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Karen Warren : 29-95
Judy Patel writes:
“On a whim, I had lunch at Triniti today after hearing all the ballyhoo. I had a lovely salad of endive and other greens with pistachios and one diver scallop cut in half. After I was 3/4 of my way through this admittedly delicious salad, three slices of crusty bread and some butter appeared. I also ordered sparkling water, which came in the form of a 750 ml bottle, for one. All this including the tip cost $30. I was still hungry even after polishing off the bread.
“This to me was a rip-off. I won’t go back. The salad was too small for an $18 item. Could be due to being new and incorrect pricing, but my pocketbook can’t take it. I know myriad eating establishments in this fine town where I can do much much better.”
Triniti: 2815 S. Shepherd; 832-582-5958
READER RANTS
Sherry Henderson writes:
“I consider myself to be a fair tipper, usually 15%, sometimes more. Very rare has been the occasion in which I did not leave a tip. I have been to restaurants in which the amount of tip is suggested but the tip is not automatically included in the total. Hollywood’s restaurant in Montrose automatically includes the gratuity, at 18%, in the total on the receipt. If you pay by credit card, they return the credit card receipt with the full total (again, which includes 18%) plus there is a place on the credit card receipt for an additional tip! The food is average, the service is OK.
“Generally speaking we go for the patio and the happy hour. At first we thought the 18% was for patio service with a large party, of which we were a part of. The last time we dined there we ate inside, just the two of us ... 18% was added in the total. This practice should be illegal
“We will probably return because it’s a good patio and happy hour that more then accommodates the large number of people in our party. In the future, we will pay in cash and will pay the amount we deem reasonable for the tip. They will take what they get.”
Hollywood Vietnamese and Chinese Restaurant: 2409 Montrose Blvd., 713-523-6681
Syd Kearney : 29-95
Ann Howell writes:
“Recently you published articles on recently remodeled Pelican Grill in the Kemah area. We (three of us) were there yesterday to check it out. I doubt we will return.
“We arrived at about 11:15, there was only one table taken. We placed our order about 11:25 but didn’t get our food until 12:40. We asked for extra napkins several times, tartar sauce twice, water twice. We finally went to the counter to request these items.
“The patty melt that was ordered had grease dripping from it. Meat was underdone. No sweeteners on tables, no napkins on tables. When we were leaving the server came over and comped the patty melt.
“I flagged down owner and told him the problems. We heard three parties leave because of slow service. (The) owner apologized (and) said he didn’t expect that kind of crowd. He had been given so much free advertising and (will be) on national TV in March (on Restaurant Impossible). How could he be so naïve? He did say the next time we came in, he would comp our three meals. Why didn’t he offer to comp them yesterday? We didn’t want that but it would have been a nice gesture. This place has a long way to go.”
Pelican Grill: 3142 Nasa Parkway, 281-326-6149
READER RAVE
Daniel Clooney: Stockyardr Bar-B-Q, 6504 Westheimer, 713-782-3500
“Stockyard is a great place for Lockhart-quality BBQ without the long drive. Their pork ribs are out of this world and the boudin-stuffed pork loin is fork tender. I’m in the process of trying all the meats they offer and all of them are outstanding in quality and smokiness. This is my new go-to place for BBQ.”
READER TO READER
Betty Latham to Donna Leverson, who was looking for a very sour sour dough bread:
“You may not be willing to make the trip to Kemah, but at the Target Super Store (believe it or not) on FM 2094 at Hwy 146, they bake their own bread and have a wonderful sour dough loaf for $3.69.”
...Are the prices not listed on the menu? Wouldn't you know whether or not your "pocketbook can take it" before even ordering?
And to the person freaking out over tips, how is paying cash going to save you from automatic gratuity? Your bill will still be printed with the 18% added in at the end. DERP.
By paying with cash, I can control the amount I actually pay vs having them charge the full amount to my credit card. Like I said in the email, they will get what they get. I will pay the full price for the meal, drink and tax and pay what I chose to pay for the tip.
Obviously Sherry is going to illegally not pay the price of the meal that the restaurant charges (which for this restaurant includes the tip). Really classy. Your choice as a diner is to chose whether or not to go to the restaurant - not to chose whether or not you will pay the bill. What you're dealing is stealing - plain and simple.
Reading is fundamental.
So is tipping an appropriate amount - 15% is not a fat tip, it's an insult. The industry standard for decent service is 20%. Don't eat out if you don't want to participate.
