Yeah. Once the tow company has your car they’re within their legal rights to demand payment for services and storage. The car owner is stuck.
The car owner’s recourse is to complain to the property owner hoping to persuade them to fully/partially pay the tab to recover the car, or to sue them for the same.
In my fairly friendly scenario we have gone in halfway for some people legitimately on our grounds who failed to display the right passes who we then towed. But only rarely. And for somebody with no business on our lot? Ha ha; it is to laugh. Next time they’ll pay the $2 to park across the street in the City lot.
And no, we don’t get a cut of the tow fees.