Tipping

Re “Unusual Dinner Tab,” Nov. 14: The un-American custom of adding a 15% tip to a restaurant check is unfortunately not limited to Florida; right here in Santa Barbara I have experienced the same practice when dining out with foreign visitors and speaking a language other than English or Spanish. So here it is “Dining While Foreign,” but it is discrimination just the same.

It has happened to me at least three times within the past year. Two of the servers were embarrassed and told me I didn’t have to pay the extra 15% but one got quite upset, with the result that she received no tip. Waitpersons will tell you they do it because foreign visitors are not familiar with U.S. tipping etiquette. That is not true, since every guidebook gives the rules and almost every foreign visitor knows them. But some people don’t like to tip and others may have felt the service was not worth a tip. By the way, I did not call 911, as I consider this abuse of the emergency response system.

HERMAN PFAUTER

Santa Barbara