Restaurant Tipping Struggle; 25 to 30 Percent of the Tab

The New York Post ran a story today claiming that in New York restaurants, 25% is now considered the norm. And rather than blame that on the generosity of patrons, they blame greedy waiters. "Here's how the service industry is trying to take bigger tips off you than ever" screams the headline.

Living and tipping in New York, especially in and near NYC  would be one thing, but how about here in Middle-America?

Is there an ever-growing number of consumers who are generous? Or an ever-growing number of consumers who want a standard of food and service? How about tipping the chef or cook if the food exceptional?

Steve Dublanica, who wrote a book called Keep the Change: A Clueless Tipper's Quest To Become the Guru of the Gratuity, an entire book dedicated to tipping.  "People are aggravated to no end by it," Dublanica says. Maybe the headline should have read instead "Small hearted people aggravated by other people's generosity."

Of course, the entire article is based around the idea that New York in particular is experiencing this rise in tips, but I'd venture to guess that tips are rising almost everywhere.

What say you, the South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota consumer? Sioux Falls servers and diners? Is 25% the new 20%?