I would probably leave a very small tip for the hakoras hatov aspect that was mentioned, but the small amount would be indicative of my displeasure. I would ONLY do this if it was in fact clear that it WAS the food server’s fault, i.e. they had “attitude” or the like. Sometimes things get really hectic in a restaurant, or they are unexpectedly short-staffed, or there is a kitchen emergency of some kind. That is not the server’s fault.
Since we live in a society where the tipping is NOT tip-ically (pun intended) built into the price (and personally I detest that practice and try to avoid such places that do it), and the wait staff is seriously underpaid (yeah, yeah, I know that’s not OUR fault), the tips are very much wanted, needed, and appreciated by the staff. I would not stiff someone, knowing how much they rely on the tips for a part of their parnassah. If the practice offends one, then he should only patronize the places that have built in tips when they see the bill. Usually those places add 18%, as opposed to the 15% that I add to my payment (20% if the service was truly outstanding), and we always try to go up to the next dollar, and even one more.
RKT, what you describe sounds liek really shoddy service. I would send a note to the owner/manager, a few days later and vent. I would not want my specific waiter/waitress to lose a job because of me, but it might make them have a talk with ALL their staff about improving customer service.