# Upset about restaurant gratuity charge **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 17, 2017, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upset-about-restaurant-gratuity-charge/784658 "2017-04-17T19:35:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2017, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upset-about-restaurant-gratuity-charge/784658/21 "2017-04-17T23:27:41Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I’m still not getting the OP. He’s dissatisfied with the service, so he reduces the tip by _ **67 cents** _??? WTF? You have a point there. I hope the OP explains that. But in general, the receipt that was signed (akin to a contract, right?) said suggested, not mandatory. Regardless of the $0.67, in such cases where the receipt says suggested and not mandatory or similar, shouldn’t the payer only be obligated for the amount on the receipt? Assuming it at least covers the food costs. I have done this on occasion. But I haven’t noticed language posted or on the menu about any mandatory tip, for groups or otherwise. Since a few have stated that but I’ve never seen it. I’ll look out for that. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2017, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upset-about-restaurant-gratuity-charge/784658/22 "2017-04-18T00:54:58Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I’m still not getting the OP. He’s dissatisfied with the service, so he reduces the tip by _ **67 cents** _??? WTF? > [@Orwell](#): > > It was partially to register my mild dissatisfaction, and partly to get the total to a round number. > [@Bullitt](#): > > You have a point there. I hope the OP explains that. I got it w/o **Orwell** ’s explanation. I frequently round up, or down, depending upon service level so that my final bill is $xx.00 ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2017, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upset-about-restaurant-gratuity-charge/784658/23 "2017-04-20T17:02:16Z")
Got it. And I do the same thing, rounding to $xx.00. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2017, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upset-about-restaurant-gratuity-charge/784658/24 "2017-04-21T20:44:10Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > I think the reasons for mandatory tipping with large groups of people is the diffusion of responsibility phenomenon that often occurs in those scenarios. People are more likely to get hammered and distracted and the server is left with a handful of dollars tossed on the table with no regard to a fair tip. It’s not just that. A large party in your section of the restaurant is pretty much your entire night’s earnings at one table, not to mention being more stressful than waiting on say, two tables of four and two tables of three in the same section. If there was no automatic gratuity and the server gets stiffed, whether the checks or separate or not, they just did a bunch of work for basically nothing. And larger parties tend to occupy your station longer too, so the chances of you turning that table and having it seated again are small. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2017, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upset-about-restaurant-gratuity-charge/784658/25 "2017-04-21T21:08:39Z")
> [@Chisquirrel](#): > > In those cases, every POS system I’ve worked with adds the gratuity in automatically - you can leave MORE if you want, but the required tip is already included in the subtotal… EVERY POS system? The last time I saw that was 40 years ago, and I told the restaurant that I wouldn’t leave a tip at all unless they rewrote the bill to make it my entry instead of theirs. They complied. I assumed that practice bit the dust, possibly due to complaints like mine. I haven’t seen that happen since. OTOH, I haven’t eaten in fancy restaurants in big cities much recently, either. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2017, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upset-about-restaurant-gratuity-charge/784658/26 "2017-04-21T21:16:25Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > EVERY POS system? The last time I saw that was 40 years ago, and I told the restaurant that I wouldn’t leave a tip at all unless they rewrote the bill to make it my entry instead of theirs. They complied. I assumed that practice bit the dust, possibly due to complaints like mine. > > I haven’t seen that happen since. OTOH, I haven’t eaten in fancy restaurants in big cities much recently, either. Many of your upper end restaurants have adopted the _prix fixe_ European model for their diners/gratuities, particularly multi-course tasting menus. I actually like it. You don’t have to worry about it from the beginning. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2017, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upset-about-restaurant-gratuity-charge/784658/27 "2017-04-21T22:01:52Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I’m still not getting the OP. He’s dissatisfied with the service, so he reduces the tip by _ **67 cents** _??? WTF? Yeah, I was curious about that myself. Is there some sort of elaborate tipping formula based on how many requests you make, how many things the waiter gets wrong, and how many seconds it takes to summon the waiter and get what you requested? I just can’t imagine saying to myself ---- Screw this 11.11 tip, I’m only leaving 10.44!! Although in rereading I think the tip amount made the grand total an exact number. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2017, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upset-about-restaurant-gratuity-charge/784658/28 "2017-04-21T22:23:56Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > EVERY POS system? The last time I saw that was 40 years ago, and I told the restaurant that I wouldn’t leave a tip at all unless they rewrote the bill to make it my entry instead of theirs. They complied. I assumed that practice bit the dust, possibly due to complaints like mine. > > I haven’t seen that happen since. OTOH, I haven’t eaten in fancy restaurants in big cities much recently, either. When we have a branch luncheon or something at work where we go to a restaurant as a group, we run into this pretty routinely. And we generally go to kinda middlin’ restaurants, nothing high-end certainly. While I’m not keen on the idea, I recognize it as a necessary evil, for the reasons **FoieGras** and **Spice Weasel** gave. Not to mention, if there’s one or two ‘throw some money on the table’ types in a large group, and they haven’t thrown very much, those who depart after them often feel morally compelled to make up for their stinginess. If 18% is already on the bill, they know they’ll get hit up for their 18% when we settle up later. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2017, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upset-about-restaurant-gratuity-charge/784658/29 "2017-04-21T22:51:07Z")
I don’t like the idea of mandatory tips. But I’ll put up with them because of incidents like one I remember happening to the absolute BEST waitress I knew, at the first restaurant I ever worked at. Large parties tend to demand a lot of service. One big group, eighteen people, came in and were there for quite a while, from appetizers to desserts and drinks. “Helen” came back into the kitchen when it was all over, threw her hands up in the air and leaned against the wall, frustrated tears in her eyes. “They stiffed me!” she said. Yep, they didn’t leave her a single penny. Eighteen people, nine couples if I remember right, and she didn’t get one lousy dollar. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2017, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upset-about-restaurant-gratuity-charge/784658/30 "2017-04-21T23:00:45Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > I don’t like the idea of mandatory tips. But I’ll put up with them because of incidents like one I remember happening to the absolute BEST waitress I knew, at the first restaurant I ever worked at. > > Large parties tend to demand a lot of service. One big group, eighteen people, came in and were there for quite a while, from appetizers to desserts and drinks. “Helen” came back into the kitchen when it was all over, threw her hands up in the air and leaned against the wall, frustrated tears in her eyes. > > “They stiffed me!” she said. Yep, they didn’t leave her a single penny. Eighteen people, nine couples if I remember right, and she didn’t get one lousy dollar. As a former soldier in the front lines of the restaurant industry, this anecdote pisses me off and like you said, reinforces the reasoning behind the automatic inclusion of gratuities for parties larger than X\_\_\_\_ (usually 8 or more). Helen busted her ass, built an (assumingly) large check for a large party of 18 people, and made $2.13/hour for her troubles. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/upset-about-restaurant-gratuity-charge/784658.md?page=1)