It was actually an engagement party for a couple thrown by their best friends. I didn’t mention the part where we were also asked to contribute to their dinners and TWO bottles of $300 wine.

Right? Who invites people to an engagement party (not a casual dinner amongst friends) and makes them pay for everything?! We march at dawn.

Wait, you were there for an engagement party and they made you pay for your meals? No, these people are trash.

This is so annoying.

Here’s the way I read it. You don’t have to tip since it is already included in the price. They are calling it “administrative fee” and saying it is “This fee is not ... distributed directly to the service staff.” to head off the people who say try and get the fee taken off because they suck.

It’s especially silly at a place as expensive as the one mentioned in the letter. I can see where an average restaurant is afraid to add $1.50 to each burger or whatever because they think customers will be sensitive to that and eat elsewhere. But if you’re already charging over $250/person, just build that “fee” into…

Unless this is the last SW installment, I’d recommend changing ever to so far, all things considered. The “best of the worst” roundups tend to be much dumber than any of the full entries, though.

I’m all for living wages and benefits for servers and doing away with tipping. But restaurants need to stop with these “service charge” and “administrative fee” line items. Just make a budget based on paying your people right and set prices based on that budget. Don’t tell me about it. I can go to Target and buy a…

I mean, just admit that you are a stingy motherfucker and an asshole.  It would be quicker.

If you have the option of adding the tip when you order (online) so that the driver knows ahead of time that they’re getting a tip and a good one at that, it is TOTALLY worth it. Your pizza (or whatever) WILL be on its way directly to your door as soon as the kitchen is done with it. Also, you’d be surprised at how…

“a lot of servers might hope you don’t notice the tip already on the bill and tip them twice.”

How can I tip 15% for delivery? When all the guy does is delivers the food? He is not serving it.

You take your tipping way to seriously for someone who thinks restaurants should just go ahead and pay their workers a living wage. If they really should just be paid a wage, why all the justification about how you dole out your tips? And I’m not sure how people tipping more than you means that mandatory tipping…

This is like the “Gratuity included for parties over six” thing. We used to hold an annual meeting/luncheon at a local restaurant. When we first got there, I’d remind the hostess or manager NOT to add the auto tip for large parties, as we wanted to tip MORE, and adding on to a tip already on the bill would not…

Oh, I know lots of them get some of their tips skimmed

These servers are getting ALL of their tips stolen - so that’s worse

Sounds like a high class euphemism for tip theft.

Find a place that actually lets you tip the staff

“Administrative Fee?” This is the skankiest BS I have ever read. I mean, seriously, couldn’t the owners have called it something - anything - else? If, as I understand, each guest is sitting in a $278 dollar chair, the Wiseguys running this simulacrum of a 19th Century harvest feast (see the film Ploughman’s Lunch),…

Because definitive is more like “the 20% fee replaces tipping practices and ensures fair remuneration and work benefits for our skilled wait staff”.

This is where I’m hoping you can help, SW. If we could eat here, pay the fee, and hold up our end as good customers, great. If not, I think this place is out of our reach for now.

And then there’s the way they say that tipping is “neither required nor expected.” It’s oddly not-quite-definitive.