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Couple Arrested for Refusing to Tip at Restaurant

By Baker Associates

Any successful restaurant owner knows that the key to forming a stable base of repeat customers is calling the police on your patrons when they refuse to pay gratuity for bad service. At least that was the strategy employed by an employee of a Bethlehem, Pennsylvania pub recently who called the cops on two patrons who paid the entirety of their bill minus the added gratuity because they said their service was subpar. They were charged with theft of $16 since the gratuity was part of the bill. In Tennessee, anyone who refused to pay an added gratuity in the same manner could technically be charged with theft of $500 or less under the Tennessee statute, since taking food and services of the restaurant without paying for it in its entirety does technically meet the requirements of the theft statute that a person knowingly obtain or exercise control over a person?s property without that person?s consent (in this case without paying for it)...continue to full post

Full post as published by Tennessee Criminal Lawyer Blog on November 25, 2009 (boomark / email).