ST. LOUIS – If St. Louisans prefer understatement, we thoroughly enjoy being called friendly and generous.

A recent national restaurant survey gives us a chance to feel good about ourselves. The annual Zagat survey of restaurants ranked St. Louisans and Philadelphians as the nation's most generous tippers, at least by a few dimes.

The 30-year-old rating service says the average tip in St. Louis and Philadelphia equals 19.6 percent of the bill. The national average is 19.1 percent. Hawaii, San Francisco and Seattle share the bottom at 18.4 percent.

On a $75 tab, there's not a big difference between our fat tippers and the average American. Thirty-eight cents, to be exact. St. Louis would beat the alleged deadbeats by 90 cents — although running up a $75 tab is much easier in San Francisco, Zagat's second priciest city in America for dining out.

St. Louis didn't even rate the top 23 expensive cities listed. The survey put the average meal cost nationwide at $76, with pricey San Francisco costing $115. We're somewhere lower than $50, the least expensive tab on the list. So maybe we have more money left over for tips.

Michael Sullivan, a nurse who lives in Lafayette Square, offered his theory from a table at Charlie Gitto's restaurant downtown. He was showing off the city to his cousin, Jessica Enloe, who lives in their hometown of Eolia, 70 miles north in Pike County, Mo.

"People here are friendly," Sullivan said. "You don't have to ask for help. People offer it. I think restaurant service is better here than in a lot of cities I've been to. I've rarely been disappointed."

He said he usually tipped 20 percent. That's music to our town's waiter corps, some of whom gratefully chimed in on behalf of their customers.

John Jarvis, a waiter for 10 years at Kemoll's, said 20 percent or more was standard at the expensive restaurant on the 40th floor of the Metropolitan Square building downtown.

"I don't expect 20 percent, but I rarely get less," he said. "People appreciate the fine food and service. And people are friendly. Ninety-nine percent are, anyway."

145,000 PEOPLE SURVEYED

The annual Zagat survey on restaurants, released each October, is based on questions posed to more than 145,000 people nationwide.

Has the economic downturn had an effect on tipping? Zagat found that while 5 percent of San Franciscans surveyed admitted to tipping less during the recession, only 1 percent of St. Louisans cut back. And 3 percent of those surveyed in both cities said they actually tipped more.

Garret Adkins, a waiter at the Crossing, a high-end restaurant in Clayton, said tips of 25 percent or more weren't rare.

"We see a lot higher than that for our tips," Adkins said. "If you strive to shatter guest expectations, people will respond in a generous way."

The tipping, though, is different across the street at the Plush Pig Barbeque. Pointing to the Crossing, Plush Pig general manager Jeremy Johnson said, "There's more better-off people going into a place like that. Over here, it's Joe Shmoe coming in to get some barbecue."

Any tips go in the jar on the counter, or a dollar or two added to credit-card payments. Still, Robinson isn't complaining.

"For what we do, for the level of service, we get pretty good tips," he said.

On the Eat At Joe's forum on the Post-Dispatch's website (STLtoday.com/eatatjoes), commenters offered their theories on why St. Louis ranked well.

"Both Philly and St. Louis are historically blue-collar towns, and we respect the work it takes to serve others," one reader wrote.

Another wrote: "The best tipper I've eaten with is my sister, who's a waitress, and the worst is a friend with a great job who's never worked at a service job in her entire life."

It was a sentiment shared by Eamon Toney, a waiter at the Dubliner downtown, who said in an interview that his best tips were from blue-collar people.

"When you get disrespect, it's usually from somebody who's never been in my position," Toney said. "If you have a customer who's flashing a lot of cash, don't expect a good tip."

EATING AT HOME

Tipping is just part of the 2010 Zagat survey. It also says St. Louisans are eating at home more because of the recession, but less so than people in other cities.

Not surprisingly, St. Louisans prefer Italian and American cuisines more than the national average. A bit more than half of St. Louisans are willing to pay more for "green" food, such as locally sourced or organic foodstuffs. That's on par with New Yorkers but far behind San Francisco, where three quarters of diners are willing to pay more.

And the best St. Louis restaurants? Zagat lists them, from the top, as Niche, Stellina, Sidney St. Cafe, Trattoria Marcella and Tony's.