By SN
Thursday November 19, 2009
Consumerist – 11/14/09:
Should you be required by law to pay a gratuity if you don’t think the restaurant’s service was worth it? The police in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania think so, and they arrested two college students for refusing to pay a $16.35 tip over what they claim was poor service.
Philly.com – Nov. 19, 2009:
“You can’t give us terrible, terrible service and expect a tip,” said Pope, a 22-year-old Moravian College senior 
who’s a Pottsville native, according to the Lehigh Valley Express-Times.
They had to find their own napkins and cutlery while their waitress caught a smoke, had to ask the bar for soda refills, and had to wait over an hour for salad and wings, they told NBC10.
The pub, which was very busy that night, took the $73, but then called the cops, who treated the matter as a theft.
As some of you observed, tips are just a system for some employers to pay less than minimum wage. For those of you born with that silver spoon in your pie-holes that means they work hard for less than minimum wage. Myself I worked a year as a bus-boy in a successful smorgasborg close to this place. I got my share of the pooled tips and was grateful for it, but it was grueling ass busting work. Not as bad as the job loading trucks at the slaughter house but almost.
Still, it should never be mandatory to pay a tip, it should be mandatory to pay a decent wage.
Bad service means No gratuity, pretty simple.
I think this is appropriately a civil dispute, to be handled by small claims court. Elevating this matter to criminal conduct is disturbing. Theft? No.
If enforced as a law, the principle of unintended consequences (are are they really?) would probably lead to more patrons seeking the fast food chains, and avoiding the unincorporated small business diners and eateries. Makes you wonder who these PA cops are working for? Certainly not the lazy waitresses.
The charge will be dropped before their next court appearance and the pub owner will be hiring the best Public Relations firm within 200 miles. If he doesn’t there will be a “For Lease” sign on the front door this time next year.
It appears that when they complained about the slow food service the manager offered the food free. They paid for the food but were charged the tip anyway.
Stupid owner. Can you say “false arrest”?
# 12
Many European countries don’t have “refills” on drinks, you buy another drink.