College Students Arrested For Refusing To Pay Tip

[iGas]

They got what they deserved for failing at reading and comprehension. The allegation, probably true, that the service sucked is irrelevant, the gratuity notice is printed for all to see.

Fuck them.

I generally tip well on outing, however I have to side with the college students this time.

There shouldn't be a mandatory "gratuity" fee for service. If the restaurant require more money for their food & service, they should increase the price of their menu by 18% and forget the mandatory tip.

 

[DaWhim]

pay with the credit card and dispute for the tips portion of the bill later.

 

[Ns1]

well that was a terrible PR mistake by the restaurant LOL

 

[zerocool84]

Tipping for bad service is stupid, tipping for take out just makes you mentally retarded but ATOT tips for bad service so yea.

 

[SacrosanctFiend]

Barring all other arguments, if the bill was ~$73 and the gratuity was 18%, how the hell did they get a $16 service charge?

 

[TallBill]

Just the tip?

 

[CZroe]

They can call it whatever they want. You agree you're going to pay it when you order.

Not in the English language. That kinda talk reminds me of a 1st grader who said that he could call lollipops "poscicles" if he wanted to. Not if he wanted to be understood. He also said that butterflies were made out of butter.

There is no such thing as a "mandatory gratuity." It's a mandatory FEE to replace an optional gratuity. Don't call that a gratuity, especially for take out where you did not receive service beyond the cashier and cook (Waffle House). There is nothing gracious about paying a fee.

 

[vhx]

As someone else said, should of paid by CC then disputed it later.

 

[CZroe]

Question: If it's mandatory, HOW IS THAT A "GRATUITY" IN THE VERY SENSE OF THE WORD?

Waffle House does this for to-go orders. If you didn't partake in their service, it's even stranger to call it "gratuity."

didn't partake? Did someone who works there take your order? then take it to the cook? then get it when it's ready? and ask you if you needed anything as you were picking it up to go? Aside from sitting at a booth and getting a glass of something to drink, and them stopping by twice for 10 seconds to ask if everything's okay. The take out order is exactly the same, you tip less because they don't have to spend the extra 30 seconds re-filling your drink. But nothing else is different. So I would say a to go order you're definitely partaking in their service and using a server to do it. Unless a robot answers your call, takes your order and gets it for you auto magically.

Tipping for crappy service sucks, but everywhere I eat has signs posted everywhere saying parties of 6 or more get a automatic gratuity added to their bill. I don't see how anyone could possibly fight this and win. It's posted, if you don't like it go somewhere that doesn't automatically add it. Chuck-E-Cheese is about the only place I can think of that doesn't though.

BTW - At least in California, a mandatory addition for parties of 6 or more is definitely legal. They consider it a legal binding agreement because it's posted for everyone to read, and by eating there in a group of 6 or more you're agreeing to the conditions posted. It might very in other states I dunno.

Cashiers are required to do business even without being "served." It does not count as "service." Never has, and only will if people keep rolling over for the stupid crap that Waffle House and others are trying to pull. It's why you don't tip at Wal-Mart or the grocery store. The cashier is necessary to do business and the prices reflect the necessary costs of doing business. Tipable service must go beyond that.

 

[CZroe]

As someone else said, should of paid by CC then disputed it later.

No, I'm sure that they would've said "should'VE."

 

[FelixDeCat]

Heres a crazy idea -

 

[ballmode]

Should have paid cash and bailed

 

[silverpig]

Barring all other arguments, if the bill was ~$73 and the gratuity was 18%, how the hell did they get a $16 service charge?

Nice catch. Gratuity on top of tax?

 

[endervalentine]

Check out their Yelp page!

http://www.yelp.com/biz/lehigh-pub-bethlehem

haha, the pictures are awesome!

 

[PokerGuy]

The notion of "mandatory tips" is stupid. If it's mandatory, make it part of the price. A tip is supposed to be an incentive for the staff to provide extraordinary service so they can earn more. It's not my job to pay the regular salary of the workers, I just give a tip when someone does a good job to provide them with the incentive to give good service.

Lehigh is obviously a terrible place, I'd avoid it.

 

[SacrosanctFiend]

Nice catch. Gratuity on top of tax?

