Portland's service is terrible. In other places I have lived a server makes $2.15 an hour, in Portland they make $9 an hour. The higher minimum for servers here disincentivizes hustling to pay your rent. A good cook might make more then $10 an hour if they are lucky here, but $11-12 is pretty standard in the rest of the nation. Cooks starve so that servers can take home $20-30 an hour with the minimum subsidy. As someone who works service 15% is fine, even if I am giving top notch service to demanding people I don't mind a 15% tip. At the bar tip a dollar a drink or drink beer. Your pours will be shit if you tip any less. As a bartender the dollar a drink is fine but I don't really care all that much, it's the $20-$100 dollar tips that really line my pockets. Why people tip 100-500% is a mystery to me, but I will treat you like a fucking king if you are that guy or gal.