Back in November I left a review on Yelp! for a lackluster sushi place in a high traffic tourist destination. One of my complaints was the automatic gratuity added to the bill. I mentioned that I almost failed to notice it when paying. An indignant response to my review mentioned that the automatic gratuity was for parties of 6 or more (we were 4 adults and 2 children) and was clearly identified on the menu.

Well, it was well over an hour between reading the menu and paying the bill and as 90%+ of my dining out is a party of 2, it didn’t register. I noticed it while reviewing the bill and didn’t add to it. Although I would typically tip more than 18%, I didn’t think it was deserved.

Thinking about it later on, I wondered what is the purpose of the auto tip. Do large parties typically undertip? Do large parties typically fail to tip? Do diners in tourist destinations usually undertip? I dunno. I am capable of separating service from other aspects of dining out and tipping appropriately. It has the opposite effect on me and, rightly or wrongly, discourages additional tipping.

I don’t mean for this to devolve into a criticism of our tipping culture. That’s a different subject. But how do you feel about automatic gratuities?