Coming at this from the UK I have very mixed reactions. Sympathy for the rrestaurant - no-shows are very expensive for a restaurant so I have no problem with them calling me to re-confirm. The alternative is to act like a hotel, take your credit card details and if you don't show you get hit with a charge. In the world of restaurants seems sensible to me. Hand held readers, again the restaurant shold be protecting itself and its customers against fraud, paying by signature is a joke in that regard - there is no security for them or us. Even when the card is stolen. At least the bank can refuse the transaction if it is done online with chip and pin. But tipping - yikes! I don't get it that restaurants cannot or will not ay their staff a proper wage and add it to the cost of food then tell you tipping is not allowed. In Japan they don't traditionally accept tips. Problem is people from tip giving cultures go round the world spreading the nasty habit. No one ever tipped me for doing my job, but I was well paid. If it's unavoidable I go with 10% (though in a restaurant in Boston my friends were shocked that I would do such a thing)