> If you don’t want to pay for the service, don’t ask for service.
If the idea that you're buying this "service" from the waiter is implied, then surely I should be able to not buy it, but that's not really an option anywhere right? You can't go to a restaurant and pick up the food yourself from the kitchen and bypass the waiter. Even if the waiter is happy to let you, the restaurant owner wouldn't. So it's not like "don't ask for service" is really an option - the restaurant is the one requiring the service payment.
(I'm not necessarily disagreeing with your overall point, but this reasoning doesn't lead me to it.)
It’s pretty rare for restaurants NOT to have a pick up option, you just aren’t allowed to use the service area that the servers maintain and use. Part of the service that waiters provide is the use of silverware, napkins, the cleaning of the tables and the restaurant, etc. Many servers do these duties while getting paid minimum wage under the expectation that they will be compensated later by those who use the facilities.
Pick up your food and go to a park, or choose a restaurant that operates on a different model.
Then go to the multitude of restaurants that offer exactly that, and don’t patronize the ones that only offer table service. The majority of restaurants in America are counter service, so you won’t even be starved for choice. It’s so common that you can even google it: “counter service restaurants near me”.
You don’t get to dictate the service that an establishment chooses, you do get to choose whether or not to go there.
To reiterate, I'm not commenting on your conclusion. Just saying the reasoning doesn't hold, since "then don't ask for service" thing you suggested isn't a real suggestion, given you can't refuse just the waiter service itself, even if you declare your intention. It's more like "then don't go to that restaurant".
If the idea that you're buying this "service" from the waiter is implied, then surely I should be able to not buy it, but that's not really an option anywhere right? You can't go to a restaurant and pick up the food yourself from the kitchen and bypass the waiter. Even if the waiter is happy to let you, the restaurant owner wouldn't. So it's not like "don't ask for service" is really an option - the restaurant is the one requiring the service payment.
(I'm not necessarily disagreeing with your overall point, but this reasoning doesn't lead me to it.)