It's a stereotype that foreign diners in the US are bad tippers. Whether this is true or not varies from restaurant to restaurant, but it isn't difficult to see why waiters and waitresses might expect people who aren't used to tipping their servers 15-20% at the end of a meal to simply not do it. If a waiter gets stiffed on the tip, the only real recourse is to curse at bad luck before continuing on to the next table. But the manager of the restaurant Aquagrill in New York decided that something should be done about this perceived issue. He decided to add an automatic 18% gratuity to the bill when the diners were foreign, because "foreigners don't tip."
In this instance, the party that was taxed consisted of four diners who all reside in the US, ordered in English and conversed amongst themselves in French during their meal. Their "foreignness" was apparently identified because they all spoke French, so the tax was applied. Adding a tax to a bill without informing the diners in advance is illegal, at least in New York City, where the Department of Consumer Affairs allows a 15% gratuity to be added to parties of 8 or more, as long as notification is conspicuously printed on the menu. The group confronted the manager and eventually paid the bill, noting that they would not return to the restaurant.
The owner of the restaurant, Jennifer Marshall, has since refunded their bill in full and blamed the poor judgment of the manager for the gaff.
[via the food section]
Cheese Course: Brebis Pardou
A transcendent summer tomato salad
Sliced bread turns 80 today
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-17-2007 @ 7:30PM
Jill said...
Tipping should be banned. We are already paying a HUGE mark up on the food. Let the owner pay his staff a decent wage. Why are we one of the few countries that still rely on this method?
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1-17-2007 @ 7:57PM
Sophie said...
I am sorry but I disagree completely with you Jill. I am french and over there in France we don't tip servers and the results is that they are much less friendly and helpful than in the states. of course, they don't care because they get the same salary no matter what so why bother! but we should tip really according to what servers deserve and not, like my husband (who is american), 20 % no matter what. like I always tell him: "you are killing the system".
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1-17-2007 @ 7:58PM
Sindy said...
Tips are not a REQUIREMENT gratuity is for GRATITUDE.I do not have a problem tipping fairly when the service is good. It irks me that they add tips to large parties, sometimes the service does not warrant the full 15% then what recourse do you have? It also bugs me when coffee shops "semi"fast food places have tip jars. Is that not what we go there and pay the 3-4 bucks for a cup of coffe for?I agree with Jill. Employers should pay workers a decent wage and expect their employees to give good service to every customer!
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1-17-2007 @ 9:16PM
Linda G said...
Tip stands for "To insure Proper Service"
If it is put on the bill does not insure good service.
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1-17-2007 @ 9:56PM
Steven said...
You realize that if you remove tips and the owner starts paying his staff more, the first thing he is going to do is raise the prices on the food. Either way, we are still paying the servers.
The tip acronym is missing something...
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1-17-2007 @ 10:06PM
Peter said...
I agree with Jill and Sindy. Charge a fair price and leave it at that.
Adding a fee based on a sterotype is absurd. I hope people of all nationalities boycott the place.
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1-17-2007 @ 11:00PM
chunkielove said...
That's so ridiculously prejudicial. I'm glad the owner stepped in but, seriously, too little too late.
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1-18-2007 @ 5:36AM
Wenhaston Blackheath said...
No, 'tips' does not stand for 'to insure proper service':
http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/tip.htm
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1-18-2007 @ 1:31PM
DaveD said...
Well when I worked in Texas, a lot of the mouth breathers there assume that black people don't tip, so by this logic we should be able to charge black people an extra fee. It's disgusting and the manager in question should be fired and never darken the door of another restaurant again.
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1-18-2007 @ 2:11PM
Jay said...
I don't know about you Sophie, but I am a salaried worker and I am expected to perform my job well. A work ethic is a work ethic, I hate the idea that waiters have no inherent desire to provide service and will automatically revert to ill-mannered, slovenly servants if not for the incentive of an arbitrary tip. Let's place waiters with the rest of humanity, OK?
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2-24-2007 @ 6:52PM
derek said...
Does anyone who responded even work in the industry? I have waited/bartended for over 13yrs around the country. While there are many exceptions to this argument, a majority of minorities and foreigners do not tip correctly. Ignorance is not a viable excuse. When traveling abroud, I make a point to learn the customs. To equate the income from tips, menu items would more than double in price. Be patient with your waiter, especially when they are busy. (they know their job constraints, YOU DON'T!) Don't make a mess. You don't slop-up the table at home, do you? Ask their name. We are not "Hey!" Tip properly, word gets around about good and bad tippers. Inside tip: For the fastest service and best experience always sit at the bar or smoking section.............D
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