Wha? I have never in all of my years serving, seen anyone pad the check for an extra tip. That’s crazy. Are you maybe thinking of when there’s a large party and the tip is included in the check as to assure that the server won’t get shafted? In that case, that is not “padding the check” it’s a policy put in place by most resteraunts I’ve ever seen, clearly visible on the menu, and most servers are instructed to tell the table of this policy as well. What you’re accusing servers of doing is not only illegal, but highly unethical. Also, a serious accusation. :mad:
Anyhoo, Geshtal, it my experience, it depends on the individual circumstances. I’ve had some bullshit customer complaints where my manager had seen the entire interaction, nodded and smiled at the complainer, gave them a gift certificate or something to pacify them, then continued to laugh with me about it in the kitchen. If it’s a serious complaint and the manager either didn’t see the incident, or worse, saw it and agreed, then the server will usually be reprimanded and/or fired. Some of the more corporate places have full on warning systems (I can’t for the life of me right now think of the proper name) where you get a verbal warning, then written, then termination. Some just fire you. It also depends on the manager, if they’re cool, if they’re butt kissers to customers, or if they’re somewhere in the middle.
At a place like the Olive Garden, i’d guess they have one of those formal warning systems. She probably got a written warning or something to that effect. With any luck it wasn’t her first, and she got fired.
lezlers, I’ve seen (exactly) one waitperson prosecuted for adding extra sums to credit cards. Granted, it totaled more than $1500, but it at least suggests that one person is willing to do it.
Interesting. I generally really like the Olive Garden. Different experiences, I guess. The first time I ever saw one was in the summer of 92. Deb and I ad been at a festival all day and were pretty tired. We got to the door around 10:45, saw the 11:00 closing time and started to walk away. The hostess ran out and encouraged us to come on in and eat. (I will acknowledge the faux Italian, but they had a different menu in those days that was quite a bit better.)
Within a few months we got our kids–who came with the table manners of dispeptic monkeys–and we still had good experiences at the OG, both around Cleveland and in Orlando (so it was not just a single outlet with a superb manager).
Since then we’ve eaten there off and on through the years and I can only recall a single occasion of tepid service (on a Saturday night with a huge line).
My roommate says you can always tell you’re in a “hick town” when the Olive Garden is recommended as a “good” Italian place.
That said, both she and I like to eat there. There are other Italian joints we like better, but OG is always an acceptable alternative. And we’ve never had bad service.
OTOH, I’m glad to see that the OP went to the manager, and I certainly hope the waitress was at the very least reprimanded.
What’s up with the Olive Garden commercials saying that they train their chefs at the “Culinary Institute of Tuscany”? I can’t imagine them flying flocks of cooks to Italy for formal training. Maybe there’s a Tuscany, Missouri that I don’t know about.
And that person was caught and procescuted, hopefully deterring anyone who would be stupid enough to even think about doing something like that from going forward with their lamebrained little plan.
I think I was more put off by NurseCarmen nonchalant warning, making it sound as if it’s commonplace, and just a little something to always be on the lookout for, akin to spotted silverwear. Rather insulting to waitpeople. Like I said before, I waited tables for 8 years, a lot of my good friends have done the same, and i’ve never heard of anything like this, so it can’t be too common.
Frank Abagnale, Jr.: Two mice fell into a bowl of cream. The first mouse quickly gave up and drowned. The second mouse fought and struggled until he churned that cream into butter and he crawled his way out. I am that second mouse.
Frank Abagnale, Sr.: So that’s what was in my enema. I thought the milk had curdled.
Actually, when I was getting my dispatcher’s license, I had a job hostessing at a TGIFriday’s. One of the waiters there got fired for messing with the tips on his credit card receipts.
Then again, this was the same hick Texas TGIF that had waiters describing which, shall we say, “types” of people they didn’t want being seated in their sections - and they said it with completely straight faces as if they expected my ass to agree with them!
I ignored them. I seated in a rotation to be fair, and I wasn’t going to deviate from that just because some racist though that certain people didn’t tip well.
I’m betting a few of the dopers here in the Quad Cities would know where you are.
Lots of people around here work in Joliet. IBP is up there right?
As for the OP, when I worked for Bob Evans we had a manager get a complaint about a server and he didn’t pull her aside right there, but he did have a meeting with her after her shift was done.
I mean, there was no point in him pulling her aside right there and pissing her off even more and having her treat more guests like crap.
She didn’t come back which was fine by me since seating her was a bitch. As a hostess (at that time, I’ve done it all) I dreaded seating this girl. She just wasn’t cut out to be in the resturant business.
I was amazed at how long she had been working with the public since she was not a people person. At least now from what I saw. But she was fast and efficient. That might explain it.
I loved those big swinging kitchen doors, and the break room door!
And when I was training new servers I would tell them that and and all complaining about guest needed to be done behind those doors. The guest were not to see any of it.
I would not tolerate that on my floor.
Guests come in to get a great meal at a decent price and served with a smile and a kind word.
I mean hell, if I wanted to eat around bitchy people, I would invite my family over and eat with them.
Originally posted by Geshtal
Well, that’s getting a little out of my way (if I’m thinking of the same place. I know my location says Chicago, but geographically round off because no one knows where Joliet is.
On a side note, has anyone been on the other side of this? Do managers pull aside waiters to talk about complaints from customers? I’m just curious was type of ramifications might occur.
For really really good, authentic Italian food, and wonderful, discreet and non-bouncy service, there’s a little tiny place that opened up about a year ago in Elgin - not too terribly far from you, and absolutely worth the drive just for the bruschetta. I don’t “do” advertising, but my email address is linked below if anyone else is interested.
I’ve been boycotting Olive Garden for years, but the last time I was there, the food wasn’t that good, the service was so-so and the waiter mispronounced both gnocchi and pasta e fagioli.
From the Quad Cities to Joliet?! That’s one hell of a commute. Why would you come clear across state to the Indiana border just to work? Has the economy really gotten that bad?
My friend who lives in Joliet would wanna kill you for that, interface2x. He hates when the only thing people can think of is that the prison is in Joliet.
I like to then point out the much less seedy casinos. Heh.
And I use the Butterfield OG to pick up a quick dinner- it’s closer to my neck o’ the woods. The OG by Woddfield is much better to eat in.
Now if we want real Italian food, we go to Stefani’s on the North Side, or Tuscany’s in Oak Brook if we don’t feel like traveling.
No one except people who have lived in northeastern Illinois and possibly those who have seen Blues Brothers movies. Hell, I’ve been to Joliet, my dad brought me with him when he had to go there for a new tailgate window for our station wagon.
I by no means meant this was rampant, but it’s been discussed on these boards (‘tip’ is below the search parameter, and waitress brings back too much) It happened to me once in a very similar situation (Crappy service, low tip, bill comes: wallah! Waitress added a ‘one’ to the tip.) Turns out the waitress was fired, not prosecuted.
