It’s Not Really A Tip, Then, Is It?: College Students Arrested For Refusing To Pay Tip

by jaredwestfall on Nov.19, 2009, under Randomness

By Chris Walters, 5:00 PM on Thu Nov 19 2009, 14,953 views

Should you be required by law to pay a gratuity if you don’t think the restaurant’s service was worth it? The police in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania think so, and they arrested two college students for refusing to pay a $16.35 tip over what they claim was poor service.

“You can’t give us terrible, terrible service and expect a tip,” said Pope, a 22-year-old Moravian College senior who’s a Pottsville native, according to the Lehigh Valley Express-Times.

They had to find their own napkins and cutlery while their waitress caught a smoke, had to ask the bar for soda refills, and had to wait over an hour for salad and wings, they told NBC10.

The pub, which was very busy that night, took the $73, but then called the cops, who treated the matter as a theft.

“College students arrested for not paying tip” [Philly.com] (Thanks to WinShape!)
(Photo: BLW Photography)