groups

I know that some places do put in a "gratuity" for groups over a certain size and include that amount inside the bill - I have been caught on that the other way around, I didn't know and left a tip on top of the bill - they never brought it to my attention (my wife did later). In this case - I think the Pub owner or whoever made the decision to call the police was stupid. Even if they are legally right, the publicity will probably put them out of business, and they deserve it - they should have just apologized for the bad service and let it go and they probably would have a repeat customer. My niece lives in Bethlehem Pa so I will have to ask her about this.

I've been in places where they automatically put the tip on the bill if the party is over a certain size as well. I've also been told - in some of those places - that the tip is not necessarily required and can be adjusted either way (up or down).

I agree about the owner of that place. Bad publicity isn't going to do him any good at all.

I have actually been in a similar situation - not arrested, but close. A few years ago my husband and I were at an after work birthday party for a friend. It was a large group and we did not even know everyone. We were paying as we went along. There was no group tab. We were the last to leave as we stayed for dinner. We were stopped just outside and told that the large party had stiffed the waitress and that we needed to pay or they would call the police. It was straightened out only because we asked them to call her out so she could tell them that we tipped as we went along (my husband always tipped well).

To our surprise she was not even the one that waited on us so we had to find her. She advised the owner that the waitress that was complaining that our group stiffed her was out in back smoking and talking on her phone most of the night. So they let us go. It was crazy.

My daughter was a waitress for a while during her college years, it was almost routine that some people would stiff her, most time for no reason at all - but the only penalties that were ever exacted were on her if they walked out without paying, she was "charged" for the dinner (and that is something people should be arrested for). So I do understand the problems waitresses have, but I think under the American tipping rules, no one should ever be arrested for not tipping for bad service. Most places that do things like that end up going out of business because they are not customer oriented.

I always tip - even if the service sucks. 'Course if does - then I just lay down a nice shiny penny!

When I have visit my son in Europe, he always gets mad if I leave a tip. Telling me that there is always a "service charge" added even for the single cup of coffee, but I have only heard of that here in connection with a large group.
I always tip too, Mom was a waitress when she was in High School, and nothing made her madder then when my Dad didn't want to tip, or gave the server a hard time for bad service or a bad attitude. Bad service can be the problem of many others in the establishment, the cook, the bus people, the owner, so it's not always the waitresses fault, and she can't say "hey the cook is having a hissy fit, and that's why your food is taking an hour", or " 2 of the other waitresses didn't show up, so that's why I'm covering twice as many tables as usual, and your table hasn't been set".

I was in Orlando at an aquatic convention held at a Wyndham Hotel a few years ago. I prefer to leave a tip in cash for the wait staff and tip at least 20% unless the service is horrible. I charged the couple of meals that I had at the hotel and did not add tip since I had tipped with cash. When I was checking out I noticed 20% tips added to all of my charges. I protested and said that in spite of the service not always being great I had already tipped 20% in cash, but they would not remove the charges. Ultimately the tip was 40% per meal! I was not a happy camper and refuse to stay at a Wyndham hotel again.

Having been a waitress when younger I appreciate the hard work done by most as well as the low pay due to the wait staff expecting tips. It is unfair of the business to expect the tips to cover the low pay, but that is life. I ALWAYS tip well. When my children were tiny kids we used figuring out the tip as a math exercise so they learned from the get go how to figure a 15% or 20% tip when in kindergarten.

dddanse, my Dad used to travel quite a bit for work and had the same thing happen to him. Since then we all either cross out or write "tip left at table" in the tip line on the credit card slip if we leave a cash tip. This kind of practice is just wrong if it is not a posted policy.

i do the same as dafriend when i leave a cash tip when using my cc.

however, to tip or not to tip bad service is the question. i was taught by my father that you should leave something for bad service, but nothing as offensive as a penny. showing up at the table from the beginning of your stay warrants at least leaving a dollar tip and would go more to stating the service is bad.

penny givers are usually looked at as "a**holes* or cheapskates, so you really aren't getting at the heart of the problem of bad service.

Tipping required by law?
That is a contradiction in terms.
It's a move to change a law.
Now you can get in trouble for not paying for bad service?
Screw living in America