Tipping at a buffet?

One of my favorite types of cuisine is Chinese food. Back home, we had two Chinese restaurants and both of them were horrible and one was in danger of being shut down…That’s right, not going out of business, but shut down due to repeated health code violations. This is why I’m beginning to love Grand Rapids; if I don’t like a restaurant, there are others who have similar offerings. I used to eat at a certain Chinese buffet just because it was close to downtown and cheap (about 5-6 dollars), but that only goes so far. I now go all the way to the Beltline to eat at Ming Ten because the food is always fresh, the selection is much greater, and I don’t get food poisoning. My only problem was the issue of a tip – it’s a buffet, what do I need to tip for. When you come in, you are seating and they get you a beverage and check back if you need a refill, but the fountain pop is about 10 feet away from the buffet line, so why can’t I just get it? I always end up leaving a buck on an eight dollar check, but that’s just because I feel obligated to since there’s a line labeled “tip” or “gratuity,” not because of extraordinary service levels. Basically, I’m cheap, but just having that “tip” line on the receipt compels me to spend another dollar.