Why Restaurant Owners Are Exploding

Restaurateurs are going through hard times. So hard that some of them are starting to lash out, either at their customers or at their own employees.

In Bethlehem, Pa., two college students received what they said was terrible service at the Lehigh Pub. That establishment, like many others, tacks on an 18 percent "gratuity" to every bill for large parties—in this case, six or more. The two students, who were with four friends, refused to pay the tip, and were arrested.

As Larry David hilariously pointed out in a recent episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, such gratuities are gratuitous. They shouldn't exist, and waiters should be tipped according to the level of service they provide, no matter how large the party. That, after all, is the operant idea behind tipping.

From what the college students—Leslie Pope and John Wagner—said about their experience at the Lehigh Pub, the waiter deserved nothing. They had to fetch their own silverware and napkins while their waiter was out smoking. They had to ask the bartender for soda refills. They waited more than an hour for their meals.

The bill, sans the "tip" of $16.35, came to $73.87. The Lehigh Pub took the money but then called the cops, who arrested the two for theft of service.

"Gratuity is thanking you for your service," Pope told the Lehigh Valley Express-Times. "You can’t give us terrible, terrible service and expect a tip."