Discussions

What are the opinions out there on tipping. The reason that I am asking is because last night there were 10 of us at Red Lobster and they added a 15% gratuity to everyones bill. I think that tipping should be the choice of the customer, not of the restaurant. I do not think that our server last night deserved a $100.00 tip but thats what she got because the owner took it upon himself to force us to pay her that! Nowhere in the restaurant did they post a sign saying that parties of 8 or more would have a gratuity added to their bill. Frankly, I was a little ticked and emailed the restaurant to let them know that. I worked retail for many years for min wage and worked my butt off, serving the customers, getting new stuff for them to try on, spending sometimes hours with each customer and there was no tip. What makes a restaurant server so special? She did not work any harder than I did when I dealt with customers!