This week, as part of our partnership with the KPCC show Off-Ramp, I joined host John Rabe and guest David Lazarus to talk about tipping — specifically an issue recently uncovered by Lazarus, the consumer columnist for the Los Angeles Times. He noticed that an increasing number of credit-card receipts list tip amounts based on 15%, 18% and 20%. It’s a handy service, but what he found out when he looked into it was that those percentages are based on the post-tax total, when everyone knows that tipping is supposed to be based on the pre-tax amount. He wrote a column for the Times about it, and it caused an uproar, with hundreds of e-mails and blog comments.

Here’s a link to Off-Ramp’s podcast of our talk; you can also hear it this weekend on Off-Ramp Saturday at noon and Sunday at 7 p.m. on 89.3 FM.

And while we’re on the subject of service, allow me a rant about three service problems that now run rampant in Los Angeles:

1. Clearing away plates while someone at the table is still eating. This is a basic rule of table etiquette and I’d say 8 out of 10 restaurants are now violating this rule. It leaves the person who’s still eating uncomfortable and feeling rushed. The clearing is usually done by a harried busboy who is just following orders, so this is a management issue. Restaurateurs, take note! Places should not be cleared until everyone is finished eating.

2. BFF waiters. Honestly, it’s getting out of control. Recently I was at an otherwise excellent restaurant (okay, Eva), and the impossibly good-looking waiter all but sat in our laps. He introduced himself seven times (really — I counted), and wanted to make sure we were having a totally awesome time, and was just the darn coolest and cutest dude you’ve ever seen … to the point of ridiculousness. Friendly is fine, but we are there to talk to our dining companions, not fulfill your need for attention.

3. Vanishing at the end of the meal. Why are waiters so attentive throughout the meal, and then when you’re ready to pay and go home, they seem to be in the back alley having a cigarette break? It’s great to not feel rushed at the end of the evening, but the server should at least be visible in the room from time to time so diners can ask for the check.