http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/11/nyregion/11tip.html

The Waitress Isn't Kidding When She Tells You to Leave a Tip

By MARY SPICUZZA

Published: September 11, 2004


"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 night 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.

The diner, Humberto A. Taveras, 41, was arrested, fingerprinted and
photographed for a mug shot in Lake George, a resort village about 60 miles
north of Albany, but he did not produce the $13.73 tip, which is a little
less than 18 percent of the $77.43 cost of his meal. He faces a misdemeanor
charge of theft of services and, if convicted, could serve up to a year in
jail, said Larry J. Cleveland, the Warren County sheriff.

Joe Soprano, who owns the restaurant, said that he and his wife, Tina, had
not intended to have Mr. Taveras arrested when they filed the complaint. But
Mr. Soprano was unapologetic yesterday.

"They shorted the check and didn't leave any money at all for the waitress,"
he said. "This is not a vendetta. This is just about standing up for my
waitresses."

Members of Mr. Taveras's party were "very rude" throughout their pizza
dinner, Mr. Soprano said, but they never complained about the food or
service. All of the menus have a notice about the mandatory gratuity, he
said, and the party was specifically reminded about the tipping policies.

But Mr. Taveras told The Glens Falls Post-Star that he had not been aware of
the mandatory tip and was surprised when Patrol Officer K.C. Glenn
approached them at a store near the restaurant.

"For us, it was a matter of principle," Mr. Taveras said in the article.
"They chased us down like a bunch of criminals. It killed our weekend."

Mr. Taveras said that his party was unsatisfied with the meal but thought
they had left a 10 percent tip, according to the newspaper.

Mr. Taveras is scheduled to appear at Lake George Town Court on Sept. 16.

Mr. Soprano said that many of his waitresses were college students and that
others were single mothers.

"This is for the hard-working people who work for me; it's not for me," he
said. "These people work strictly for tips, and they work their tails off."

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