Since when did the industry standard become 20%?!?! Sorry, but for as long as I can remember 20% is for extraordinary service, 10% is the standard and 15% is for somewhere in between.
That being said, if it's just a quick lunch under $10-15 I will usually tip 20% but on a sit down, enjoy-yourself type of dinner if I don't get good service I don't leave a good tip. If I get good service I usually leave MORE than 20%
Are you 80 years old or possibly European? Because if you think that 10% is the standard then you must be one of those. In the US in 2011, 20% is a customary tip (sorry 19.2% according to Zagat: http://culinarytravel.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=culinarytrave...)
Nope, not 80 or European but your rude comment tells me that you are obviously young and have no respect for differing opinions.
Read YOUR linked article again and you'll see yes, 19% is the average but it also confirms what I said:
"Tip 15% for normal service, 20% and up for excellent service."
As for European...uh, tipping is not customary in the parts of Europe I've been to.
That's why I asked if you were European - their tipping system is different. And no respect? Because I asked if you were older or from another country? Don't you think that could be to account for differences in customs? My grandfather - who is of that age - has an issue with tipping more than 10 - 15% too, so I assumed that you were elderly or from a place that doesn't regularly tip for service the way the US does.
PS I did read "my article" and the average - i.e. what people customarily tip most in the US - is 19.2%.
On a recent trip to Paris, never once was I FORCED to tip. I always added a reasonable amount to the credit card charge, AND I left a few Euros in addition. Also, in Paris, the credit card does NOT leave your table, it is processed by the waiter with a scanner that he or she brings to the table. This makes me more trusting. I don't like MANDATORY tipping as the service sometimes does not even merit the minimum, the customer ("The customer is always right!") has no choice, unless he has cash to pay the bill, and add on whatever the service was worth. That is the right way to treat a customer, if you want that customer to come back and spend more $$$ at the establishment.
If you worked for tips only...and most of these folks get no base wage...then you'd consider 10% to be an incredible cheapskate, 15% to be okay i guess and 20% to be just about right for the effort i made.
If you google up tip etiquette I think you'll find 15% to be the standard for a minimum tip for decent service. Who the hell gives 10% besides you?
Gratuity is a gift or favor by definition. Refusing to leave one is not illegal. However, deceitful practices like forcing it onto your customers should be and possibly is. Basically, you're forcing your diners to pay 18% above the base price for their meal. If it is a forced payout for the customer, just raise the menu prices by 18% so they're aware of this before they pay. That's the HONEST thing to do.
Most people know and accept that when dining out at a restaurant that you tip for decent service. You are tipping for the waiter not for the food you ate.
And, if the service is NOT decent, then neither will my tip be "average." Sitting down to eat, I expect decent service and I expect to pay a decent tip, normally starting between 15% and 20%. If it is exceptionally good, I may go 25%. If the service is less than desirable, then it may go to the 10% - 15% range.
On one trip to a restaurant, I complained to the manager about extremely poor service from a waitress, and detailed several thing that I noticed. He comp'ed my family's meals and wanted me to come back for a second trip to show how good their staff can be. I told him this was my "trip back" to see how good things could be. I was happy to see that place closed its doors; I knew why.
When the service is exceptional, I have asked the waitperson to return to the table with the manager so I can praise the person directly to the manager, often surprising waitperson AND manager. And I leave a hefty tip. So, wait staff, be nice to everyone, your customer could be me!
Sherry, you are the worst kind of person. You may think you're above the people who serve your food, but one day, things will go bad in your life and you'll be at the mercy of others who control whether or not you get to eat or pay your rent. What goes around, comes around.
Worst kind of person? A bit much, no?
Trinity is pretty bad. Overpriced food and so-so service.
My standard practice is to double the tax as the tip. However, if I receive bad service I don't tip, or tip much less. If the server gives me a new lemon with my Iced Tea refill that's an automatic on-the-spot $5 tip over and above the meal gratuity. (server's remember this!) If the food is really bad, I complain to the management and I expect to be compensated. If it's just blah food that doesn't impact the server's tip - but I won't go back.
Any restaurant that attempts to force a gratuity is one I will never frequent again. Far FAR too liberal for me. It's my money and I spend it how I want. I work hard to earn my money and to earn my bonuses also. Why should servers automatically receive a bonus (gratuity) whether or not their performance was excellent?
Just fyi, doubling the tax to calculate the tip only works if there is no alcohol on the bill (since alcohol is not taxed). If there is alcohol & you are doubling the tax, you will be under-tipping the server.
