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Originally Posted by d00t
I'm confused, when was tipping a legal requirement in USA?
You ALWAYS have the power!
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Some places now require you to pay tipping. If you do not pay, you will go to jail.
?LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. - A New York City man accused of leaving an inadequate tip at a restaurant was arrested, fingerprinted and photographed for a mug shot.
Humberto A. Taveras, 41, faces a misdemeanor charge of theft of services after he and his fellow diners argued with Soprano's Italian and American Grill managers over the legality of requiring an 18 percent tip for large parties.
"They chased us down like a bunch of criminals," Taveras said. "It killed our weekend."
Taveras and eight others had pizza at the restaurant Sunday night. He told the Glens Falls Post-Star they weren't completely satisfied with the food and left a tip of under 10 percent. Taveras said they also were not told of a mandatory 18 percent gratuity for parties of six or more and did not see notice of it on their menus.
Restaurant owner Joe Soprano said all the menus have the notice, and the waitress informed the group. He said he did not choose to pursue charges because of the money, but because Taveras' group was obnoxious.
"It's unfortunate it has come to this, but this guy was rude and abrasive. They practically threw food at us," Soprano said.
Taveras plans to fight the charge. He was issued an appearance ticket and was scheduled to appear in town court Thursday.
The arrest raises the issue of whether the gratuities that restaurants automatically tack on for serving large groups are legally enforceable debts.
Warren County Sheriff Larry Cleveland said he did not believe the issue had been litigated before in New York. He said the case could turn on whether the person is notified of the tip requirement beforehand.
"It's not a black-and-white issue," Cleveland said. "It will be very interesting to see where it goes in court."?
I refuse to eat at a restaurant that forces you to tip, thankfully there are only a handful of restaurants like that where I live. I always tip proportionally to the service that I receive while eating at a restaurant. If I am treated badly I will not tip a high percentage at all, if I am not attended to at all I will refuse to leave a tip period. That?s what a TIP means, it?s not something that should be just given without using an ounce of brain power. You should always tip directly based on how the service (food, attendance to your needs, time waiting for food, etc.) is to you. You don?t owe them any favor ? you are paying for the food/drinks, if they want a tip they need to work for it. The majority of places I eat at, the service is superb so I will always leave a 20 to 25% tip for them.