Family refuses to pay tip, gets locked inside restaurant

[Childs]

No, that is not what the minimum level of service is in a restaurant.

I believe it is. You sit down at a table, your order what you want, you get it brought to you. Thats pretty much it. Unless in the menu they state they are supposed to be cheerful, stop by X amount of times to check in, etc.

 

[Dari]

The large table with mandatory gratuity rule is dumb. Especially at an astronomical 17%. Everyone at 1 table is far more efficient than 6 different tables. Therefore, why should a server get paid MORE? If it's mandatory, why can't it be 10%? I mean, we could be talking $1K dollars before taxes and gratuity. There ought to be a law.

 

[alkemyst]

That is a good suggestion.

except most don't even have 5 friends here is seems. They have a flash mob of 5 tables at best.

Not to mention almost no one here seems to have a backbone in person so as soon as they ordered their first Shirley Temple and slice of pie they'd just run out quickly probably crying.

 

[alkemyst]

The large table with mandatory gratuity rule is dumb. Especially at an astronomical 17%. Everyone at 1 table is far more efficient than 6 different tables. Therefore, why should a server get paid MORE? If it's mandatory, why can't it be 10%? I mean, we could be talking $1K dollars before taxes and gratuity. There ought to be a law.

Not in practice though...larger tables end up being more inefficient in the real world with each return service getting more requests (usually for refills) that could have been asked the first time. This takes away from other tables service.

Also ESPECIALLY at the end of the night, more often than not you get people just dividing the bill and throwing in the closest dollar amount to that thinking others at the table will get the tip and 'change'.

You end up with a $150 bill and $148 on the table. Of course everyone swears they tipped.

also it's a private establishment, they can charge whatever they'd like...don't like it don't go there.

Almost every time I have witnessed this 'bad service' crap it's a scam. If the service was bad, you'd have others outside the large table complaining.

 

[Veliko]

I believe it is. You sit down at a table, your order what you want, you get it brought to you. Thats pretty much it. Unless in the menu they state they are supposed to be cheerful, stop by X amount of times to check in, etc.

Put it this way; if I got the surly attitude and continuous shouting in a restaurant that I get in McDonalds, then the restaurant has not fulfilled the service requirements.

 

[Veliko]

also it's a private establishment, they can charge whatever they'd like...don't like it don't go there.

Well it's kind of hard to know what the service is like if you haven't ever been there before.

Almost every time I have witnessed this 'bad service' crap it's a scam. If the service was bad, you'd have others outside the large table complaining.

Almost every time I witness someone say "Almost every time I have witnessed...", they are lying.

 

[alkemyst]

I believe it is. You sit down at a table, your order what you want, you get it brought to you. Thats pretty much it. Unless in the menu they state they are supposed to be cheerful, stop by X amount of times to check in, etc.

QFT but this scales.

At anything less than $15-20 per plate, you probably will need to call for a server. They will hopefully 'check' on you once during a regular meal time.

Due to most here already bitching about food costs being too high (and in the last 5 years restaurants have been crushed by their own costs. In the 90's almost all restaurants piled on the food for low plate costs..today they can't their costs have risen by 5x in that timeframe, recently many things have doubled...it's all wrapped into fuel costs sadly), the restaurants due the only things they can...cut portions and cut staff.

In the end at the typical 'cattle car' places like TGIF, Applebees, etc you have a waiter maybe handling 10 tables on his own and possibly sharing another 5 due to someone calling in sick.

It's not the restaurant's fault, it's the consumers that decide to pay at that level.

I don't eat at those types of places on any busy night and never if I can help it.

I prefer to end up with a meal cost of $50+ for my wife and I prior to any drinks, appetizers or desserts. I get a less crowded venue, usually only a few kids that are well-behaved, no one on their cell phones calling all their homies that owe them money, and a waitstaff responsible for 4-5 tables scaling to having multiple dedicated waiters at higher plate costs.

It's sad the entitlement everyone has today.

