WannaGo Posted November 22, 2009 Report Share Posted November 22, 2009 Several things about this story that I don't get. A "gratuity" is defined as a gift given over and above payment due. So, how can the restaurant demand that they pay this gratuity, then call it theft when they don't? Even if the gratuity is mandatory, once the customers complained about what sounds like atrocious service, wouldn't any decent manager have automatically waived it? Plus what the hell kind of cop is going to take someone into custody over a $16.35 theft? That's a minor misdemeanor, for which he should have issued a notice to appear in court, at best. College students arrested for not paying tip It was an evening out that college students Leslie Pope and John Wagner will long remember. Not only did they get what they called lousy service, they got handcuffed and arrested. All over a $16.35 tip. They were with a half-dozen friends at the Lehigh Pub in Bethlehem last month, so the establishment tacked what it called a mandatory 18 percent gratuity onto the bill of about $73, according to reports. Pope and Wagner refused to pay. "You can't give us terrible, terrible service and expect a tip," said Pope, a 22-year-old Moravian College senior who's a Pottsville native, according to the Lehigh Valley Express-Times. More Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lvdkeyes Posted November 22, 2009 Report Share Posted November 22, 2009 I recall many years ago being in a restaurant in Cambridge, England with an English friend. We had deplorable service which we complained about. It didn't get any better. I was paying for the dinner, but when the bill came my friend grabbed it. When he saw that they added service charge, he called the waiter ant told him we were not paying the service charge. After arguing, my friend demanded to speak to the manager. The manager was trying to justify the service charge. Finally, my friend checked his wallet and found that he had change enough to pay the bill without the service charge. He handed it to the manager. When the manager protested, my friend said, "Call the police if you want, we will wait right here." He didn't call the police and we left. If that had been in the US, I would have handled it the same way. I was reluctant to make a fuss being a tourist there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Chang Posted November 22, 2009 Report Share Posted November 22, 2009 If it's clearly marked, I like service charges since I wind up paying less. Beware of places with cover charges such as comedy clubs. Sometimes they add the service charge to the cover charge, not just the food. They always blame it on the "register". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WannaGo Posted November 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2009 I recall many years ago being in a restaurant in Cambridge, England with an English friend. We had deplorable service which we complained about. It didn't get any better. I was paying for the dinner, but when the bill came my friend grabbed it. When he saw that they added service charge, he called the waiter ant told him we were not paying the service charge. After arguing, my friend demanded to speak to the manager. The manager was trying to justify the service charge. Finally, my friend checked his wallet and found that he had change enough to pay the bill without the service charge. He handed it to the manager. When the manager protested, my friend said, "Call the police if you want, we will wait right here." He didn't call the police and we left. If that had been in the US, I would have handled it the same way. I was reluctant to make a fuss being a tourist there.Nicely played. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WannaGo Posted November 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2009 If it's clearly marked, I like service charges since I wind up paying less. Beware of places with cover charges such as comedy clubs. Sometimes they add the service charge to the cover charge, not just the food. They always blame it on the "register". Remember the 80s and early 90s, when there were great comedy clubs everywhere? Now, except for New York and LA, it's almost impossible to find a decent place. Most of the ones I've seen in the last 10 years have been little airport hotel lounges with third-rate acts. I'd love to see stand-up comedy get hot again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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