Is the party over for automatic gratuities?

I think there is some confusion with your statement, "It spells out what is and what isn’t a service charge or a tip—the difference being that restaurant operators have to pay FICA on service charges but don’t on tips." In fact, employers need to pay FICA on both tips and service charges (wages). The difference is that the restaurant can claim a Tip Tax Credit
only on FICA paid on tips.

Since when are tips not subject to FICA tax? Any tip declared requires the employer to pay FICA tax on the amount.

There is no such thing as an automatic or required gratuity. Gratuities by definition are voluntary and the customer may choose not to pay it, decrease it, or add to it. It must be given, down to the penny, to the service staff.
Service Charges are required and the restaurant owner may keep part of it. It is taxable.

It is no wonder that the customers don't know the difference between "automatic gratuities" and "service fees" when this publication uses the terms interchangeably in the headline and sub-head.

Restaurant Hospitality, specifically Bob Krummert, was this an oversight on your part?

In the article you quote Applebee's statement of "To be clear, the 18% gratuity added to large party tickets was paid by the guest’s party." And in the next paragraph you say "Case closed, we hope. But it may cause a few restaurant operators and a lot of restaurant customers to rethink their views about restaurant-imposed service fees for large parties." which links the two statements together. However, Applebee's is talking about a "gratuity" and you are talking about "restaurant-imposed service fees for large parties". Please be clear, are you suggesting that Applebee's "gratuity" is actually a "service fee", are you confused by the issue, or are you knowingly trying to confuse your readers into thinking that they are the same when they are not?

Ok well thats just bs above. Americans couldnt handle paying for a meal that is priced the same as a meal with a standard tip? BS! My restaurant just axed all autograts cause they dont want to have to pay. This is just going to force restaurant workers to unionize further and collectively bargain away the whole tipping system in general. And I doubt the wage that replaces the tip will be compareable to what waiters make now. What employer is going to pay $28/hr to a server? Yeah thats my hourly rate with tips factored in. Not much considering i work 4-5 5hour shifts a week. And I work my ass off for those tips. Already a coworker had a 25 top the other day of arrogant armenians, $250 bill, wanted every item on a separate check and after payment they left him $9. And yet the IRS automatically will calculate he made an additional $20 something and deduct it from his return or add it to his taxes. So for the hour he's working his ass off to end up owing money. Yeah 13th ammendment prohibits involuntary servitude. Restaurants will either find a loophole or servers will be replaced with a cashier at a counter, because it will only take so many of those tables to conclude your losing money and we'll quit. Yeah maybe its ridiculous to spend $2.75 on a glass of pepsi or $12 for a plate of spaghetti but they do and if your throwing away $15 bucks on something you could buy and make at home for $3. You might as well just throw your server an extra $3. We had to talk to you and pretend to give a damn about what you'll be crapping out tomorrow.