 

[surfsatwerk]

I believe it is. You sit down at a table, your order what you want, you get it brought to you. Thats pretty much it. Unless in the menu they state they are supposed to be cheerful, stop by X amount of times to check in, etc.

No, no, no the customer must be pampered with blowjobs and sweet kisses in order to deserve 10%. Which I must say is more than fair.

 

[Perknose]

The article is a little unclear IMO - Is there actually a sign stating there is an automatic 17% tip on groups of 5+? OR is that just what the BBB guy was saying there should be?

BTW, most places around here that have an automatic tip have it stated in the fine print on the menu. Also, at those places, the moment a glass needs filling or there is something that needs attention, I grab the nearest employee, I don't care who, and get it dealt with immediately. If I am already paying for good service, I am damn well going to get it.

MotionMan

Clicking on this below at the end of the article's first page

"Read more:
Click2Houston: Family says restaurant locked them inside over tip refusal

Brings you to this page, which yields this little nugget:

The gratuity policy was clearly marked on the restaurant's menus. But Marks said when they questioned it the workers wouldn't let her or her friends leave; she claims they locked the door and called the police.

 

[Veliko]

It's sad the entitlement everyone has today.

Yes, how selfish and greedy of people expecting to get what they paid for.

 

[surfsatwerk]

Yes, how selfish and greedy of people expecting to get what they paid for.

I have walked out of restaurants where I did not get the food I ordered or the food never showed up on my table. I was not served, I did not pay. The family ate food that was served to them, if they did not get what they wanted they should have left.

 

[Texashiker]

The gratuity policy was clearly marked on the restaurant's menus. But Marks said when they questioned it the workers wouldn't let her or her friends leave; she claims they locked the door and called the police.

I think I am going to hang a sign next to my front door which says, non-family females over the age of 18 are required to provide the owner of this house with 1 blow job.

If anyone refuses, I am going to call the police and have the person arrested until I get my blow job.

Just because someone writes something on a menu, or hangs a sign on a wall does not mean its enforceable.

 

[alkemyst]

Well it's kind of hard to know what the service is like if you haven't ever been there before.



Almost every time I witness someone say "Almost every time I have witnessed...", they are lying.

Well I have only seen one table that I know had bad service with a large crowd and the rest of us in that section did as well. Our waitress turned up out back chatting with friends.

Every other table that I have been near enough to witness has been very disruptive, hogging the waitstaff enough for ME to complain about that, and then at the end of the night demanded free food due to 'things not being cooked right' (yet almost 100% eaten).

Once the manager asked them to leave, no charge. He added loudly to his staff that they were no longer welcome.

There was applause. This was at a pretty higher priced place and their behavior was unacceptable. They had kids literally running around tables trying to play tag or whatever, but grabbing peoples chairs.

Maybe folks you know.

 

[Veliko]

Well I have only seen one table that I know had bad service with a large crowd and the rest of us in that section did as well. Our waitress turned up out back chatting with friends.

Every other table that I have been near enough to witness has been very disruptive, hogging the waitstaff enough for ME to complain about that, and then at the end of the night demanded free food due to 'things not being cooked right' (yet almost 100% eaten).

Once the manager asked them to leave, no charge. He added loudly to his staff that they were no longer welcome.

There was applause. This was at a pretty higher priced place and their behavior was unacceptable. They had kids literally running around tables trying to play tag or whatever, but grabbing peoples chairs.

Maybe folks you know.

So your "Almost every time I witness..." statement was based around one, solitary occurrence.

It seems I was right about the lying part.

 

[Veliko]

I have walked out of restaurants where I did not get the food I ordered or the food never showed up on my table. I was not served, I did not pay. The family ate food that was served to them, if they did not get what they wanted they should have left.

Then good for you.

It changes nothing however. If a restaurant is going to separate the food and the service like that, then the two will be judged separately.

They ordered the food. The service was rubbish but the food was fine when it eventually came.

Why shouldn't they eat it and then refuse to pay for the poor service?

