Atlanta Forward readers weighed in on whether restaurants should stop the practice of automatic gratuities. Here are some comments.
Mangler: I never understood why people have such a problem with automatic gratuities. You know you are supposed to tip, so what's the problem with having that factored in for you? You never have to pay that amount legally. You can always have it taken off the check by a manager. Unless it's printed on a menu, the wall or mentioned to guests, there will be plenty of people who simply don't realize the automatic gratuity is gone. And there will be those who will bring the family of 15, take up four tables for three hours, leave a huge mess of things while being annoying, and leave nothing because that's the kind of fine upstanding people they are. Yes, there are plenty of cheap, rude, annoying or just plain stupid people out there who simply don't tip because they get some sort of power trip out of being abusive to servers they look down on.
Don't Tread: I am against automatic tipping because it's a disincentive for the staff to provide good service. Tips, like respect, are earned, not given. If you didn't earn 20 percent, you're not getting 20 percent. It's as simple as that. I've had a few waiters/waitresses "doctor" the credit card bill to give themselves extra money when they don't agree with my assessment of their service. I balance my card statements religiously, and they always get caught. The folks in the corporate offices really don't like it when they get letters from me regarding a waiter's/waitress' thievery, and the offender will lose his or her job. Every time.
Chip: Any restaurant that automatically adds a tip to the bill will never get my business twice. I am the customer, and it's my choice whether or not a tip is earned by the staff. I always pay by card, so no waiter can pocket the cash and short the kitchen staff.
SAWB: Sort of ironic the federal government is making this change while simultaneously crying that workers in entry-level jobs don't make enough money. I always tip 20 percent regardless of the experience. It is impossible as a customer to know for certain who botched things up, so I simply give them the benefit of the doubt and tip as usual. I'm not going to penalize the server because the manager failed to hire enough staff or the chef is having a bad day.
Class80olddog: I prefer the European method of tipping: no tip for average or poor service, and maybe up to 5 percent for excellent service. But that would make the restaurant owners have to pay minimum wage for staff. It would mean that their advertised food price would be closer to the actual bill. The down side of the no-tip rule is you cannot punish a poor server. Sometimes waiters get blamed for mistakes in the kitchen and gets no tip for something beyond their control.
