Dan Abel wrote:

> I> That is the PROBLEM with mandatory tips!
> > There is no motivation for the waitstaff to do a good job!
>
> I don't think that's how it works. If you look carefully, they don't say
> that you have to *pay* the service charge, just that they are going to
> automatically add it to your bill. I've never been in that situation, but
> I've often heard that if you get crappy service and complain, management
> will take it off the bill.

I have traveled in several western European countries where the service is
included in the menu price, as is tax. The price that you see on the menu is
what shows up on your bill, and your total bill is the sum of the items that
you order. There is no extra tax or service fee. Tips, if any are just small
change. We had excellent service at those places. There was generally
someone in charge to make sure that the wait staff were doing their job
properly and the waiters did not have to job a bunch of silly hoops to wangle
tips out of the customers.