Letter: Washington Duke Inn is deceiving tippers for money

Recent Chronicle letters accurately depict the policy of a 19 percent tip at Washington Duke Inn. However, in their outrage at the 19 percent tip, they failed to notice an even more alarming feature of their tip. When my boyfriend and I dined there last semester, we were appalled to discover that Washington Duke Inn automatically included a 19% tip on our bill. Yet, a careful examination revealed that the Inn proceeded to include the 19% tip as part of the subtotal and then included a blank tip line for us to write in our tip.

Although I am a student, I always tip generously at 20 percent. The total for my food was $45. A 19 percent tip was roughly $8.50. The subtotal that the Washington Duke Inn placed on my bill was $53.50. Beneath this subtotal, a blank line for a tip was placed and beneath that a blank line to write in the total of the subtotal and the tip. Taking $53.50 to be my meal total, I calculated a 20 percent tip of nearly $11. This brought my grand total to $64.50.

Luckily, my boyfriend carefully scrutinized the tip and caught the Inn on its dubious billing system. My real total, including my meal and the included 19 percent tip, should have been $53.50. Instead, I had added an additional $11 to the tip. In the end, I actually tipped $19.50 on a $45 meal. That is a 43 percent tip!

I understand that most students do not tip and therefore the Inn takes the liberty to add a tip to ensure the waiters are paid. However, including the blank tip line and the blank total line on the bill only demonstrates that the Inn is practicing deceptive business behavior. I feel that the student body should be aware of this situation.