What happens when you take issue with a restaurant's automatic gratuity?
Jasmine Marks told KPRC that she and her family and friends were locked inside a Houston restaurant after they refused to pay an automatic 17 percent gratuity.
The gratuity was added to the bill because Marks sat with a party of more than five, a policy clearly noted on the menu. But when Marks refused to pay because of poor service including rudeness and missing orders, she said the restaurant called the police and locked the door.
Despite Marks' insistence that the service she received wasn't worth a 17 percent tip, the bill was eventually paid in full.
The story generated mixed reactions when it was posted on Reddit.
"The restaurant should have just voided the gratuity," one commenter wrote. "They get the 17% from this family but then lose tons of business once this story makes the rounds. Basically the whole town has just found out their food and service sucks."
But another commenter said the diners were at fault since the restaurant had a clearly marked gratuity policy on the menu.
"It was on the menu that a party that size would have the gratuity included in the bill," the commenter wrote. "I will agree that 17% is a bit much, but they really have no right to complain."
In the end, perhaps Marks should be thankful that she wasn't arrested.
NBC Philadelphia reported that a Pennsylvania couple were handcuffed after they refused to pay a mandatory 18 percent gratuity at a pub in Bethlehem, Pa.