Nickolas M.
Yelp
I've been eating here, off and on, for at least 30 years. Recently, I had relatives visit who wanted to have seafood, so I made a reservation for five at The Spinnaker for a weekday evening at 6:00. When I arrived, the place was less than half full.
The seafood was great, as usual. The view was killer, and the ambiance was, and always has been, unbeatable. The service was adequate, but not the best I've ever had at this restaurant.
When the check came, I reached for it as the obvious host. The waiter waved it about, trying to figure out where it should go. As the waiter was standing near one of my guests, he handed the check to him and said, "A 20% service charge has already been added."
My guest was obviously taken aback by this, and his wife said, "The menu said they would do this for parties with eight or more. We're only five." Mind you, I, myself, am a habitual over-tipper. My guest, an obvious working class retired guy, was not. He was visibly disturbed.
I was embarrassed by the server's faux pas, as was everybody at the table. I mean, I was dressed in a suit and tie. Everyone else was wearing a souvenir sweatshirt. Who would you give the check to? It was a cringe moment that could have been avoided.
I will still continue to patronize The Spinnaker, but I do hope that in the future, the staff will be more sensitive and more aware of what's going on around them.