Most people don't tip on alcohol anyway. $200 bottle of wine doesn't warrant an extra $30-$40 tip. So doubling the tax works fine.
I don't know where you go, but I was pretty sure alcohol is taxed. My daughter is a server and I checked with her. Also, since she is a server, I know they get very little base pay and rely heavily on tips to pay their bills. Most places don't even offer insurance, or it's crummy. She works hard and also has to tip out her bus staff and bartenders from her tips. If you can't afford to tip decently, which is really about 20% before tax, don't eat out or go to self serve.
Well said.
Selective reading and speaking (writing) before thinking at it's best although, even with selective reading I cannot see how you came to the conclusion that I am "the worst kind of person who thinks she's above servers...."
Wow.....just......wow!
Never have I once said that I don't think you should NOT tip your waitperson. Nor did I imply that I thought I was better than anyone else.
Choose. Chose is past tense people.
Wow - probly just a typo - don't be such DOOOOOOOSSSHHH!!!!
Sherry - we did read. What you said was plain and simple - if the price for food and tax is $50, and the restaurant (that you freely chose to go to) presents you with a final bill for $59 (after 18% gratuity is included), you will simply pay in cash what you deam worthy of paying, i.e. somewhere between $50 and $59. What we're saying is when you are presented with a bill for $59, and you pay only $54, that is illegal. Chose not to go to the restaurant if you have a problem with the policy - don't announce to everyone in Houston that you're going to steal.
I have to disagree that not paying an automatic gratuity is "stealing". Tipping is supposed to be for service, not included in the price of the meal. I am a generous tipper when service and food deserve it. I understand that in large groups, it is the establishments perogative to include gratuity. But if I am in a group of 5 or less, and particularly in a single or pair, gratuity needs to be left to the customer. I am not going to praise the lack luster efforts of a lazy server with anything more than a complaint to the manager, same goes for poor food quality. I do agree though, that if you don't like the way a company does business, like including gratuity, you should avoid the place and maybe let them know their way of doing things is costing them money, not making any!!
Agreed - 100%
I heard that TIP is an acronym (or whatever) for "To Insure Promptness." If a waitperson is slow, sloppy, rude, whatever, they have earned very little. But, you cannot fault the waiter if the kitchen is slow, but if they are slow to bring extra tartar sauce or re-fill the iced tea, well then, they are not showing that they care about the patron.
I say the restaurant is "stealing" if they have a price on their menu of $10 and bring you a bill for $11.80. Simple for me, I would not return.
I have waited on my share of tables, and for those wait staff out there who think gratuity is coming regardless of the quality of service provided should probably seek another career.
Well put!! Tips are not an entitlement, they are EARNED!! Poor service poor tip.
Sorry, but a tip is a "gratuity" (i.e., extra) not a right, and the practice of forcing a set tip on the customer is a low-class practice of cheap-skate establishments who refuse to pay decent wages to their people. So, it is not the customer ripping off the establishement when they choose how much of a tip they will leave, it is the establishment ripping off the customer when they add unadvertsed fees to the bill.
I have been to Hollywood MANY times, and I the tip has NEVER been automatically added to the bill.
I have been 3 times recently. Each time the tip, at 18%, was included in the total.
I eat at Hollywood several times a month and almost never is there an 18% tip added. I HAVE seen some fine print somewhere that they add this tip for parties over X number of people OR for any size party on a particular night, I forget which but it might be Sunday. Read the fine print, people.
I think her issue was the salad was not worth the $18, not that the salad cost $18.
Frankie just laid waste to this edition of Whine & Dine. Bravo.
I just checked the Trinity website and the prices are stated clearly, what a goober for not looking before ordering....
It seems like she was more upset about the salad being small and only containing one scallop for the price, rather than the price itself.
I can't say I disagree with her. If they are going to charge $18 for a salad, then they should make it worth $18.
Bravo Frankie. And What kind of jagaloon goes to a high end restaurant and then complains about the price?
$18 for a tiny plate of rabbit food? Some of you will pay for anything if they mention it on Top chef.....
More rants, less raves.
Hey tight wad, stay home and eat, no small portions with the price tag and tip to complain about.
If you can't afford an 18% tip, don't go out cheapskate. $18 salad at at nice place is fine, go back to the sticks hillbilly.
Your intention was to insult. You've only insulted yourself with your ignorant responses.
