2011


Comments? 

Back to
SUCK-Central

Read email

 

Knights Inn

Airway Inn

Marriott Rewards


 

Returning It

 

Page updated
2011-03-11

NowScape.com

Salt Lake City NightScape ~
      A Restaurant Review:
PIPA
  Asian Tapas & Sake Bar

  Loud, dark and yuppie-ish --
tipping seems to be automatic: 18%

"He noted the growing trend toward small portions, and decided that
was the direction he would take." --  sltrib.com

  
 

Six of us went -- the food was good; the portions were not large; the atmosphere loud, dark and yuppie-ish: Many HD TVs tuned to a sports channels and to a repeating Victoria's Secret models' intimate apparel video garnished the room. It's kind of a sport bar atmosphere. Our server spoke English and Mandarin.

The cost was $144.19, including a hidden "Auto-gratuity". Unbeknownst to us, and without first asking, PIPA's Asian Tapas & Sake Bar had added 18% to the bill. When the credit card statement arrived, there was an ADDITIONAL $15 charge, the amount of our voluntary tip, making my credit card payment 159.19!

I think it's dishonest to do that.


Credit card Statement
 

It would have been polite for the restaurant to ask.  In my view, tipping is a thank you for excellent service and the amount is always at the discretion of the customer.

The same family also operates East Sea Restaurant around the corner from PIPA's Asian Tapas & Sake Bar.
    LINK:    "David Tran, who recently opened Pipa, an Asian tapas and sake bar in Salt Lake is a second generation business owner who's..."  InThisWeek.com

PIPA's
  Asian Tapas + Sake Bar
118 North 900 West Salt Lake City.

  LINKS:

"You'd be hard-pressed to find a server who wouldn't love to see his or her employer slap an automatic tip on to every check. But wouldn't it make more sense for restaurants to hike prices by 20 percent and raise workers' salaries?"  More...  More...
 


Google image.

Because Pipa's restaurant is a "fine dining establishment" a hidden Auto-gratuity was added to our bill.

I sent a letter:

PIPA's Asian Tapas & Sake Bar
118 North 900 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84116

                                       Jan. 31, 2011

Dear sir or madam,

Please return the 15 dollar tip we gave you on 1/14/2011. We didn’t know that you would add an automatic tip onto our bill.

Thank you kindly in advance [...]

When I was a young'un, a normal tip for good service was nominally 10%.  In the 1980's I learned that 15% is now expected because "Things have gone up" (sic). PIPA  automatically adds 18% onto its bill in 2011 -- no questions asked!  At this rate, when will the tip equal the price of the meal?  Could it go even higher than 100%?

 

I received a letter:

I replied:

PIPA's Asian Tapas & Sake Bar
118 North 900 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84116

                                    Feb. 12, 2011

Dear Pipa Asian Tapas + Sake Bar Management,

gra·tu·ity - noun grə-ˈtü-ə-tē,
something  given voluntarily or beyond obligation usually for some service; especially : tip

* A 15 percent gratuity is automatically added to the restaurant bill.

* For parties of eight or more, we automatically add a 15% gratuity onto the bill.

Source: MerriamWebster.com

To say, as you do, that probably all fine dining establishments charge an additional automatic tip to one's bill, over and above the tip left on the table, is not true in America, in my experience.

Because English is my second language, I looked up the definition.  My understanding of the word and practice concurs with my experience: a tip is given voluntarily, not automatically.

Thank you for your kind offer to refund my money. Please pull up the transaction from 1-14-2011 on your computer and credit my Visa account, then let me know that you credited the refund. I have already sent you the bill, which you issued us -- so you have the information and you have my address.

Again, it’s not that you did not receive a tip. Unbeknownst to me you charged an even greater “gratuity” onto our bill on top of that which was left on the table and that’s not right.

Thank you kindly in advance [...]

Ps: Your web page is at NowScape.com/suck/Pipa_Asian_Tapas_Sake_Bar.htm

There was no answer.

PIPA's Asian Tapas & Sake Bar
118 North 900 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84116

                                    Feb. 22, 2011

Dear sir,

Because I haven't heard from you and because I haven't received a refund I've updated my web page about your establishment under the Restaurant Review Index for Salt Lake City.  I hope you don't mind.  If you change your mind about the refund, which you promised in your letter, I want you to know that I'm still accepting and expecting it.


 Respectfully yours  [...]

 

You can GOOGLE your page using keywords tapa review salt lake city.

Google: restaurant reviews salt lake city

Victims:  Emails received will be posted here, with or without name and email address -- you say.
Rebuttals / corrections are accepted, but you must give name and email address.

This blog has been brought to the attention of PIPA's Asian Tapas & Sake Bar.

Pages by @Com; updated   2011-03-11