Posted on 05/03/2012 7:01:25 AM PDT by Morgana
A family says that a Houston seafood restaurant locked them inside and called the police after they refused to pay a gratuity.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Then they have to pay it, attempting to leave without doing so constitutes theft, and many states allow businesses limited detainment rights against individuals believed to have engaged in theft.
My suspcion is the restaurant is well within its rights for what it did.
I agree mandatory tip on a group of 5 is a low number for it to kick in, however its policy and posted, the family could have gone elsewhere knowing this, but chose to eat there, so they have to pay it.
The cost of the meal is clearly printed on the menu. This cost includes the meal preparation and delivery to my table.
[snip]
I’d call this Kidnapping - being held hostage, against your will, for money is generally considered kidnapping.
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And if the menu clearly states that a certain percentage will be added for groups over a particular number, and you are at that threshold, do you still contend that it is kidnapping?
Or is it simple theft on the part of the patrons?
You'll soon achieve "regular" status and the best wait staff will be tripping over each other to get your table.
I guess they would rather the five people sit at five different tables using the time of five different waiters and not tipping a penny.
Good thinking.
Yes, that's the case, here. It's clearly posted on the restaurant's menu, per the video.
It is a rip off when the policy states a set gratuity is to be paid....and then the service is terrible.
You have obviously been blessed to not eat at any restaurants here in Montgomery, AL.
I have traveled the world thanks to Uncle Sam, and while I love Alabama and will never leave -- This city has the absolute rudest and most incompetent servers in the entire world.
Link to a news article.
HOUSTON -
Jasmine Marks said she was trying to enjoy dinner recently with several friends at La Fisherman, located at 1935 Highway 6 South. She said the service was less than stellar; the wait staff was rude, their drinks didn’t get refilled and they didn’t receive their entire order.
When the bill came, Marks said there was a problem. The restaurant added an automatic 17 percent gratuity because their party had more than five people in it, but Marks didn’t feel like the staff earned the full tip so she asked to speak to a manager.
“We asked her, could the gratuity be removed? Could we give our own tip? She said it was part of their policy and there was nothing she could do about,” Marks said. “If you’re not satisfied with the service, you shouldn’t have to pay gratuity.”
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.
“She was like, ‘You have an unsettled bill and ya’ll can’t leave until you pay it,’” Marks said. “We paid our bill for what we ate, we paid the bill.”
(More at the link)
“and I have no sympathy for them.”
So, someone committing a physical felony against a person has your support against someone that might have committed at best a civil violation? Nice to see your priorities are in order.
Thank you for doing what Morgana should have done
I can’t understand why posters are too lazy to post an intelligent article with pertinent details.
That's what I did when I was single. In my post-college bachelor days I had the disposable income to eat out regularly. And I did. I think I went four years without ever preparing a meal for myself. These days with little kids, we rarely eat out but I'm still a generous tipper. At least 25%. As far as bad service goes, I'm pretty generous with that too. The waitstaff would pretty much have to throw my food in my face and call my wife a whore to negate their tip.
Having friends and family work in the industry, I've always had a soft spot for people waiting tables and who remember two types of tippers; good ones and bad ones.
Guess again...
I would usually fight for parties of 8 or larger just because I knew if they liked my service I would usually get a monster tip because they would tip on top of the 15-20% already expected of them.
>> Must have been Brits.
Uh, check the color of the person complaining about the policy. As so succinctly summed up by a Chinese immigrant owner of a Miami Beach restaurant when asked why he added 15% o a black couple’s bill: “You people don’t tip!”
Ask anyone who has ever worked in a restaurant.
Maybe they were “Canadians”
(waiters will know what I mean)
So, someone committing a physical felony against a person has your support against someone that might have committed at best a civil violation? Nice to see your priorities are in order.
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LOL. So you believe that it’s OK to walk out on a bill, because you believe the clearly stated rules don’t apply to you. Nice to see your priorities are in order.
Ok, should have actually followed the link. The restaurant is still dishonest. A gratuity is voluntary. What they are calling a “gratuity” is in reality a fee for serving large groups. Since it was clearly stated on the menu they reall had no choice but to pay it. Locking them in the store is still kidnapping but they were obligated to pay the stated large group fee.
In Houston, why would anyone eat seafood at la fisherman when you have Papas’s seafood all over town, best service, largest portions and best seafood ever for the price. And a killer strawberry Mojito.
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