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Night owl penalty.
A bar customer is airing his outrage on Reddit over an auto gratuity.
According to the offended imbiber, The Corner Pocket in Williamsburg, Virginia, charged him a 20% late-night gratuity for ordering drinks after 10 p.m.
The Corner Pocket, which has operated for three decades, bills itself as a “staple” in the historic community with “13 pool tables, darts, a full-service bar, a dining room and a spacious outdoor patio.”
“Went to this pool hall last night for one drink. It was just after 10 p.m. when we got in, and my wife and I were staying for exactly one drink,” shared the original poster.
“We only came here because it was one of the few places still open at 10 p.m. on a Wednesday,” he added.
He posted his receipt from the evening, which showed he ordered two Guinnesses at $8.50 each at 10:40 PM and was later charged $1.87 in tax and an additional $3.40 “late night auto gratuity.”
A footnote at the bottom of the receipt explained, ‘Auto gratuity is added to groups of 6+ and after 10 PM. Anything written will be added to the auto gratuity.’
According to the post, the couple sat at a high top by the bar:
“The bartender came over to take our order. She didn’t offer us a drink menu, so I saw a Guinness tap and just got that. My wife did the same. Again, just here for one,” he explained, adding that their beer arrived in plastic cups rather than a traditional glass pint.
After a bit of talk, the couple finished their beers and asked for the bill.
“I go to pay, and then I see it,” he said.
“I looked around, and there’s literally nothing that says this before the fact. If there was, we would have gone somewhere else.”
“Ridiculousness,” he emphasized.
Many commenters quickly echoed his sentiments.
“Theft. Pay cash and don’t include the tip,” reasoned another.
“‘If more people question these forced tips, they will eventually go away,” offered a third.
“Probably due to the high number of tipsy people forgetting to close their tab,” speculated another.
The original poster replied that he had already done so and a recent Yelp review is consistent with his experience.
The owner of The Corner Pocket responded with the following statement:
“Thank you for sharing your experience. We never want any guest to leave dissatisfied, and it appears we fell short last night…The auto gratuity policy is posted on signs and noted on our menus and online. We work to communicate it clearly, but we understand it can be missed,” they wrote, urging the customer to reach out via email to continue the conversation.
Tipping culture has become increasingly contentious.
William Michael Lynn, professor emeritus of consumer behavior and marketing at Cornell University, previously told The Post that the country’s anti-tipping sentiment is growing.
“People’s attitudes towards tipping have gotten worse,” said Lynn, who has been studying tipping for over 40 years. “They’ve started to dislike it more and more.”
According to Lynn’s research, 32% of people said they wanted tipping abolished in 2016. That number climbed to 52% by 2022.
As for restaurants like The Corner Pocket that automatically include gratuity on bills, Lynn says don’t be afraid to ask servers for clarity.
“It’s perfectly acceptable to say, ‘Is a tip included? Is a service charge included?’ And if it is, then if you feel like giving $1 or two more, that’s completely up to you.”