Restaurant imposes ‘ethnic’ tips lawsuit claims

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By BRUCE GOLDING - New York Post


This Indian dinner allegedly came with an extra-large helping of discrimination and a side of assault.

Two patrons filed suit against the Baluchi’s restaurant chain yesterday over claims that their bill was illegally padded with an “automatic” 18 percent gratuity reserved for South Asian customers.

Abe Shah and Hema Virani also charge that they were physically attacked by a worker after leaving Baluchi’s eatery in Forest Hills, Queens, without paying the alleged ethnic surcharge.

The Brooklyn federal court suit seeks unspecified damages over what the duo’s lawyer, Denise Shulman, called the “shameful and appalling” incident.

According to court papers, Shah, who is of Pakistani descent, and Virani, who is Indian, were slapped with the mandatory gratuity when they got their check on May 12.

Shah demanded to speak with the manager, who admitted that the restaurant added the charge for “Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi customers because ‘they never tip,’ ” the suit says.

A woman who answered the restaurant’s phone last night said no one was available to comment.

[Joebob034]

Shah demanded to speak with the manager, who admitted that the restaurant added the charge for “Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi customers because ‘they never tip,’ ” the suit says.

haha this is so true

[PorkChopSandwiches]

Sounds fair enough

[JoeyB]

This reminds me of the 90's and all the public relations work Denny's had to do with it's black customers. A lot of the wait staff at Denny's restaurants would avoid serving black people, or ask that they be seated outside their area. Obviously, there was a feeling that they did not tip.

I spent a lot of years hanging out in a Denny's, and knew a large number of the people who worked there. It may sound racist, but the fact is most black people do not tip, or tip very, very poorly, to the point they would leave pennies or other change on the table.

[fricnjay]

Thats not racists its economics and statistics, there is a difference.

[Hal-9000]

without trying to sound black, Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi...

Tipping in a restaurant is NOT automatic, nor should it be considered so.

IF..I like the service and/or the food, I may leave a tip.I can't help that some person got a job as a waiter or waitress at X-amount per hour, that was their decision.I work in a low paying service industry and have never asked for a tip once.....

[JoeyB]

without trying to sound black, Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi...

Tipping in a restaurant is NOT automatic, nor should it be considered so.

IF..I like the service and/or the food, I may leave a tip.I can't help that some person got a job as a waiter or waitress at X-amount per hour, that was their decision.I work in a low paying service industry and have never asked for a tip once.....

I'm not sure how it works in Canadaland, but here in YankeeImperialWarlordLand the wait staff are paid a token amount per hour. Tips are what give them a living wage.

Also, you totally sounded like that guy in Reservoir Dogs. Steve Buscemi?

I have a friend in New Zealand and she explained to me that any price on a menu is exactly that you pay...exactly...it even includes the tax. Also, tipping is rare because the wait staff are paid a decent wage. Though, apparently, there is great competition to land Americans and other tip friendly foreigners who will leave cash out of habit. Furthermore, she also said the waitresses are notorious for flirting with the tippers...which I found amusing...women everywhere learn to use a wink and a smile to get a tip.

I do agree however, that tipping should reflect service. But I approach this realistically...if you dine when the restaurant is full, you can't expect miracles. I've always left at least a small tip, over 10% to be sure, even for mediocre service.

[Hal-9000]

I'm not sure how it works in Canadaland, but here in YankeeImperialWarlordLand the wait staff are paid a token amount per hour. Tips are what give them a living wage.

Also, you totally sounded like that guy in Reservoir Dogs. Steve Buscemi?

I have a friend in New Zealand and she explained to me that any price on a menu is exactly that you pay...exactly...it even includes the tax. Also, tipping is rare because the wait staff are paid a decent wage. Though, apparently, there is great competition to land Americans and other tip friendly foreigners who will leave cash out of habit. Furthermore, she also said the waitresses are notorious for flirting with the tippers...which I found amusing...women everywhere learn to use a wink and a smile to get a tip.

I do agree however, that tipping should reflect service. But I approach this realistically...if you dine when the restaurant is full, you can't expect miracles. I've always left at least a small tip, over 10% to be sure, even for mediocre service.

So the menus should say - Double burger, 5.95 + 1.17?

Tipping has been and always should be predicated on service.I can't help that the manager doesn't pay well or the food costs X-amount, that stuff is behind the curtain where it should stay.

Up here Joe, everything from our take out food to our PC hardware is much higher that what you pay.Tipping applies to neither, but our economy is set up differently.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

without trying to sound black, Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi...

Damn black Bangdianstanis

[Hal-9000]

I work with a few shades of brown...and yes, they are tight with a penny


did I just make a racial generalization? what I meant to say is that my coworkers are so cheap, they try to get a refund after buying a newspaper...

[Joebob034]

I'm not sure how it works in Canadaland, but here in YankeeImperialWarlordLand the wait staff are paid a token amount per hour. Tips are what give them a living wage.

Also, you totally sounded like that guy in Reservoir Dogs. Steve Buscemi?

I have a friend in New Zealand and she explained to me that any price on a menu is exactly that you pay...exactly...it even includes the tax. Also, tipping is rare because the wait staff are paid a decent wage. Though, apparently, there is great competition to land Americans and other tip friendly foreigners who will leave cash out of habit. Furthermore, she also said the waitresses are notorious for flirting with the tippers...which I found amusing...women everywhere learn to use a wink and a smile to get a tip.

I do agree however, that tipping should reflect service. But I approach this realistically...if you dine when the restaurant is full, you can't expect miracles. I've always left at least a small tip, over 10% to be sure, even for mediocre service.

When I was in London it was the same way. In fact I had waiters and waitresses refuse tips that I tried to give them.

[JoeyB]

When I was in London it was the same way. In fact I had waiters and waitresses refuse tips that I tried to give them.

I admire the integrity of that actually.

Funny, but I never realized England was not a tipping country, and I know a lot about the UK. So you sort of just blew my mind a bit.

[deebakes]