Applebee’s requires customers to pay a tip. The court says that it is illegal

Applebee’s requires customers to pay a tip. The court says that it is illegal

The visitors of the restaurants don’t like it when they don’t know what you pay for. Some people are so principled that they are willing to hire a lawyer to sue the «offended» their restaurant than pay a few extra dollars in «fixed tip«they didn’t even know existed.

In particular, such decision was made by Kendal Ghee and Yang Shen in 2017, filed a class action lawsuit due to the fact that the restaurants Neighborhood Grill and Bar network Applebee’s, «forcing» your visitors to pay a mandatory surcharge, about which they know nothing. The company’s management argues that such a step was taken, as the foreign tourists who visit the restaurants on Times Square, not familiar with the American custom to leave a tip. A disgruntled customer called the demand illegal and sued on behalf of the visitors Applebee’s across the country.

Applebee’s requires customers to pay a tip. The court says that it is illegal

In March, they filed in U.S. district court in the Eastern district of new York complaint that in the two restaurants of the network they were not allowed to leave less than 15 or 18% tip. The plaintiffs argue that they were not satisfied with the service and wanted to pay a lower amount.

Friday, January 26, U.S. district judge Paul Oetken acknowledged that Applebee’s customers have the right to complain and the law is on their side.

Representatives of the company Apple-Metro Inc, which owns a chain of restaurants, mind what their policy tips intention of hiding from the visitors, referring to the trial in 2014 in which the judge sided with the defendant to question the legality of mandatory tipping in Olive Garden and Red Lobster. To this judge Oetken argued that information about the fixed size of the tip was clearly listed on the menu of Olive Garden and Red Lobster, at that time, as the Applebee’s was told only that prices do not include thanks to the waiters. In addition, he added that visitors should stay right of refusal on the tip if they are not satisfied with the quality of service.

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