Couple Busted for Refusing to Pay Tip

winston53660 said:

I would not go out with her!

Click to expand...

Believe me, I don't very often. Well, let's just say, I make up for her cheapness. I've always felt sorry for people who wait tables. It's tough work. Regardless of the service, they will get a tip from me.

This defeats the entire purpose of tipping

If you don't tip in the US you have just paid your waiter about $2.00 an hour. Who would ever work for such measly wages?

Over the course of your lifetime, treating your waiter well is not going to be a big deal.

If they do a shoddy job, why should they get paid? A tip by definition is something that you pay in exchange for good service. If one had to pay it, then why not include it in the waiter's salary?

DrunkenAsparagus said:

If they do a shoddy job, why should they get paid? A tip by definition is something that you pay in exchange for good service. If one had to pay it, then why not include it in the waiter's salary?

Click to expand...

So the chef a higher paid person screws up your order. Should the service person have to pay for that?

I don't know the legalities of the issue, but it is true that many restaurants add the gratuity automatically for large parties of diners, and it usually says that on the menu. I think, however, that if they had gone to the manager complaining of bad service and not wanting to pay the tip in most cases the restaurant would oblige you. Perhaps leaving in a huff wasn't the right way to respond, though I don't think it warrants a 'theft' charge. What exactly did they steal?

Tsunami said:

I don't know the legalities of the issue, but it is true that many restaurants add the gratuity automatically for large parties of diners, and it usually says that on the menu. I think, however, that if they had gone to the manager complaining of bad service and not wanting to pay the tip in most cases the restaurant would oblige you. Perhaps leaving in a huff wasn't the right way to respond, though I don't think it warrants a 'theft' charge. What exactly did they steal?

Click to expand...

Sounds like a good jury trial.

winston53660 said:

So the chef a higher paid person screws up your order. Should the service person have to pay for that?

Click to expand...

Usually tips are based on how the waiter serves you. If you own a resturant and you don't think that's fair, just include it into the bill. Don't expect the customer to go out of their way (I'd consider paying more than what the bill requires, no matter how courteous, going out of their way) automatically. Don't give the person two options and get PO'd at them for picking one them that you didn't like.

DrunkenAsparagus said:

If they do a shoddy job, why should they get paid? A tip by definition is something that you pay in exchange for good service. If one had to pay it, then why not include it in the waiter's salary?

Click to expand...

Many do shoddy work and still get paid.

Our Congressmen for one ...but they do try, I think.
It would be better for the waitress to be paid a decent wage and receive a small tip if the customer so deems. It should not be "standard equipment" nor expected.

earthworm said:

What I would love to see at a fine dining establishment is this :
"We pay our staff a living or decent wage, no tipping is accepted".

Click to expand...

You'll just pay higher prices for the food, so what difference does it make?

Don't Tase Me Bro said:

You'll just pay higher prices for the food, so what difference does it make?

Click to expand...

Big difference! The waiter will know what he's going to make when he gets his paycheck.

I'd still tip.

I tip my hairdresser no matter how bad she cuts my hair, and she owns the place.

If you want them to pay, make them pay in the bill. Don't give em two options and be mad if they pick one that you don't like. The owner can't have it both ways

Marilyn Monroe said:

Big difference! The waiter will know what he's going to make when he gets his paycheck.

I'd still tip.

I tip my hairdresser no matter how bad she cuts my hair, and she owns the place.

Click to expand...

Your hair looks great to me.

People who wait tables make less than the normal minimum wage. When they get big tables that takes up their time so they can't take as many other tables. Many places have a standard as to how many people a server can serve to maintain a standard of quality service. Bigger tables stay longer. I've seen big tables get great service and stiff servers anyway. I think tables of 8 or more should have an automatic gratuity added.

If you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to eat out. Go to Mickey D's.

This manager was an idiot for having them arrested. Customer relations fail.

we get a lot of brits here in season.....they're just cheap. ;-)

liblady said:

we get a lot of brits here in season.....they're just cheap. ;-)

Click to expand...

We have a lot of East Indians around here. I'm sure the Brits can't touch them.

my daughter makes a living in a fine dining establishment......a damn fine living. i guarantee she wouldn't want a living wage in place of tips.

liblady said:

my daughter makes a living in a fine dining establishment......a damn fine living. i guarantee she wouldn't want a living wage in place of tips.