An 18% tip for good service I can see, but if you think an $18 salad is fine then I can see you and I will never hang out together. And, I do live in the sticks and it's fine out here.
I frankly understand Ms. Patel's complaints about overpriced food, especially at lunch. I think her dissatisfaction is one many of us experience at places like Trinity, however good the food may be. I always vote with my feet. Here in Houston there are too many great restaurants to continue to waste money on overpriced dining experiences. I, for on, appreciated her relating her experience.
I also went to Stockyard BBQ and thought it was far inferior to other good BBQ places nearby. I much prefer The Brisket House on Augusta at Woodway, Luling City Market on Richmond just inside the loop, and, to a lesser extent, Bakers Ribs on Voss between Westheimer and San Felipe (not enough seasoning). I thought Stockyard had an atmosphere and (lack of) quality focus sort of like Boston Market and didn't get the feel that it was a serious BBQ joint.
And Blakes
Attention, tip Nazis! That part of the bill is paid solely at MY discretion. Great service gets 20%. Regular service gets 15%. Lousy, inattentive service may get a penny under the water glass.
Any restaurant so presumptuous to print a bill with a fixed gratuity will get it corrected and handed back unless I agree with it. If they press the issue, I've been known to hand them my business card and ask that they mail me an invoice.
This goes whether I'm having a meal at 59 Diner or Ruth's Chris.
Unless the tip policy is clearly disclosed on the menu as being an automatic 18%, then its discretionary. I agree with codewarrior - regardless of the place. Except at my mom's house - then a hug and thank you are mandatory!
if you decide to have a cheap meal, eat somewhere CHEAP, where you are not offered table service!!
Shame on you people who rarely dine, and when they do they think their servers are SERVANTS.
Penny under a water glass?? These people make 2 dollars an hour.
Daniel Clooney, had a totally different experience than we had at Stockyardr.
The ribs were old and stringy
The sausage was greasy and dry
The coleslaw was bland but at least somewhat fresh
The dirty rice came from a package watery and the spice packet not properly blended in the over cooked, over salted mush
The steam table covered with crinkled old foil looked tired and old with some type of potato floating in grease.
As we were leaving some guy asked how was our meal, we said "not very good" he went OH and closed the door behind us.
I have a feeling we were not the first to respond with a non-positive response.
Maybe that was the reason on what should have been a busy night only 3 tables were occupied.
Where can I start with Stockyard? Stale bread, old cole slaw, meat wrapped in plastic and all the ambience of a shopping mall food court.
The employees all act like temporary help, which they may be.
I find Stockyard below average bbq unsatisfying..........
I have to side with Frankie on this one - restaurants are in the business to make money, period. That goes for the waitstaff, busboys, hostesses etc.
Some restaurants - Hollywood on Montrose, Michaelangelo's on Westheimer - automatically add gratuity because not only are some Houstonians unable to spell (just check this blog's comments), they can't count either. The result is an inferior tip.
Both Hollywood and Michaelangelo's clearly state on the menu that they add gratuity to the tab. (As one commenter said, "reading is fundamental." Who was that again? Oh, yeah...the complainer.)
Sherry, honey, if you don't like the practice, then don't grace the establishment with your lovely presence. Frankie gave you good advice. Take it.
And as for Ms. Patel - who in their right mind goes out for a SALAD at an expensive restaurant? That's like going to a bar and ordering water.
If you are ignorant enough to order a plate of chopped-up greens at a pricey eatery, you get what you deserve. No sympathy here.
TIP = Thanks I'm Pleased.
So I guess some restaurants think they can decide for you. My ex-wife was like that.
The 18 percent automatically added to the bill could make some staff members lazy and not do their job to serve you properly. They're getting paid 18 percent anyway, if they do their job or not. I don't go to places that do that. It's up to me to decide what the tip should be based on the service I receive. I call to ask the restaurants policy and if it is to automatically add the tip, I go somewhere else.
As for the 30 buck bill; I would never spend that much for a salad and bread but I don't have money to blow like that. If you have the money, spend it. You can't take it with you when you die. If you can't afford 18 bucks for rabbit food, don't spend it on rabbit food.
Find out what the cost of something is before you buy it. Would you buy a house without asking the price? Why would this be different?
The Triniti experience reminds me of the lunch I had at T'afia with a bunch of men. They ordered what looked to be the most substantial dish on the menu - a steak. When they arrived we just stared. It was like 3 ounces of steak, nothing else. I thought the minimalist meal was history. But I see how Monica Pope stays svelt!
