After watching an old episode of "3rd Rock from the Sun", I have wanted to try the method practiced by John Lithgow's character. At the start of the meal, he had placed a stack of bills on the table. Depending on how the waitstaff met his expectations, he would either remove or add a bill to the stack. I rarely carry that many bills in my wallet.
Whenever I travel overseas, I keep forgetting that tipping in some countries is 100% optional and really for service beyond expectation. Years ago in Sydney, I felt bad that I didn't have sufficient bills to tip as I was paying by credit card. The credit slip did allow for tipping. I ended up leaving about 5% in change. When I mentioned this to the concierge at my hotel, she stated that waitstaff get paid a living wage and don't depend on tips.
In the following
article, the standard may soon be 30% in NYC.