More then ever before, I have seen the rise in restaurants providing table side entertainment. While you wait to be seated, or for your meal to come, you can be entertained by a skilled magician or a fancy balloon animal.

This is wonderful. It provides the restaurant with a bit more time to get everything ready, it helps pass the time for the customers and the performers usually gets a nice tip.

As you have probably guessed by now, I am a performer. I twist balloon animals and cartoon parodies. They are quite wonderful.

But I can’t help but wonder why I am tipped the same for a one balloon dog as I am for a 12 balloon monster truck that takes considerable amount of time. I understand that there are some who are only skilled enough to make a balloon dog. I think that there should be a difference in what he is tipped and what I am tipped.

What determines what someone is tipped? Is it the amount of skill they have at their craft? Is it how fervently they worked to please you? Or is it simply the lowest amount that you think you can get away with?

Well for those whose policy is the latter, I have bad news for you. Poor tipping leads to Balloon Flatulence.