A man from the New York City area was arrested Sunday night after his party of nine failed to leave an 18 percent tip, the restaurant's mandatory gratuity for parties of six or more people, which had been added to his bill.
The diner, Humberto A. Taveras, 41, was arrested, fingerprinted and photographed for a mug shot in Lake George, a resort village about 60 miles north of Albany, but he did not produce the $13.73 tip, which is a little less than 18 percent of the $77.43 cost of his meal. He faces a misdemeanor charge of theft of services and, if convicted, could serve up to a year in jail, said Larry J. Cleveland, the Warren County sheriff.
Joe Soprano, who owns the restaurant, said that he and his wife, Tina, had not intended to have Mr. Taveras arrested when they filed the complaint. But Mr. Soprano was unapologetic yesterday.
"They shorted the check and didn't leave any money at all for the waitress," he said. "This is not a vendetta. This is just about standing up for my waitresses."
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/11/nyregion/11tip.html
The diner, Humberto A. Taveras, 41, was arrested, fingerprinted and photographed for a mug shot in Lake George, a resort village about 60 miles north of Albany, but he did not produce the $13.73 tip, which is a little less than 18 percent of the $77.43 cost of his meal. He faces a misdemeanor charge of theft of services and, if convicted, could serve up to a year in jail, said Larry J. Cleveland, the Warren County sheriff.
Joe Soprano, who owns the restaurant, said that he and his wife, Tina, had not intended to have Mr. Taveras arrested when they filed the complaint. But Mr. Soprano was unapologetic yesterday.
"They shorted the check and didn't leave any money at all for the waitress," he said. "This is not a vendetta. This is just about standing up for my waitresses."
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/11/nyregion/11tip.html
Comment