Every foreigner is surprised when visiting American restaurants that tipping is the custom. Currently the tipping has gotten out of hand. It used to be 10% and then 15%. Now it is even higher.
Here is a sample bill from a lunch with my nephew Kevin today. Notice the tax added first. It is approximately 8.5%. Then you have a choice of leaving a 25%, 20% or 22% tip. I find the order of tipping they printed out as curious. Maybe they hope you won’t notice the lesser tip in the middle? Basically you are asked to pay approximately a maximum of 33% on top of the cost of the meal. Ouch. The resulting bill can sometimes give you heart burn!