and no, I'm not talking about the cow variety!

My wife and I just had lunch at a Thai place we go to ALL THE TIME, practically twice a month! Food there is good, the prices are right etc.

Today, lunch came to about $18 bucks and I only had my card with me. The card's kinda low right now (Xmas shopping and all) and so this time I didn't tip. The service consisted of the waiter bringing us our plates and that was about all and normally I do tip but today, for whatever reason, I chose not to.

So we leave and all of a sudden the owner/ waiter is following us to our car asking if the service was OK etc. I explained everything was fine and he asked where was his tip? Now, I felt this was pretty rude but I explained that I was low on funds and I was sorry. He said, "I know your face, you're not coming in my restaurant anymore!!" He banned us!!

I'm totally blown away... speechless...

ORG!? What would you do?

RenHoek said:

Fuck him, never go to his restuarant again, just as he wishes....I guess with the economy being as bad as it is....he isn't worried about losing customers.

Ummm… that sucks. And I probably wouldn’t go back there.

However, it’s a sucky system that allows servers to be paid less than minimum wage but that’s the way it is and they rely on tips for their livelihood. I have to say, I’m of the opinion that if you can’t afford to tip, you can’t afford to eat out. If I don’t tip it was because the service was so bad I want to talk to a manager about it.

#1 Never go there ever again
#2 Tell all your friends about it
#3 Bawl him out in the parking lot for being a total asswipe
#4 Remind him of the custom you have given him and then
#5 Order deliveries for next door when the neighbours are out and then laugh at his ass when he shows up.

seriously times are tough and waiters depend on their tips. If the service was good I think they deserve a tip. If I were in your shoes I'd get money from somewhere and go back and tip him even if he never let's you back in.

btw too bad he wasn't chinese cuz I heard it's rude to offer them tips in china.

I agree with Carrie.....if you can't afford the tip, maybe you shouldn't eat out!
Lunch was $18, don't tell me you didn't have 3 spare dollar to throw on the table!
Now.....the owner's temper: is the guy Thai? That would explain a lot!





PS: whatever you do, don't take mdiver's advice!



do/don't edit
[Edited 12/2/08 14:16pm]

mdiver said:

Have you ever had to live on tips?

Minimum wage is less than $6 an hour in the US and it is both legal and common practice to pay servers even less than that. Tips are how servers earn any kind of livable wage.
Did the guy handle it appropriately? Hell no.
Was his anger justified? Yeah, I can see it. I’d be pissed too if I did everything right and didn’t get a tip.

abierman said:

Normally I'm all about cash & carry but I didn't even think about tipping this time... strangest thing

and I actually did most of what mdiver said, more so because I was pissed that he'd follow me to my car!!

I tip handsomely when I feel the service was good or if the server was helpful but here there wasn't any real service involved... I think dude was the owner...

CarrieMpls said:

Carrie you know me.....

The issue here for me though is that he is a regular, bottom line is he showed his true colours. His actions crossed the line. In NO WAY did the experience of the visit for Ren deserve a tip. If this guy was a BUSINESS man he should know his clientèle and their habits.

I tip way more than i should i am told but there have been times when i didnt have spare cash or only a certain amount on me and i have not, next time i made up for it so i guess it depends if you want the short term or long term game.

Bottom line is that a tip is not part of the bill and therefore discretionary.

RenHoek said:

oh well, or just do like Chris & Paulie:

Ya gotta tip SOMETHIN. Why not round it up to $20.00?

and to think he insulted you after you explained to him, which you didn't even have to
[Edited 12/2/08 14:32pm]

abierman said:

can't do that, bullets cost money too...

Cinnie said:

Normally, I'm a 20% kinda guy but today I just wasn't thinking... I feel kinda bad but that feeling is blunted by the fact that the guy followed me and was demanding about it...

My head's all squirrely now...

RenHoek said:

Hard lesson learned, but I think that person went overboard.

Usually I like to feel more inspired to tip too.

RenHoek said:

what a shitty excuse for a gangsta you are.....

Cinnie said:

Exactly... this particular service consisted of us ordering the #9 & the #18, eating, conversating and leaving... we were done in about 30mins. too, short lunch break day...

as Herman would say, "ayedunno!"

I say to hell with this douchebag.

#1 A tip is optional and I've lived on my tips. It wasn't like you planned it, it was an over-sight and you probably would have given him double the next time since you go twice a month,,,

#2 Ban me? Oh, you want to go there over three bucks? I will fuck with you everyday of the week just out of spite. I'll report you to the health department every quarter and I'll be ordering take out and not picking it up from everyone's phone I know.

#3 Spread the word? Try spray paint on the the front door in red letters.


When I'm fucked with for no apparent reason I either make an effort to ignore it completely or #2 and #3 with a number four will come out of me.

CarrieMpls said:

yeah I agree. The guy might have been a dick about it, but there are plenty of decent places you can eat for cheap and not be expected to tip.

Bad calls on both parts - you should have left something, especially being a regular. & he probably saw your face, expected a tip & was shocked that you left nothing. I'm not excusing his behavior, banning you is over the line. But I can see why he asked if your service was okay today.

Chalk it up, find a new Thai place, & in the future if you can't spare the $2-5 tip hit the damn drive-through



.
[Edited 12/2/08 15:12pm]

if you didn't have another 2 or 3 dollars to put on your card or throw on the table you should have just gone to freaking McDonald's...
Cheap people suck!!

I feel like ren might be in a Mr.Pink mood...from reservoir dogs...that dude never tips

I'm totally with Ren on this one.. Tipping is not mandatory, if for whatever reason you decide not to tip that is the choice of the customer.. To be accosted by the waiter/manager afterwards is deplorable if he were a member of my staff he would be out on his ass quicker than he could say where's my tip!

I believe that if everything was ok, you should have left a tip, Ren...or before you left, since it's a place that you go to on a regular basis, maybe tell the waiter that you were a lil' short and would make it up to him next time ...

as for the guy asking if everything was ok....thats actually kinda respectable...
as for him asking where the tip was...shitty, douche bag move...

it's an awful system that allows folks in the service industry to be paid below minimum wage and therefore depend on tips...but if you're working for tips, you gotta earn them, they shouldn't be expected....I always leave a tip, even for shitty service...if the service was terrible, I'll leave something like 25 cents just so they realize that I didnt forget to tip but rather thats what their service was worth to me....

roodboi said:

I like that a lot! *makes note to self*

Let me tell you something RenHoek....you are NOT obligated to leave ANYTHING extra if you don't want especially if you don't have it to give. You give a tip if you feel it's worth it and if you didn't have it to spare that night oh well IT BE'S LIKE THAT SOMETIMES!!! It gave that dude no right to act a damn monkey doodle fool, demand a tip from you and when you politely say you don't have it, him banning you from the restaurant. Technically when I pay for my food that your money right there,so...peace the fuck out!

This shit burns me up.

Sowhat said:

Exactly. Fuck his bitch ass. In fact, I woulda cussed his ho-ass out for even coming up on me with that nonsense.

I like Carrie and Roodboi's takes on it.