In the episode, Larry, the main character, is out for lunch with some friends. When he asks for the check, he notes that a gratuity of eighteen percent has been included. He observes that there is a line to add an additional tip, and remarks to his friends, "Am I supposed to calculate the extra two percent myself?" In the end, he decides not to leave any additional tip in protest to the included gratuity and to the math which its inclusion forces him to perform.
I think this is a valid point on his part. Larry is suggesting that a tip of eighteen percent would require additional tipping, to bring it up to twenty or twenty five percent. He's worth four hundred million dollars, he's happy to leave a thirty percent tip, but don't ask him to calculate the difference between eighteen percent and what his typical tip percentage might be.
Including the gratuity is often done at the discretion of the server, and it can be a "live by the sword die, by the sword" type of situation. On the one hand, if you have a table that has dropped some serious cash on dinner, including the gratuity can be a way to guarantee that they won't lowball you on the tip. On the other hand, a party that springs for an eighty dollar bottle of champagne might turn around and leave you a huge tip. If the gratuity is included, it can be an obstacle for a customer trying to calculate their normal tip percentage. As Larry points out, calculating two or seven percent can be tricky when you are trying to bring the total tip up to whatever your typical tip is.
I think the key here, and the reason this whole episode warms my heart, is that Larry acknowledges that eighteen percent is not an adequate tip for good service. His only issue is with the math. If the server had left off the gratuity, I feel confident Larry would have rewarded his excellent service with a tip of at least twenty percent. Having included the gratuity, the server has to be happy with what he gets.
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