I still have memories of Renu's Thai and the Empanada House in Montrose. Leo's Mexican on S. Shepard, which moved to the Heights.
Many years ago, of course. I miss Houston & it's wide variety of food choices.
Oh man, I thought I was the only one who remembered Renu's Thai! Twenty some years later and I still crave that Kow Mun Kai. :(
It was nice to see your reply.
One more thing: Why all the big fuss over the cost of a salad, water, bread, and the tip?
This is America. Americans, like the ones that own restaurants, charge what they want for their food or whatever else. It's called 'The American Way' of doing business and that's hopefully the way it will always be.
It's up to do to decide what you spend.
If you like the food and service you can't complain after the fact when you get the bill. That's your fault and problem. You should have known better to begin with.
I can't recall the last time I left less than a 20% tip, no matter what the service was like. With the attitudes of some of the people on here (those in the restaurant/service industry) I think I will seriously consider tipping only 10% from now on.
Judy. You should know by now that "upscale/expensive" restaurants more than likely means you will get small portions of food.
All you servers out there who complain that a 15% gratuity is an insult and tell us that 20% is the industry standard need to rethink your career choices. Instead of waiting tables and having a crappy attitude and then expecting a huge tip, either get a better job or earn that tip. Go the extra mile for me, anticipate my needs, keep my glass full, offer things or bring the things I request promptly. This is how you earn a good tip. Not by grousing and telling me my life will be bad someday and I'll depend on good tips to pay the rent. While that may be true, and I may have to do that job someday, I already know how to earn a good tip.
You seem awful.
And you seem very judgmental and incapable of leaving a comment without adding an insult just because someone has a different opinion then yours.
You seem worse.
sarahhhhh... you're whining is getting very old. You need to zip it and or get out of the industry. After reading your comments, it's evident that you are one of those services that expect entitlements, bet you voted for Obama too!!!!
well said
Diogenes, I couldn't have said it better myself! I don't think less of a person who is waiting tables because of their job title, but I do appreciate a job well done and I tip appropriately.
Diogenes, sometimes a wait staff job is all that is available for someone. Would you rather that person stay home and collect welfare or go out and make some honest money? You're basically saying if you don't like the job, get out of the industry. Sometimes life isn't that easy.
If the only job that a person can find is a waitstaff position, I would advise that person to get a better education so he or she can get a better job, one that pays a constant salary. I know many people who were waiters and waitresses while in school, and now they work in hospitals or state offices or industry. No one is forcing them to stay in their job. USA is based on everyone having the opportunity to make whatever they can out of themselves. One can rise to whatever position they can take themselves.
I have to add that so many of the comments in this thread can only resort to name-calling. That's another thing wrong with this country and these faceless blogs, there is little to no respect for others. Others are thought of faceless entities, not actual persons.
That's pretty judgmental. Sometimes life just happens.
Someone out there has likely spit in your food...
Diogenes you are so RIGHT!!! 15% is a good tip for good service, 20% is a great tip for great service. The servers in the restaurants I frequent DO count on a Tip commensurable to the service they provide. But if the you provide crappy service, you'll get a Tip that matches the service.
Ya know what's good? McDouble. $1, extra pickles no added charge, no tip required.
People remember - the tip you leave reflects you ability to be courteous to someone who is serving you. While we can all agree that we are able to leave whatever tip we feel necessary based on service, know that leaving a paltry tip, being a pain in the butt and then bragging about how you are "so generous" for leaving a 10 - 15% tip says WAY more about your character than the service you receive.
Some people are just jerks and proud to be jerks. The only thing you are showing off by tipping so poorly is that you have no ability to act like a civilized member of society and shouldn't eat out at a restaurant. Having someone prepare your food, serve it to you, bring you items on request and attend to you is a privilege and many people aren't grateful for that experience. You should be.
Holy Crap! I have never heard a more "Entitled" remark before. The price on the menu is what I HAVE to pay for "someone (to) prepare your food, serve it to you, bring you items on request and attend to you". The tip (or lack thereof) is not a reflection on me at all. It is a reflection on the server and how good of a job they did accomplishing those tasks. Sounds to me like you are a very young person that does not get a lot of tips. You also sound like you have the typical entitled (read - spoiled brat) mindset. Just because you "serve" me does not mean I owe you anything. Work your butt off and you will see great tips. Don't and you will see less.
