If you’re frustrated by poor service at a restaurant, think twice before you decide to not tip. You may be in for a bit more than just a dirty look from the waiter.

"Nobody, nobody wants to be forced to pay a tip or be arrested for terrible service," Leslie Pope said when her happy hour ended in handcuffs.

Pope and John Wagner were hauled away by police and charged with theft for not paying the mandatory 18 percent gratuity totaling $16 after eating at the Lehigh Pub in Bethlehem, Pa. with six friends.

Pope claimed that they had to wait nearly an hour for their order and that she had to get napkins and silverware for the table herself.

“At this point I became very annoyed because I had already gone up to the bar myself to have my soda refilled because the waitress never came back,” Pope said.

After the $73 bill came, the group paid for food, drinks, and tax but refused to pay the tip. After explaining the bad service to the bartender in charge, Pope claimed he took their money and called police. The couple was handcuffed and placed in the back of a police car.

“I understand that, you know, we didn’t pay the gratuity, but it was a gratuity, it wasn’t something that was required,” said Wagner.

The owner admitted that the group waited unusually long for their food, but said the pub was extremely busy that night. He said managers offered to comp the food, a claim the couple denies ever happened.

“Obviously we would have liked for the patron and the establishment to have worked this out without getting the police involved,” said Deputy Police Commissioner Stuart Bedics.

Police charged them with theft since the gratuity was part of the actual bill. However, it is doubtful that the charges will hold up in front of a judge. The couple is scheduled to appear in court next month.
[Edited 11/19/09 14:17pm]

sweet gee-zus ! ! !

I'm not down with this rule

thats fucked up.

i thought 10% was manditory

nyse said:

Not for a party of 6 or more, and 15% is customary
[Edited 11/19/09 14:23pm]

SCNDLS said:

See i've always found that when it's a large party they gratuity is already in the final total

banks said:

It was, they subtracted it cuz the service was so bad. Shit, I don't blame 'em if they getting their own silverware an' shit

Out of control!

I'm so glad that shit doesn't happen over here. Tip if you feel like it.

I always tip for good service but if someone tried to pull that here nobody would ever go back to the place that tried it.

I worked my way through college waiting tables. We had the automatic gratuity added to parties of 10 or more, and I only once had a problem where a guy didn't want to pay the gratuity because he said he wasn't informed of it beforehand (which he was). I just let it go. There are lots of cheap bastards out there and you just gotta get over it in the service industry, as much as those people suck ass.

All that's by way of saying that the restaurant should've just forgotten about the damn $16. Who gives a fuck? If the couple got bad service, they have a point, so all the more reason to concede to them. Now you just brought a ton of bad publicity on your restaurant for a piddling amount. I mean, shouldn't you only call the cops when you really, really need to?

Efan said:

I waited tables too and you're right they shoulda let it go. But having waited tables I expect more from my waiter/waitress even when they're slammed cuz there are always things you can do to make it easier on the customer and show attentiveness til the food comes. No silverware, getting your own refills . . . that's some bullSHIT.

They should be taken out the back and shot in the head!

mcmeekle said:

Oops, sorry, wrong thread.....

mcmeekle said:

There's an assassination thread?

connorhawke said:

That comment could apply to hundreds of threads around here.

As with anything, if a service is promised and not delivered, why should they pay? The owners need to sort their tardy restaurant out. I wouldn't have done this, I'd have paid, but it's fair enough. You shouldn't have to pay for something if you don't get it.

18%... fuck that!

Some places have 10% here and that's ok. You always know before-hand. Otherwise I just tip based purely on how good the food and service is, and that could mean anything between 5 and 25 percent, or no tip at all.

Over 6 measly ass bucks

No wonder why folks hate Americans,,,,we can be some trivial mofos sometimes.

Harlepolis said:

Wouldn't they say it's the principle though? What is the point of wanting good service? What is the point in a restaurant striving to offer it? Couldn't mandatory tipping make for crap restaurants? I like having discretion. I'll definitely give credit where its due.

Fauxie said:

Actually I'm siding with the couple here

It wasn't worth it,,,,,and I agree with what you said even though I'm pro-tipping.

Harlepolis said:

Ah, ok. Sorry about that.

The restaurant could've made it right and possibly they keep a customer. I can forgive pretty much anything in a restaurant if it's dealt with appropriately.

They need to sue the restaurant AND the police!

Ordinarily I wouldn't say something like that, but in this case it's justified.

A gratuity is not and should not be mandatory.

The restaurant was out of line for calling the cops, and the police were out of line for cuffing them.

...unless of course, there's more to the story...

LOL And next year the entire wait staff get audited on their taxes for good measure!

I don't know of anyone in the service industry that claims ALL their tips on taxes Pretty hard to get around saying you didn't recieve something that was MANDITORY!

PurpleJedi said:

isn't there always? probably screaming and shouting and swearing also

16/6 = bout $2.67

I'm sorry but I'd rather pay a lil under 3 bucks than get hauled away in a police car and have to go to court. I mean shit...pay the tip then leave a dirty table, steal the silverware, go to the restroom and take all the paper towels, blog about how you found a roach in your salad...you know the usual response to bad service.

wait... did their friends offer up any tip money? How this couple get arrested when it was a group bill?

DesireeNevermind said:

...u just ain't right...

Gratuity CAN'T be mandatory. No way.