Non-tipping Japanese tourists better avoid Lake George, NY

[Taro Toporific]

Do non-tipping tourists Japanese "know" that tips are discretionary?
They better know about Lake George, NY, were a man was arrested after his group left without paying the tip.

Leave a good tip - or else
The New York Times - 09/11/04 (no registration required)
When stopping in for a meal at Soprano's Italian and American Grill in Lake George, N.Y., leave a good tip.
Or else.
A man from the New York City area was arrested Sunday after his party of nine failed to leave an 18 percent tip, the restaurant's mandatory gratuity for parties of six or more people, which had been added to his bill.....

[bejiita]

I just read about this matter. That article is not complete. It actually depends on how the restaurant phrases the language. Customers don't have to pay a gratuity or tip, but they do have to pay surcharges.

Complete story here:

http://www.gothamist.com/archives/2004/09/15/the_tipping_point.php

Guess the N.Y. printers will be getting a lot of business soon since all non-compliant restaurants will be reprinting their menus to reflect surcharge.

[Samurai_Jerk]

I've always hated that rule of including a tip automatically when there is a party of 6 or more. I know why they do it but when you end up with crappy service it's really fucking annoying.

By the way, what do you guys do if the service is really bad? I once got really rude service so I had all my friends give me cash and I paid with my card. In the tip line I wrote "rude service" instead of a tip. I wish I could say it was my idea but I got it from a radio show. I didn't want to just not leave a tip and have the waitress think we were cheap.

[AssKissinger]

In the tip line I wrote "rude service" instead of a tip.

You should have written 'Get a better job!'.

[bejiita]

By the way, what do you guys do if the service is really bad?

What I usually do is talk to the manager, or send the manager a letter if he/she is not there.

Basically, I tell them what was good and what was bad. Based on what was bad, we are not going to eat there anymore and that we would spread the word among our peers that their restaurant totally sucks.

If the manager states that corrective action will be taken, I give him/her the benefit of the doubt and maybe visit again. If the manager is an asshole, then I go post in bulletin boards where local restaurants get reviewed, and the word of mouth eventually causes the restaurant to go out of business.