute them on a per-server basis, split them across the staff, or a
few other combinations.

Keeping the tips is not one of those combinations though (Although I
think if it's distributed evenly, the owner can take a fair share)

All of this is based on chatting up waitresses, no actual research, so
take it with a grain of salt. Your experience will vary.

Personally, I don't carry cash, so the decision to put it all on plastic
is fairly easy for me.

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