Better Tip Or You'll Be Arrested
 

Not leaving tips is tantamount to economic terrorism. I'm glad he got arrested, and I hope he gets raped in the ass.

Gratuity takes on a new meaning when it's mandatory.

I think in the end they'll get off if they fight it.

If the forced-gratuity policy was not posted in the restaurant or on the menu then this amounts to nothing more than coercion on the part of the restaurant (and here I thought Italian-Americans were trying to get away from mafia stereotypes).

Anyplace I've worked or been to that adds gratuity always has it on the menu.. it's usually parties over 6 or 8 people and between 15%-18%.

What does bad food have to do with the gratuity for the server?

If the food is bad, send it back. Why suffer with bad food? Plus it isn't the waiter's fault.

Mandatory gratuities make me a little uncomfortable too. However, it's sort of ironic that my friends and I usually tip at least 20% if the service is reasonable, so a mandatory 15-18% means that the server would end up getting less.

The restaurants that I know of have it posted somewhere on the menu and not in fine print either.

As for the food, you know after the first bite or two when there's something wrong not after you've cleaned your plate. Who's this guy trying to fool?

What an awful, awful person. People live off this money. How can you sheist them like that because you decided to be a jerk?

-Rudey

that's because you're a good tipper, not a jack ass like in the news story

At any rate, he's spending time in jail over probably less than $20. If nothing else, that is just incredibly stupid.

Gratuities over a certain percentage should be a reward for good service, not an expectation. Yet it's become expected. Servers get paid less than minimum wage because "they'll make up the difference in their tips". Suppose a server is unlucky enough (through no fault of his/her own) to get a bunch of low tippers one evening?

I kind of agree with the idea of adding a suggested 15-18% gratuity for large parties. Taking care of a large group (most likely in addition to several other tables) cannot be easy work. But it should be a suggested gratuity. If the food comes out late and is cold, someone's order is lost, etc. and the server is unapologetic, why should the guests be forced to tip 18%?

In this instance, though, the man is wrong. He didn't like the food (not the server's fault), and I'm guessing he didn't say anything to the server or anyone else. He didn't give them a chance to make things right; he just stiffed them on the tip. I'm not sure that's jail-worthy, but it isn't right either.