 

[DeeJayeS]

Calling the police on people who won't pay the 17% tip? Yeah, that's sure to generate repeat customers and good publicity for your restaurant.

Manager fails at managing imo.

 

[alkemyst]

So your "Almost every time I witness..." statement was based around one, solitary occurrence.

It seems I was right about the lying part.

yeah, it was only one time where it was an experience shared with the entire section.

My other example was a time it was so obvious to the ENTIRE restaurant that applause happened.

Every other time I have seen this, I personally was aware of the table being difficult and my bet was they'd just walk out stiffing them...many times they did based on the waiter/ess reaction. Other times where the server waited for payment, an altercation occurred.

I am bet most try just to walk out and leave a lesser tip. Restaurants have gotten wise to this, especially down here with our huge canadian tourist base. There have been local newspaper stories on large tables getting even violent saying they do not have to tip.

but yeah I am a liar...you seem to believe for your $20 4 course meal for two you are entitled to a 2 staff table and a cello player. Then to be brought heated towels and a selection of after-dinner mints.

 

[mnewsham]

I think I am going to hang a sign next to my front door which says, non-family females over the age of 18 are required to provide the owner of this house with 1 blow job.

If anyone refuses, I am going to call the police and have the person arrested until I get my blow job.

Just because someone writes something on a menu, or hangs a sign on a wall does not mean its enforceable.

You are an idiot, you are correct in that just because it is written it isn't enforceable, however it CAN be enforceable and in the case of a bill of sale on goods and services paying that bill IS going to be enforceable, just because they call it "gratuity" doesn't mean it actually is, it is restaurant policy to charge for parties over 5 17% more. If you don't like it, get out. Call it whatever you want, gratuity, service charge, bullshit, I don't care. Either way it comes out the same way, don't like it? Get out.

 

[Phoenix86]

:hmm:

Locking the door was a fire hazard, if that happened...

 

[Ns1]

Haha, the bad reviews of this restaurant are already adding up on Yelp.

The proper response to this BS.

 

[alkemyst]

Calling the police on people who won't pay the 17% tip? Yeah, that's sure to generate repeat customers and good publicity for your restaurant.

Manager fails at managing imo.

Depends on the place, but I doubt most would truly care except those that don't tip to begin with.

For those that do, this is a good thing. It keeps your restaurant being able to have stabile prices.

There was a great sushi place here. All you can eat for like $15 each. The rules were you only had a selection to choose from and all must be eaten prior to a new plate.

As word got out you'd get people stuffing bags with food to bring home, taking food to the restroom to throw away, insisting that what they left was 'bad', etc. They soon raised prices in 50 cent increments. Then dollars. It ended up being a bit over $20 each.

During this time those same asshats would challenge that cost saying they just paid $15 the last time they were there.

The management was too accommodating. Their 3 restaurant chain that was around for a decade died.

 

[IGemini]

 

[surfsatwerk]

Why shouldn't they eat it and then refuse to pay for the poor service?

It's called theft

 

[zerocool84]

It's sad that many of you encourage the entitlement mentality of servers being able to give crappy service and still get a tip. Tips are extra, tips are earned, just like everything else in life.

 

[Veliko]

yeah, it was only one time where it was an experience shared with the entire section.

My other example was a time it was so obvious to the ENTIRE restaurant that applause happened.

Every other time I have seen this, I personally was aware of the table being difficult and my bet was they'd just walk out stiffing them...many times they did based on the waiter/ess reaction. Other times where the server waited for payment, an altercation occurred.

I am bet most try just to walk out and leave a lesser tip. Restaurants have gotten wise to this, especially down here with our huge canadian tourist base. There have been local newspaper stories on large tables getting even violent saying they do not have to tip.

but yeah I am a liar...you seem to believe for your $20 4 course meal for two you are entitled to a 2 staff table and a cello player. Then to be brought heated towels and a selection of after-dinner mints.

Yay, a strawman argument right at the end there. They are always fun.