Click to expand...

Good servers can make as much as management. They earn it too.

Marilyn Monroe said:

I have a friend who leaves a dollar tip regardless of the service. That's it. Plus, she asks for extra stuff all the time, like extra rolls, refills etc. She's a huge pest. When I'm with her, I pay the bill, and leave extra money under my plate. She's an embarrassment. But this is what happens when people work for tips.

Click to expand...

I wouldn't be able to keep my mouth shut if I had a friend that did this.

aps said:

I wouldn't be able to keep my mouth shut if I had a friend that did this.

Click to expand...

I used to manage a pizza place and we had this group of K-Mart women who would come in. They were all overweight middle-aged women. They would actually wear their K-Mart smocks into the place and then act like our servers were beneath them. There was one lady who would always pay last and sneak a tip to the server as she was embarrassed by the other classless bitches who refused to tip.

Folks, it should be common sense, but I'll say it anyway. Don't be an ass to those who make your food.

vauge said:

Is a "gratuity" required?

I've always thought the extra added gratuity for groups of 6 or more are actually part of the bill and I *never* tip above that.

LOL, they should have forced the bar to split the ticket....no we are not a 'party/group' we just want to sit together.


More, plus a vid: Couple Busted for Refusing to Pay Tip | NBC Philadelphia

What do you think?

Click to expand...

As we say in Trade: if it's mandatory it's a "fee", not a "tip".

What a silly thing to refuse to pay.
What a silly thing to call the cops over.

I always thought TIPS meant "To Insure Prompt Service".

I have family members who worked as waiters and waitresses over the years. I have seen just how badly customers can treat the people who are serving them. I have come to the conclusion that, in general, people just suck. So I try to go out of my way to be cheerful, easy going and undemanding when I am interacting with service personnel.

I always leave a 20% tip as a base line. It goes up or down from there based on how attentive the person is, whether or not they actually get me what I ask for or remember who asked for what. It is very seldom that I leave a tip of less than 25%. It is usually a higher percentage since I seldom can afford really nice restaurants. Even though I am not well off, I believe that it is money well spent.

If a waiter or waitress does an outstanding job, I always ask them to bring the manager over so I can explain what that person has done that was exceptional while I give that person their tip. Telling the manager about exceptional service is often worth more to the employee than the tip is. The look on the manager's face when they get positive feedback is really priceless. It seems most people complain, but seldom praise.

On that note, some of the worst service I have ever received was at a fancy restaurant in La Jolla. The average meal there is at least $100 per person. After being kept waiting over an hour after my reservation time, being seated by the bathrooms and kitchen entrance where the smell of the scullery was overwhelming, I was treated to one of the most obnoxious, contemptuous bastards I have ever met in real life. (Yes, some online personalities have surpassed him, but not many.)

This was the only time that I can remember not leaving a tip. Yes, the manager was kept informed as to why this was done.

independent_thinker2002 said:

I used to manage a pizza place and we had this group of K-Mart women who would come in. They were all overweight middle-aged women. They would actually wear their K-Mart smocks into the place and then act like our servers were beneath them. There was one lady who would always pay last and sneak a tip to the server as she was embarrassed by the other classless bitches who refused to tip.

Folks, it should be common sense, but I'll say it anyway. Don't be an ass to those who make your food.

Click to expand...

See, you're in the restaurant business so I understand you having that point of view. But tipping is supposed to be voluntary. If these ladies work at K-Mart they probably make even less money than your waitresses do. If you think about it from their point of view, it doesn't make sense to give extra money to someone who may be better off than they are. Frankly I think it is pretty sad that tipping has become so expected that people get mad if they don't get one.

Tsunami said:

See, you're in the restaurant business so I understand you having that point of view. But tipping is supposed to be voluntary. If these ladies work at K-Mart they probably make even less money than your waitresses do. If you think about it from their point of view, it doesn't make sense to give extra money to someone who may be better off than they are. Frankly I think it is pretty sad that tipping has become so expected that people get mad if they don't get one.

Click to expand...

If waitresses don't get tipped, they make less money than K-Mart ladies. I know they work a lot harder. They were a heckuva lot friendlier too.

Kmart should be banned and its workers sent to Siberia.