Editorial: Is not tipping a crime?

From "The Brown & White"

Editorial: Is not tipping a crime?

Issue date: 11/20/09 Section: Opinion


Two local college students were recently transported to the Bethlehem police headquarters after failing to pay a mandatory tip at the Lehigh Pub. The students had gone to happy hour with a group of friends and, after reportedly terrible service, refused to pay a tip.

At first glance, refusing to pay a service charge can seem obnoxious. Waiters work for notoriously low wages, and even awkward or inattentive servers deserve some gratuity. The incident at the Lehigh Pub, however, doesn't seem to be iffy service. The group reported waiting for over an hour for salad and wings, and had to serve themselves water, napkins and utensils while their waitress was outside on a smoke break.

If a waiter is that terrible, does he or she deserve a tip? Are waiters completely entitled to gratuities, no matter what?

Most waiters deserve to be tipped, even if they make mistakes - forgetting to refill water or acting a bit short is no reason to shortchange a waiter. But a waiter that can't even fulfill the most basic expectations isn't entitled.

Good service, or even decent service, is so crucial to a customer's return and to a restaurant's image. Having students arrested who didn't pay a tip only highlights the Pub's terrible service. Was the bad publicity worth the $16 tip that would have been lost?