Letter: Washington Duke tipping unfair to Duke students

Have you eaten at the Washington Duke Inn lately? We have, and it was an experience that made us wish we had gone to the Marketplace for dinner. Don't get us wrong, the food was great, but the service was beyond horrendous. The whole meal, two identical entrees and dessert, took over two hours with multiple empty tables in the rather small dining room. We figured that the tip we left would represent how we felt about the service, as is usually the case at most restaurants. Boy, were we wrong.

Apparently, because we are Duke students, we have to pay a 19 percent gratuity. We were dismayed when they brought back the DukeCard without a receipt; however, after having to ask for it, we received it 15 minutes later, with a 19 percent added gratuity. Now , we have eaten in many two- or three- star restaurants that gave us excellent service and we tipped accordingly - 20 percent. We just don't understand why a four-star restaurant won't give us service like their lower counterparts and then have the nerve to charge us 19 percent.

So, being the democratic and assertive Duke students we are, we asked to speak to the manager. After being told that he would go see about taking it off, he comes back saying that it is in our dining plan contract that we pay 19 percent gratuity. Why didn't he tell us this before making us wait (yet again)?! Sounds like a load of bull to us. We left the hotel in search of the truth. After going to the DukeCard office and getting a copy of the dining contract, we brought it back to the restaurant. At this point, the hotel manager arrives and tells us a complete opposite alibi: The restaurant is not affiliated with Duke University and it is restaurant policy to charge "Duke students" 19 percent gratuity. We asked him to please show us where this was posted.

He continues to say it is policy, but fails to show us where it is posted, actually stating that it was not written anywhere. So, at this we ask him to please switch the charge from the DukeCard to a credit card. He says that we will still be charged the 19 percent just because, again, we go to Duke (and after paying $40,000 a year for education, we can obviously afford it). Then, after asking him to explain the policy in detail, we were threatened to be escorted out. We suppose he doesn't like people asking him questions.

So just because we go to Duke, we have to pay a 19 percent tip, no matter how bad the service is - at least they didn't ask us to wash our own dishes. We are not stingy; we wouldn't mind the 19 percent tip if the service justified it, but it certainly did not. So much for tips encouraging good service. Perhaps the Washington Duke Inn will reconsider their policy, but until then, we would rather go to The Loop for dinner than put up with their unjustified discrimination.