Free Talk Live

Charge a service fee on your restaurant menu, go to jail?

A year in custody is the maximum penalty North Park restaurateur Jay Porter could face in the wake of legal action the San Diego City Attorney’s Office is planning against his popular Linkery restaurant for allegedly violating the state’s unfair-competition laws.

Porter was something of a renegade when he introduced his no-tipping policy four years ago, but his mandatory 18 percent service charge on all dining bills is now heating up in the blogosphere and among fellow restaurant owners as word spreads about the pending city action.