MikeK
Gold Member
Better still the original system of tipping a server only if the service was satisfactory should remain in place. No further complication is needed. This policy of adding a presumptive gratuity to the check amounts to a de facto tax which makes use of local law enforcement as a revenue enforcement agency.They could have told the restaurant "no" and gone somewhere else. If the service were that bad, I would have asked to speak to the manager.
It's been my experience that some servers are very pleasant and deserve to be rewarded accordingly while others clearly resent having to earn money in that way and manage to convey their unhappiness in a number of annoying and unpleasant ways. The policy of mandatory tipping accommodates these malcontents and is sure to affect the overall quality of service in the future. So instead of a mandatory gratuity added to the check the restaurant should raise its prices and pay the servers a flat rate per table.
I personally will not patronize a restaurant that has a mandatory gratuity policy.