I think that Joe Soprano should get wacked! Umm, I mean... ah, never mind... ;-)
Yeah, that's {bleep}. First of all, the gratuity is normally intended for the staff performing the service, not the store (especially not the store owner). The way the store gets paid is through the cost of the meal, which is to include the cost of preparation and service to the customer. The tip is simply to reward exceptional service by the staff, and is generally intended to encourage the servers and cooks to perform their best. Mandatory gratuity goes against this philosophy. They should just raise their prices or implement a minimum fee per customer.
- Mike
