[Talk Host]

My wife and I joined some friends for dinner Friday night at Thai Ruby in Sumter Landing. The experience was very pleasant. The atmosphere is wonderful. The service was great. The food was served in a timely fashion and it was good (If you like Thai food...and I do) Best of all............................................... ....THEY TAKE RESERVATIONS. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[Lil Dancer]

It's been our favorite restaurant in The villages. We especially like the decor and its quieter than most of the other restaurants in town. And the food is excellent, and very nicely presented. They will vary the hotness of any dishes to taste if you ask.

[REDCART]

We've only been to Thai Ruby on one occasion. We found it decent and the food acceptable but not so wonderful that we looked forward to another visit. We came away with the impression that the waitstaff was a bit unfriendly maybe they really didn't want to be there. Of course, they may not be comfortable with English and that may be part of the problem.

Since we've never been to Thailand or that part of the World, we can only judge the taste (and authenticity) of the food at Thai Ruby by the few Thai restaurants that we've been to in New York City--which may or may not be close to the real thing either. It's nice to have a variety of restaurants available in the Villages.

We also found their practice of including the service charge in the bill, and the fact that they don't publicize that fact somewhat deceitful; and that turned us off more than anything else. We refuse to accept their explanation that Villagers as a group are any less generouse with tips than people elsewhere. Hello! Maybe if the service was just a little more friendly, people would have responded more generously. Please don't misunderstand, the service was prompt and efficient but we didn't come away with the "warm & fuzzy" as they say.

[JohnZ]

I've been to Thailand a couple of times...Hat Yai near the Malaysian border. The Thai fair in the U.S. doesn't compare for the most part. Some Thai restaurants I've been to in the U.S. come roughly close....and I mean roughly. What makes Thai food.....really Thai....is freshness.....esp. seafood. Restaurants in Sonkla, eastern Thailand....way down on the elephants trunk..... is crab lover's heaven... and the prawns are as big as a bananas. To expect authenticity with respect to Thai food in The Villages would be a stretching it a bit I think. I'll check-out Thai Ruby and let y'all know how it goes.

[REDCART]

Thanks JohnZ. We sometimes look for foreign food to be authentic, like it is in the native country of origin but then maybe it wouldn't appeal to our American tastes. So maybe we should be happy with just good food. If the food at Thai Ruby tastes good, and it did, maybe that's enough. OK so it didn't taste like a handful of other Thai restaurants 1200 miles away. The same could probably be said about Mexican and Chinese. I'll have to stop comparing restaurants and just taste the food. Anyone else find themselves doing that?

[Carla]

We love Thai Ruby but were surprised to notice that the gratuity is already added to the bill when you get it.

[swrinfla]

As a result of a recommendation made elsewhere in TOTV, seven of us had a delightful dinner at Thai Ruby Thursday night (the 17th). The selection was made primarily to accommodate my daughter's Significant Other, a strict, strict vegetarian who had indicated that Thai food was usually acceptable to him. I was delighted to see before we went that they include the tip in the final bill. Highly unusual, and hard on the pocketbook if you don't pay attention! The bill showed a hand-written "gratuity" item, slightly hard to decipher as most hand-writing is, but since I was looking for it . . .
My vegetarian guest was most pleased with his options and with his selection!
Steve

[sparky]

Why do they add a gratuity to the bill???? >I thought gratuity was for service. :dontknow:

I have no problem tipping 20% and occaisionally more if the service is very good or exceptional. I also have no problem leaving two cents on the table when the service is terrible. Only had to do it once in The Villages in 5 years but I made sure the server got my point. Didn't want him to think I forgot to leave him a tip based on his outstanding service. I think he must be out standing somewhere else now because I haven't seen him in the Villages.

You work for a wage and you perform service for a tip! ;D

[needleptdoc]

I think it is a disgrace for a restaurant to put the tip on your bill. It is an insult, saying they don't trust us to tip them. If you notice they never look you straight in the eye. We paid cash and they gave us the wrong change. Trying to keep an extra dollar. I think they are not very reputable and I will tell everyone I know not to go there.

[dandt]

Although not the case around here, we have certainly been to many restaurants where the tip/service charge is automatically figured in. I don't like it, but it certainly does not strike me as unusual -- except, granted, in The Villages.
A $1- error is a possibility too!
And not looking you straight in the eye is, in some cultures, a form of politeness, quite different from what we may be used to, but not necessarily a rudeness at all.

[REDCART]

Maybe JohnZ could tell us whether adding a gratuity to the bill is the norm in Thailand, or whether Thai Ruby knows our customs only too well and has simply found a way to double their tip? Maybe they see one big Village with fat, wealthy Americans who are only too eager to part with their money? How can you open a business in another country and not bother to learn the local customs? Dandt may be more understanding. I think they know very well what they're doing! :verymad:

[jjdees]

I've travelled quite a bit and the only time I've seen tips added to the bill is when a larger party is at the table, like 8 or more. To add a tip when there are only 2 or 3 people is pretty presumptious. I agree that they very well know what they're doing and most probably have a lot of double tippers. I wonder if they give the waiters the excess tips and I also wonder what they would do if you refused to pay it?

[JohnZ]

Adding a gratuity to the bill is not the norm in Thailand. The service is excellent all over the country and they always remember you when you return....even a year later.....I don't know how they do this but they do. The Thai, in general, are very business savvy and they know all the tricks. They know full well what they are doing at Thai Ruby and they will continue to add a gratuity to the bill until they are certain that they have gone too far with that ploy. BTW, my wife and I had dinner there a couple of weeks ago....food was ok, portions could have been better for the price and service was average. The hand written bill was almost illegible and I recognized the "gratuity" add-on only from posts on this board.....thanks y'all Will I go back to Thai Ruby......probably. Will I mention the gratuity issue next time....probably.

[nitehawk]

in many places throughout the world there is a service charge added to the restaurant bill = i alway thought this to be the tip = if the service was exceptional i would add a little more after all we are the rich americans who drive suvs and large caddies etc and live in the richest country in the world which has great retirement communities with golf courses and God forbid we should wait on tables and serve the rich americans who will spent thousands on gas hungry cars and leave a $2 per person tip this is from an ex-waiter

[jjdees]

Nitehawk, what did that mean?