"So today I went to this place for early morning coffee. I used to go frequently but in recent years I haven 't (for no particular reason). Imagine my surprise when I tried to pay (via card) and realized that you cannot pay unless you tip or bypass the tip screen by pressing 'no tip ' with the barista standing there watching you! In recent years, the tip habit has gotten out of hand. And let 's be honest; as nice as they are, the baristas don 't serve you anymore than the employees at Dunkin Donuts. At 7 Stars, if you eat indoors, the customer clears the table. If you want a refill, the customer walks up to the counter; no one comes to your table and offers a refill like in a restaurant. To be honest, it 's not the tip necessarily that 's offensive (although I don 't tip take-out anymore but I tip generously at sitdown restaurants) because when I used to go to 7 Stars, I always tipped. It 's the 'emotional blackmail ' tipping screen that is offensive. Extremely offensive. So I think this is the last time I go to 7 Stars. The pastries are nice but the place is loud, with music blaring, dishes slammed around in the back. And to the owners: PAY YOUR EMPLOYEES A LIVING WAGE AND STOP DEPENDING ON CUSTOMERS TO MAKE UP FOR YOUR CHEAPNESS. REPLY TO RESPONSE FROM OWNER: Thank you for your reply. However, if you do not want your customers to feel as if they are obligated to tip, then change your checkout policy to the way it was previously...the tip option was at the end of the transaction, not a stop wall at the beginning of the payment process."
