Fredd,
I'm from England and was in NYC on holiday last week.
A compulsory tip of 26% for a drink and a simple meal seems very excessive to me. i did ask how they justified such a large 'compulsory' tip and the reaction wasn't very pleasant. I won't be going back to that bar again the next time I visit NYC.
I had a similar meal from the pub next to work today and there was no need to tip or expectation that a tip was required.