The Best Tips in are in Philly

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Dec. 20, 2004 — Philadelphia, land of cheesesteaks and Tastykakes, gets top marks for at least one culinary habit.

Not dishing up good food but tipping the people who serve it. A new Zagat Survey ranks Philadelphians as the nation's best tippers, leaving an average of 19-point-two percent.

Atlanta is a fraction behind at 19-point-one percent, while the national average is 18-point-six percent. Restaurant workers offer several theories for the big tips.

A Melrose Diner manager says working-class Philadelphians like to show their appreciation, while Le Bec-Fin's Georges Perrier points to Quaker generosity.

Zagat's Theresa Mullen has another guess as to why Philadelphia won the honor for the second straight year -- "Brotherly Love."