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Family claims to be held hostage over a tip
This is a local story but I am curious to see what you think.
The short version if you don't want to click/read the link is that a family with 6 or more people eat at a restaurant where the policy clearly states on the menu that an automatic gratuity will be added for five or more. This is common in our area and they have to make it known on the menu so it's not a surprise.
They eat, decide they got bad service, and refuse to pay the automatic grat. Manager is called over, says they can't do anything, calls the cops and locks them in until the family eventually pays and leaves, saying they don't want trouble. Now they go on the news with their sob story and people are siding with them.
As a former waiter, I am on the restaurant's side. Down here ALL waiters and bartenders only get $2.13/hr from the restaurant, and they have to tip out to people like busboys, so it's reasonable to me to have a minimum tip required for large groups. There are restaurants that do not have policies to automatically grat large groups, so if you don't like then eat somewhere else that doesn't have that policy.
Re: Family claims to be held hostage over a tip
I'm on the restaurants side. Especially since 1. it should have been a given, and 2. if not, it was written on the menu.
I'm divided.
- I think they were responsible for paying the included tip. No different than a dine-n-dash in my mind.
- But, locking them in is against the law, yes? (wrongful imprisonment?) So, the manager is not right either.
I'm on the family's side. If the service was bad, why would you tip as if it was good service? Around here, automatic gratuity is 20%...if I had pretty bad service, I would not tip 20%. I'd tip something, but not 20%. And locking them in? That's crazycakes on a whole new level.
ETA: After watching the video and reading the story, I'm definitely on the family's side. They wanted to leave a tip, but not 17% because of so many issues. They weren't trying to skip out of a tip, they just didn't want to leave a larger tip.
I busted a$$ as a server and was one of the top-tipped servers because of it- I earned my tips because of good service. Doesn't the policy make it so that servers can provide subpar service to larger groups because they know the tips will automatically be included in the bill no matter what type of service they provided?
But, on the other hand, if I'm getting lousy service I say something to management long before I get the bill- maybe if the large party had said something to the manager before getting the bill they might have been more inclined to work with them, comp meals, decrease the included tip, something.
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The way I see it, sure where will be slacker waiters who assume they are getting that tip and don't go the extra mile b/c of the policy, but there will be waiters like us that know repeat customers and good service are the things that keep restaurants open so they will still give good service whether tip is automatic or not.
The family should have left if they thought the percentage tip was too high before even seeing the service level. To me it's like someone coming to your office job and at the end of the day saying, "You didn't type fast enough or prepare the files the right way so we're not going to pay you for the work you did". The server did the job, the family got their food. The tip should have been paid without question as it was a reasonable amount and not some extravagant 30 percent or something. They can choose not to go back if they thought the service was that bad.
I think the manager locked them in only until the cops came, because in their eyes it was a form of theft. That is debateable and I agree that they could have gone about it in a better way, but the family sounds cheap and whiney to me, and I am glad they at least paid the tip before going on a cryfest over it.
What I really want is for servers to be paid a living wage and to do away with tipping--just build it into the price.
That said, I think that, with our present system, tipping should always be optional/negotiable. If the service was bad enough that they talked to the manager about it, I highly doubt there was nothing he could do about the "required" tip. Comp a meal to make up for it--something.
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Amen! Even the waitstaff and management hate the way this is done and would love to just be salaried/hourly workers (even if just minimum wage). Tipping was based on "Trickle Down Economics" but that type of system isn't working the way it should. I always said that if I were in any position of authority (like ran for office or something) then I would do a big speech on Trickle Down Economics, tipping, and why it should not be "optional" to leave a tip for certain workers. Then again, spending as much time in the service industry as I did makes one care about things like this more than the common person, I think.