Discrimination at Japanese Restaurants

I've noticed some things about certain Japanese restaurants in NY. They discriminate. Some discriminate against Japanese customers while others discriminate against non-Japanese customers.

It is customary in the States to leave a tip at a restaurant for good service (and lets leave aside the discussion on whether one should or should not leave a tip for bad or no service for another day). However, in many countries, tipping is not something that is part of their daily routine, including Japan. So tipping at restaurants in New York is not easy for many Japanese patrons. And it may be that some Japanese patrons do not leave tips when they go out to eat in New York - whether because they are not used to doing it, or they feel awkward about it, or that they are simply too cheap. What I have heard from my friends is that some Japanese restaurants will "add" the tip on the check if the patrons are Japanese while they do not if the patrons are non-Japanese. There are many restaurants that ill add 18% grantuity for parties of X or more. And they are indicated on the menu upfront. What I'm referring to here is that if the wait person hears Japanese spoken at a table, they will "add" the tip. I have never experienced this personally (as I typically speak English), I have friends who have and they were not very happy about this.

Another discrimination is something that I experienced personally. I had my in-laws visiting from Japan and was trying to make a lunch reservation at a particular Japanese restaurant in Midtown. They responded that they do not take lunch reservation unless we pre-order a set lunch menu at price of more than $35 per person. So I declined. A colleague of mine tried to make a lunch reservation there as well - with the same response. However, another colleague of mine had no problem making a lunch reservation without committing to the $35 lunch. So why the different treatment? My suspicion is that the restaurant will take reservation fron Japanese patrons but not from non-Japanese patrons. When I make the reservation I asked in English, as did the first colleague. The second colleague asked in Japanese.

Completely different kinds of discrimination - one against Japanese and the other against non-Japanese. But it shames me to think that Japanese restaurants owned and managed by Japanese would engage in such discriminatory practices.