As a chef of many years. As much as I like tips I agree with the OP and many others on here.
The staff should be doing there job very well anyhow. So a tip as nice as it is, is not really needed. You should always do your job to the best of your ability.
I expect good service when I go out. I see no reason to tip.
I also understand when abroad things are different as wages are sometimes lower for waiting on staff and they then rely on there 'tips' as a form of wage.
I believe it is only the food industry (I am aware beauticians/hairdressers also get tips too) that really gets tips. But you do not tip the cashier at Tesco's do you, just because she scanned your items for you and had a smile on her face.
Taxi drivers? Valet drivers, hotel porters, take away delivery drivers etc? Quite a lot really.
I tip when i receive good food and good service, if one or the other is missing then i won't. I believe tips should also be shared between front of house and back of house staff (chefs, kitchen porters etc) because, at the end of the day, it is a team effort, and each section is equally important to your dining experience. By the looks of it, a lot of you would probably disagree, but hey, that's life, i believe good work should be rewarded, if i order a take away and am told to expect it in about an hour, and it turns up early, the driver is courteous towards me, i'll tip him, it's only a quid to me, but it'll help bump his wage up, and he'll remember me and be good to me. After all, minimum wage is crap, everyone could do with a little boost.
The catering industry is a bloody hard working industry, working unsociable hours, split shifts, lots of pressure to give you your good service and nice food, but it's also one of the most undevalued and underpaid industrys too, most waitresses / younger chefs earn minimum wage and do more work than most of you 9-5 office workers sat in front of a PC screen, often earning double / triple what they do! (even i, as a head chef, only just earn an UK average wage). Granted, they chose their profession - just like i did, and i enjoy cooking for people, and talking to my customers to enquire whether they enjoyed their experience. It's more than just cooking food
.