I'm pretty sure the law states that the service charge has to be add pre-tax, but even with a 12% tax, the service charge should be less than $15.

 

[Vette73]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/15/nyregion/15tipper.html?_r=1

The Warren County district attorney, Kathleen B. Hogan, said that she had determined that the man, Humberto A. Taveras, could not be forced to pay a gratuity.
Ms. Hogan said, "A tip or gratuity is discretionary, and that's what the courts have found."



A tip or gratuity is not a fee. If it said a Fee of 18%... then yea they would have little to stand on. But since it said gratuity they should not have been arrested.

Not sure why this does not fall under common sense. Oh yea...

 

[PlasmaBomb]

I've been with friends when they call in orders and almost all have no fucking clue what's on the menu and end up taking 10 minutes to place an order for 5 people.

Your friends are retards.

 

[PlasmaBomb]

Barring all other arguments, if the bill was ~$73 and the gratuity was 18%, how the hell did they get a $16 service charge?

Good catch - should have been $13.14 (ish)

Just the tip?

You trying to get xstatic all worked up?

 

[BarkingGhostar]

With service that crappy, I probably wouldn't have left them a tip either -- or would have just left a dollar.



http://www.philly.com/philly/news/b...ege_students_arrested_for_not_paying_tip.html

While tips are deserved IF they deserved it, it should be a case that you are required by law.

Then again I moved from a state where they didn't pay wait staff below minimum wage and now understand here in The South they can pay you practically nothing.

Still, bad service doesn't deserve tipping. Send a VERY bad message.

 

[Gunslinger08]

Two questions for people who have worked at a restaurant that had this policy:
1. Did they ever give you a solid reason for why this was a policy? I'd think it would actually be easier to serve a group of 6 compared to two groups of 3. You don't have to introduce yourself twice, take orders twice, check on two tables, etc.

2. Did you get 100% of this gratuity, or did the restaurant take a cut?

 

[Lamont Burns]

LOL at some of the uploaded pics of the Pub on yelp.

ha!

 

[sourceninja]

Doubtful, I have a friend who works at Roadhouse steakhouse, and she's told me she spends more time with a majority of the phone in to-go orders than the people who come in and sit down. Why? Because the majority of people who call an order in don't have a menu in front of them and end up asking her a ton of questions about "do you have this" Do you think she should get no tips at all, when technically she's providing them with more service? I would imagine her experience isn't uncommon at all. I've been with friends when they call in orders and almost all have no fucking clue what's on the menu and end up taking 10 minutes to place an order for 5 people.

But I guess because she's not bringing the to-go people water and drinks she shouldn't be tipped, it's not her time that's worth month it's the drinks right?

I don't think anyone should get tips. An industry built on paying below minimum wage and expecting the kindness of others to make up the difference is just flawed. Could you imaging if the IT industry worked that way?

 

[dabuddha]

I don't think anyone should get tips. An industry built on paying below minimum wage and expecting the kindness of others to make up the difference is just flawed. Could you imaging if the IT industry worked that way?

Yeah it's another Quebert and tipping thread.

How about this Q, you get paid a salary to do a certain job. Fuck tipping. If you don't like it, get another job. God damn shits expect to get paid extra money for doing their job. Why don't you tip me when you see the weather report since I helped write the software that they're using? Oh wait, that'd be retarded

/rant

I do tip for good service but will not tip for shit service or for takeout.

 

[shortylickens]

I don't think anyone should get tips. An industry built on paying below minimum wage and expecting the kindness of others to make up the difference is just flawed. Could you imaging if the IT industry worked that way?

And thats pretty much the entire argument any time we have a tipping debate. An argument that never gets a good response.
The whole concept of tipping is just plain stupid. People should be paid the wage they earn and thats all. If they dont like the job they can do what I did: Join the Navy and work your ass off for less than minimum wage and pray you survive at least 4 years, get an honorable discharge and can dip in to that generous 14,100 dollars for college.

Most other countries in the world dont even have tipping, its a concept people dont understand. Its only used in a handful of western cultures, and its always a huge topic for anger, hatred, and arguing. It never seems to solve any problems and when people rely on it, it causes problems.