'Owner's called me 12 times in the past 3 days': Server quits on the spot after being tipped $0 by customers

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Mar 19, 2024 3:00 PM EDT

A waiter lost out on hundreds of dollars, but the restaurant's owner acted like nothing was wrong. It's poor management decisions like this that lead employees to quit… and this person did quit on the spot after being treated badly. 

Some people move from serving to managing and completely forget all the actual problems that waitstaff encounter. It seems like once the apron is off and the newly-appointed manager works on spreadsheets or takes naps in the back office, they stop caring about their waiters even a little bit. This restaurant could've stopped this person from quitting. After being stiffed on hundreds of dollars worth of tip money, the owner tried to cheer up u/Pilkie_. He said that he knew what it was like being stiffed on a check as a server. Sure, but it's not like this person was shorted $20. They should've received over $700 for the amount of work they did during that shift. Not to mention that the server had no say in the matter: they were forced to give up five other tables (who would've tipped!) in order to serve one giant group.

Read this wild story below. Then, have a laugh at these hilarious overheard conversations, like one person who heard a guy tell his date, "Brittany, you're beautiful-ish."

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  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 9896809472
    via CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash
  • 02
    Got Stiffed on a Huge Table I used to work at a chain seafood restaurant as the bartender, I'd been there for 4 years before I quit. For context, we were wildly understaffed because our boss fires servers for small infractions.
    via u/Pilkie_
  • 03
    We had a large party with a reservation booking our event room. It was just me and one other server in the restaurant which isn't appropriate for the size, but we are constantly understaffed. When the party came in, the owner let me know that I'd be taking the party since the other server wasn't experienced.
    via u/Pilkie_
  • 04
    He forced me to give up the 5 tables I already had, 4 of which were already served their food and one that was waiting for their desert.
    via u/Pilkie_
  • 05
    I protested but the owner said that I would be taking the entire tip pool without any tipshare for the party since I would be acting as their host, bartender and server. This was a group of 21 people, so I figured the tip would be well worth it since they already prebooked their meal since everyone was having lobster save for 2-3 people that were having steak.
    via u/Pilkie_
  • 06
    I busted my to prep all the salads and drinks for the table, made almost 40 margarita and was literally sprinting when outside the event room to keep up. The 'gentleman' who was hosting the event asked me if I was the only server and event complimented my effort.
    via u/Pilkie_
  • 07
    21 salads, mains and deserts later plus the sodas and margaritas and I'm exhausted. The owner hands the host of the event the folder with the bill and room expenses and extra drink expenses. Well here's the kicker: NO. ADDED. GRATUITY.
    via u/Pilkie_
  • 08
    They were out the door when I finally got a look at the bill. They had spent $3000 for the event plus another $600 on bottles of wine and margheritas. But when I looked at the tip, nothing but a line drawn through it.They stiffed me,
    via u/Pilkie_
  • 09
    no tip at all. I looked over it 2-3 times and nothing. I asked the owner where my tip was, hoping it was included in the price or something, but no.
    via u/Pilkie_
  • 10
    I lost my cool and demanded to know why there was no added gratuity, owner said that it was a corporate decision, and that the franchises cannot use added gratuity, even though we were a rare franchise that had a special event room for large groups. I had totally lost my
    via u/Pilkie_
  • 11
    composure at this point and demanded that I be compensated for the tables I gave up and paid a higher wage for the 4 hours I worked the event. Owner just said, "I used to be a server like you, I've gotten stiffed by tables before. It just happens and you need to get used to it."
    via u/Pilkie_
  • 12
    That hurt, I'd been pulling doubles 4 days a week and worked Christmas Eve and new years as the lone bartender and countless shifts as an insanely overwhelmed server, I'd covered everybody's shifts for years when he needed me; and the couldn't even empathize with me. After like 30s of standing there in silence while trying not to flip out, I quit.
    via u/Pilkie_
  • 13
    Owner's called me 12 times in the past 3 days. First he demanded apologies for the way I spoke to him, and yeah I was an , but he won't get an apology from me. The he started asking me what shifts I could cover. I've blocked
    via u/Pilkie_
  • 14
    him now. That was the angriest I've ever been at the world, I've genuinely not felt that level of unadulterated rage before or since.
    via u/Pilkie_
  • 15
    TL;DR I got Stiffed on a $3600 event as the lone person working it, got really mad and quit.
    via u/Pilkie_
  • 16
    Edit: I should mention this whole incident happened many months ago, this text has been sitting on a sticky note on my laptop since the morning after I got fired. I added to it as things went on. I just wanted to wait till I was settled in with a new job before I started bad mouthing my old place of work.
    via u/Pilkie_
  • 17
    I now work at a very nice. family-owned tavern style restaurant. I'm treated very well by the owners, two very sweet grandparents who have been in the business for a very long time.
    via u/Pilkie_
  • 18
    Edit 2: I didn't expect this to blow up so much, so I did a little digging and called my old coworkers; this owner was removed from their ownership position of the franchise about 2 months after this happened and was replaced with a new owner.
    via u/Pilkie_
  • 19
    BullRoarerMcGee ⚫ The fact that this wasn't auto grat is just mind blowing. Your bosses are not interested in your well being. What a situation.
    via u/BullRoarerMcGee
  • 20
    RangeMoney2012. Move on, the too many bar workers jobs to work for an idiot
    via u/RangeMoney2012
  • 21
    Defiant-Ad-3764 21 person group and no auto- gratuity? That's absurd. Assuming 20%, you were stiffed $720.
    via u/Defiant-Ad-3764

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tips waiters server servers waiter customers i quit quit tipping server life food service kitchen food eating dining quitting
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