Jasmine Marks said she was trying to enjoy dinner recently with several friends at La Fisherman, located at 1935 Highway 6 South. She said the service was less than stellar; the wait staff was rude, their drinks didn't get refilled and they didn't receive their entire order.

When the bill came, Marks said there was a problem. The restaurant added an automatic 17 percent gratuity because their party had more than five people in it, but Marks didn't feel like the staff earned the full tip so she asked to speak to a manager.

The gratuity policy was clearly marked on the restaurant's menus. But Marks said when they questioned it the workers wouldn't let her or her friends leave; she claims they locked the door and called the police.

While as someone that has waited tables, I completely understand the automatic gratuity policy on larger policies, I don't agree with the fact that tip is part of the bill and refusing to pay a tip or a 17% tip is the same as refusing to pay one's bill. Every restaurant I ever worked at had the automatic tip policy, but would remove the tip if the patron felt the waitstaff did a poor job. As a waitress, I certainly didn't expect a good tip if I knew my service, for whatever reason, was bad. Thoughts?

Tipping is an extra to reward  specially good service.  That is the idea. Bringing the food or going through the movements is included in the price.

Automatic tipping is absurd.  If it is going to be automatic, it should be included in the  prices.

In many European and South American countries they  add it automatically and now the custom is to leave a small extra amount on top of that anyway. (That is the real tip) 

Automatic tipping  is a distortion of a concept.  Owners  use it to pay the waiters less than they should.

How completely ridiculous!  I have waitressed before.  I know that most restaurants will automatically add gratuity to parties of 8 or more.  But I have never heard of a restaurant who wouldn't drop the tip and go out of their way to appease a customer who was unhappy with their service.  This place obviously knows nothing of customer service and won't be in business for long, I'm sure.

Even rotten wait staff have to pay taxes on tips they don't receive.  I think we should get rid of tips and should just have the cost as part of the meal.  

Attempting to leave a restaurant without paying the bill is shoplifting and a suspected shop lifter can be detained,