You just illustrated my point. I do not work in the service industry (though my grandmother was a waitress during WWII), but I do see that I am a privileged person to be able to afford to eat at a restaurant. It's because I have discretionary income that I can spend on a experience rather than having to scrounge up enough cash to buy food to cook for myself (though I do enjoy doing so a decent amount of the time). Some people don't have the money to eat out or at least eat out regularly, and because I do - because I have enough money to - I try to see it as what it is: a privilege. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being grateful for an experience.
And who's an entitled, spoiled brat? You seem like a total jerk who thinks that the world should sprinkle rose petals so that you may bestow upon them your "blessing" of 10 - 15% of the food you just gorged yourself with. Seeing people work their butts off and then have someone like you leave them a crappy tip just gets my blood boiling.
But thanks for thanking I'm young - aren't you a peach.
Sarahhhh needs to find another job. She is undoubtly a poor server who expects customers to tip her well REGARDLESS of the service.
Excuse me, I can be courteous to a server regardless of their sevice or the amount of my tip. To me, that's common sense.
And...the amount of the tip I leave for whatever level of service says NOTHING about my character. You have to know a person well in order to have a sense about their character.
Character: the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing; one such feature or trait; moral or ethical quality; qualities of honesty, courage, or the like; integrity; reputation.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/character
No where in that definition is there a reference to "tipping". Get over yourself.
"no ability to act like a civilized member of society"...? Again, get over yourself.
I am a former bartender and waiter of many years. I have received tips big and small. I always gave 100% of my effort to serve my customers in a manner they would approve. Most did. Some did not. I lost no sleep over any "bad" tip. Life goes on.
Then what's your beef with me? If you are a person who tips appropriately and treats people well, what's your problem with what I said? As I said, we can all agree that tipping what is appropriate to the service received is reasonable - I'm not advocating leaving a crazy huge tip for terrible service. My comment is aimed at people who think they can treat servers and bartenders like crap (as a former one, you may have had some experience with these folks) and then tip them poorly on top of it. That, to me, shows people's true character.
People's "beef" with you is that you can't seem to leave a comment without judging and critizing a person's character.
You seem to have a huge chip on your shoulder which has restricted your ability to state your OPINION without being rude.
So help me out here. You're privedged yet you have to "scrounge up enough cash" for groceries? How does that work exactly?
Simple. If you have bad or mediocre service, tip the minimum or less.
If you server, food and other aspects of your dining experience
are great....... tip well.
In YOUR jobs you are rewarded by good work why not show the same
to your waiter or waitress? What if your boss always just gave you the minimum cost of living increase at review time?
I can't believe all the hating going on over whether to be forced to leave a tip or not. As a worker who receives tips, I don't feel that just because you are my customer that I am entitled to a tip. Tips are based on how good I do my job. There are days when I make more than others, but I know that I have great days and not so great days. When a customer leaves me an above average tip (18% or more) I know that I have accomplished my job by making my customer happy. Those who think they are entitled to a gratuity may need to rethink their decision about their line of work. You should not expect to receive something without working for it.
I frequently dine out and I tip my servers based on service (15-20%). However, in these economic times, it's insulting to tell people to stay at home if they can't tip 20%. Someone may want to take their deserving family out for a rare treat to a decent sit-down restaurant and can only afford to tip 10%. There are many fat-wallet tippers (on this page obviously) that will make up for that. That struggling family might be much more pleasant than all the other parties that particular server has all night, knowing they can't tip over and beyond.
Well put, Avid Reader. I grew up in a single-parent household in which my working Mom struggled to keep the lights on and the water running. We rarely ate out and when we did -- Catfish Kitchen and Monterey House (Beaumont represent!) -- it was a real treat.
There are too many things that are out of the reach of struggling families. An occasional restaurant meal shouldn't be one of them.
I don't think that's fair either. What if that family can only 5% tip? Or 0%? If you can't afford it, stay at home. Or go to McDs. The only sit-down place we went as a kid was Olive Garden. And I prefered any fast-food joint to that. No one is entitled to free service.
The title of the article is misleading. In her complaint, she clearly says the salad was $18, she bought sparkling water & left a tip. I've spent more than that on a lunch for 1 & never complain. You walk into a restaurant, most times, already knowing what you're in for. If she thought $18 was too much for a salad she should have ordered something else. Filtered water instead of sparkling. The choices were all hers.
The topic of tipping has been and will continue to be a very heated subject.
And here I thought Tipping was a city in China. Silly me.
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