Man charged for not tipping enough

by Larry 19 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Larry

  At first I thought it was a Jdub :)

  ------------------------------------------------

  http://www.silive.com/newsflash/metro/index.ssf?/base/news-9/1095189250118990.xml&storylist=simetro

  Man Charged For Not Tipping Enough Has Charges Dropped

  9/14/2004, 3:09 p.m. ET The Associated Press

  LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. (AP) ? Charges against a downstate man arrested in an upstate restaurant for not leaving a big enough tip have been dropped.

  Warren County District Attorney Kate Hogan said that after researching the case against 41-year-old Humberto Taveras, she determined the Queens man cannot be forced to pay a gratuity.

  Taveras, 41, was charged Sept. 5 with misdemeanor theft of services after he and his fellow diners argued with managers at Soprano's Italian and American Grill over the legality of requiring an 18 percent tip for large parties.

  Taveras had said he wasn't completely satisfied with the Adirondack restaurant's food and left a tip of under 10 percent, adding no one in his party was told of a mandatory 18 percent gratuity for parties of six or more people.

  Hogan said had the 18 percent gratuity been called a surcharge or service charge, Taveras would have had a legal obligation to pay the tip.

  "I'm happy to have it behind me, but the whole situation shouldn't have happened to begin with," Taveras told The Post-Star of Glens Falls.

  "I'm glad someone came to their senses up there," added Taveras, who faced up to a year in jail. "Now I can tell my kids `Daddy's not a crook.'"

  Restaurant owner Joe Soprano had said he did not pursue charges because of the money, but because Taveras' group was obnoxious.

  "We did what we thought was right," Soprano said after hearing of Hogan's decision on Monday.
• 

  kls

  I thought this was going to be about cow tipping. People will sue for the most dumb things.
• 

  marcosgarcia

  I thought this was going to be about cow tipping.

  Cow tipping? Hmmm.... I didn't know cows even went out for dinner. Must be one of those all you can eat salad bars and they probably leave a few glasses of milk as a tip depending on service. We always fed them in the milking barn. I don't think they ever went out to eat.
• 

  kls

  Well Marco, you are not very nice to your cows and the fact that you didn't know cows go out for dinner, well, show's what you don't know.
• 

  Elsewhere

  I have to agree with this... I hate when a restaurant demands a "gratuity". Hell... why call it a "gratuity" if it is mandatory???

  If the service sucks I'm going to give a very poor tip.

  If a restaurant wants to charge a surcharge for large groups, then call it a "Large Group Surcharge"!
• 

  Simon

  He said he wasn't satified with the food - the tip is for the service, not the food. The Chef get's paid no matter what.

  It is usually on the menu & on the door if the gratuity is included.

  Personally, I hate it when it is - they are doing themselves out of a few bob 'cause I normally tip well (if the service is good). I'm preparing myself for life in North America

  The problem is that if it is mandatory then the staff don't have *much* incentive to give good service but likewise, it's unfair to have a 'mob' of people rush them off their feet and then just bugger off.

  A lawsuit though ? ... jeez ... "welcome to America"
• 

  ballistic

  I prefer the idea in the UK where what you see is what you get. You can tip in a nice restaurant if you feel like it, or grab lunch in a pub and a tip is not expected at all.
• 

  funkyderek

  Why can't the people who own restaurants just pay their staff properly? It's annoying having to pay exorbitant prices for food, and then to be expected to pay the staff's wages as well.
• 

  Mary

  Soprano's Italian and American Grill

  The manager sounds like an asshole of the first order. Does he not realize that the very bad publicity his restaurant now has will end up costing him alot more than a measley 10% gratuity?? Maybe the party was obnoxious---I don't know, I wasn't there. Every restaurant gets obnoxious customers, it's part of the business. But to try and sue a customer for not leaving a big enough tip is absolutely pathetic. Maybe the manager is now making cement shoes for any customer who doesn't leave a big enough tip. I can just see him saying "I'm gonna make 'im a pair of shoes he can't refuse".
• 

  kwintestal

  It was more then just sueing for the 10%. The manager attempted to lay criminal charges. What nerve! Can you imagine having a criminal record for not leaving an 8% tip? Going to a job interview, and when they ask "Do you have a criminal record you haven't been pardoned for?" "Um yes I do for not leaving a tip." Just stupid. I'm surprised a prosecutor would even look at the case.