Student ARRESTED for NOT TIPPING!

[Shibboleet The Annihilator]

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20091119_College_students_arrested_for_not_paying_tip.html?submit=Vote&oid=1&mr=1&70466877=Y&pid=70466877&cid=8500281

[Z³]

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20091119_College_students_arrested_for_not_paying_tip.html?submit=Vote&oid=1&mr=1&70466877=Y&pid=70466877&cid=8500281

Yeah, if its an autograt and its on the menu, its not optional.
Shouldn't be an excuse for the waitress to provide poor service, but they should have just complained to the manager.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

If it's not optional, then its not a tip.

[Z³]

If it's not optional, then its not a tip.

Thats standard policy at a lot of places... usually only for larger groups of people.
Work as a server for a while, and you'll understand why.

[Suu]

It's a service charge. It's mandatory in my restaurant for parties of 6 or more, because large parties, especially college students, will stiff you all the time.

I don't expect you to tip me over the gratuity charge, and when you do it's nice, but for the love of god, please see rant!

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

It's a service charge. It's mandatory in my restaurant for parties of 6 or more, because large parties, especially college students, will stiff you all the time.

I don't expect you to tip me over the gratuity charge, and when you do it's nice, but for the love of god, please see rant!

Well, then they should be plain and call it a service charge... no gratitude involved

Calling it a gratuity or tip makes people think its based on the service quality of the staff, instead of a "you have no choice, no matter how shitty the waiter was" service charge.

[Shibboleet The Annihilator]

This is bullshit, if you give shitty service you do not get a tip. This kid better fight it in court. Restaurants should not be able to force you to tip. It's a goddamn tip.

[Suu]

Also, automatic gratuity is stated on every single one of our menus. If you are a party of 6 or more you agree to the service charge. If you don't agree, don't sit down to eat. Also, splitting checks doesn't get rid of it either. We can split gratuity too.

If the service was that bad, management should have been notified, and according to the comments section, apparently their meal was comped. In that case, I would probably leave a tip for server karma, but I wouldn't expect it from a table if I was the server who fucked up so badly.

A comped meal is comped. You're free to go.

A short-changed or unpaid bill INCLUDING a service charge is theft.

[Suu]

This is bullshit, if you give shitty service you do not get a tip. This kid better fight it in court. Restaurants should not be able to force you to tip. It's a goddamn tip.

If you feel that you shouldn't have to pay a service charge, then contact the legislature to raise server minimum.

[Shibboleet The Annihilator]

Horseshit. If you do a shitty job you don't get a tip.

EDIT: Fuck that, I'm not a server and I would never be a server. If you happen to be a server and think the base bay is unacceptable then you write your representatives or find another job. If you think it's unfair and you're a server then why did you agree to it in the first place?

[The Good Reverend Roger]

As a matter of law, Suu is correct.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

On the one hand I agree... cause people stiff waitstaff. On the other hand, there are some pretty shitty waitstaff out there. I never 'don't tip'... but I do like to select a good tip or a minimum tip based on their service.

Most servers lose a little of their tip when there's an auto gratuity on my bill. It's always 18% and if the waiter is at all useful I tip 20% or more.

I dunno why waiters agree to work for $2 or whatever it is anyway.

[Shibboleet The Annihilator]

As a matter of law, Suu is correct.

Really Roger? Where'd you go to lawschool?

http://www.dol.gov/dol/allcfr/ESA/Title_29/Part_531/29CFR531.52.htm

A tip is a sum presented by a customer as a gift or gratuity in
recognition of some service performed for him. It is to be distinguished
from payment of a charge, if any, made for the service. Whether a tip is
to be given, and its amount, are matters determined solely by the
customer, and generally he has the right to determine who shall be the
recipient of his gratuity.

edit: text added from link for TL;DR purposes

[The Good Reverend Roger]

This is bullshit, if you give shitty service you do not get a tip. This kid better fight it in court. Restaurants should not be able to force you to tip. It's a goddamn tip.

If you feel that you shouldn't have to pay a service charge, then contact the legislature to raise server minimum.

This.  

The whole concept of tipping is just a means by which the restaurant owner pushes the wage burden onto the customer.

When I have the mechanic fix whatever I've just fucked up on my Jeep, I pay the garage.  The garage pays the mechanic out of the gross.

When I go out to eat, I pay the restaurant.  Then, on top of my bill, I have to pay a good chunk of the wages of the server.

The mechanic doesn't need any extra incentive to do a good job, and neither does a server.  If I don't like the mechanic's attitude or ability, I shall go elsewhere.  Same with a restaurant.

In short, server minimums are bullshit, and should be outlawed.

[Suu]

As a matter of law, Suu is correct.

Really Roger? Where'd you go to lawschool?

http://www.dol.gov/dol/allcfr/ESA/Title_29/Part_531/29CFR531.52.htm

A SERVICE CHARGE IS NOT A 'TIP'

It's added to your bill, therefore upon reading the line in the menu that states that 20% gratuity will be added to parties of six or more, you're agreeing to the charge.