Update on Tipping

Remember this past Saturday's (Sept. 11) entry on the guy (Humberto Taveras) who was arrested for not leaving a big enough tip? Seems the charges against him have been dropped. Restaurant owner Joe Soprano -- wonder if there's any connection to a famous TV family -- said he did not pursue charges because of the money but because Taveras' group was obnoxious. "We did what we thought was right," he said. But get this... according to the county district attorney, if the 18 percent gratuity had been called a surcharge or service charge, Taveras would have been legally obligated to pay it. Moral of the story... read the menu's fine print before you decide to make a statement about poor service with your wallet.