A local restaurant manager posted this little message on Facebook after a major stiffing took place last night. He gave JJ permission to repost it.
Thank you (to the guest who will remain nameless for now) for not honoring your reservation of 18 people tonight. We really didn't need those 5 tables and that server's entire section. Said team member really appreciates not being able to make rent next month for taking away 20% of one weeks income.
This note is to make more people aware of how hard it hits restaurants when you make multiple reservations and don't honor them or especially in this case when you make a large reservation and don't honor it. This is $$$$ of dollars of lost revenue and a team member who wasted an entire night trying to come in.
and in a comment:
We called and left message that morning. A email confirmation was sent 24hrs prior. She didn't answer the phone until 20 min after she was supposed to be at restaurant and still wanted us to hold table. I told her either put up a cc or cancel, she canceled.
This is why restaurants ask for credit card numbers for reservations for large parties.
44 comments:
Unless it's taxes or death, you gotta be a trashy bitch to pull that kind of stunt.
When I woked in a steakhouse many, many years ago, NOBODY wanted to work Sundays after church let out because of these type of shenanigans.
A typical church group would squat all afternoon in a poor waiters section peventing him or her from turning tables,, run him or her to death with special requests, and maybe leave a 5% tip. I,m not bitter though. Wiser maybe.
Please post the names of ANY decent restaurants that DO take reservations. I've nearly given up eating out because you never know if you'll get in.
If we knew what restaurant and what server, we could go give him/her a tip.
I learned several years ago that a full-service restaurant wait staff deserves a 20-25% tip for service. It's hard work, requires a high level of training and requires good manners on behalf of the guest.
Maybe 5 minutes past the requested time, the smart team leader would open up tables and allow his rent to be paid.
Who was it?
I hope it's not Que Sera. I like the people there.
We gave up on trying to eat at Jackson area restaurants long ago, because of the smarmy Lite Rock Oldies they generally play (or worse, perform live). Gives us more money, anyway, to spend in Malibu and Missoula. So, I have no idea who's open on Sunday, and who closes, "For the Sabbath."
Are there many local eateries which close on Sundays? If so, is that done to avoid what 1:44 describes? Do restaurants which close, ostensibly to "Honor the Sabbath", really do so in order to AVOID THE SABBATH CROWD?
I definitely understand how certain crowds are bad for business. Growing up in retail, I learned that football crowds meant the store was swamped with broke losers, all dolled-up and looking affluent 'for the game': time thieves of the first order.
A friend from my Tulane days owns an ice company in New Orleans. He dreads church conventions from Mississippi, because those folks don't frequent the bars. His sales plummet, when church conventions are in town. Instead, those folks secretly drink themselves unconscious in their rooms - using hotel ice machine ice. But there they are, packing the hotels - keeping others from weekending in the Quarter. Basically, as with the anonymous group in the story, the Church crowd dreaded by 1:44, and the football fans pawing store merchandise they could not and would not buy, those convention goers were DISPLACING PEOPLE WHO WOULD HAVE SPENT MONEY.
Deadbeats who make reservations they do not honor are displacing people who would have spent money.
I agree with the sentiment. I've done my time in the restaurant world. But I'm also over the restaurant owners who blast this stuff on facebook. Seems whiny. We know this owner. He wears everyone out with his rants.
And this owner closes for the Sabbath.
Agreed, 2:14. Poor reaction time
Maybe I should be referred to a lawyer, but could a person open a restaurant that legally is not welcoming to churchgoers and their spawn?
For instance, a sign on the restaurant door that says " no high-chairs providef", or " If your kid slings it's food everywhwere, you will be charged an extra 50% or be expected to vacuum around your table while the other adults watch. That's fair.
I think I side with the restaurant on this one, but did I read this correctly that the restaurant called the patron before the reservation time and demanded a credit card? Maybe I interpreted that wrong, but I would be a little put off if a restaurant called me asking for a deposit for a dinner reservation.
Restaurant schedule extra people including waiters, cooks bushelp for parties of eight or more. If some loser makes a reservation for eight or more people and cancels at the last minute,that throws a ton of people out of whack. They should be required to reserve with a credit card.
A restaurant should give reservations 10-15 minutes past their scheduled time to showup and then open those tables up for the line of waiting people who have shown up and are ready to eat.
So this was a church group?
Probably Madison County Tea Party....
I can see asking for a CC at the time of making the reservation, but I don't think it is reasonable to make the reservation for somebody and then call them 30 minutes before the reserved time and demand a CC. Maybe I read it wrong, but I would tell them to screw off if that is what happened.
Hey 503pm. More so they were Democraps from jackistan! Tea Party ppl tip.
I'm a waiter. I spit in you food, and I drop that lemon no the floor that comes with your ice tea.
8:24
You are probably the drama queen who can't handle this business, but we know they don't test for drugs!
Tips, not a new thing. Started here! If the assholes that owned the fast food place would pay there ppl like they should. I don't tip - bullshit American issue!! Pay your ppl for the work they do! Tipping is bullshit!!
Am I really reading that somebody has a friend in the 'ice bidness' who resents certain conventioneers and visitors because they don't frequent the bars enough? I reckon if he owned a donut shop he'd protest the Jenny Craig convention.
Try 50 cents or nothing on a 400 dollar check. Blacks dont tip.
The tea party folks I know don't tip worth a crap
I suppose I understand the rant, but I've made reservations to restaurants that honor the agreed time.
I know several servers in Flowood/Rez that make their best tips of the week on the Sunday lunch crowd.
February 8, 2015 at 3:36 PM
What a train wreck of a post.
Was this the Birthday party at Georgia Blue?
Some of ya'll should go back a reread this. The request for credit card came 20 minutes AFTER the reservation time. That seems perfectly reasonable.
I can't believe a resturant owner would publish such a rant. Makes him look bad. What if party of 18 had shown up all ordered a 7 dollar appetizer, no drink and stayed for 3 hours. What would he have done or said? From my experience places in the area with good food always have a wait for tables. Food must suck if there was no one to take the place of the 18.
10:04 Agreed about that nitwit at 3:36. Will add that those of us who do enjoy taking our families out to eat on Sundays in Jackson are thankful for his absence.
agree with 10:04
KF used to read and approve all comments (that were relative?), but it appears now to be on autopilot where anything submitted gets posted. Understandably, the blog has gotten so darn big.
Originally commenters seemed to be professional-type, educated, articulate, and knowledgeable of the topic. They were witty and/or pithy and would give a pretty good reveal from different sides of an issue.
Now you get a dozen idiotic posters spewing crap like a junior high food-fight.
12:54 Not much food - mainly Tea :-)
If Kingfish will let us know where to send some money, I will be glad to send some cash to help cover the lost tip for the waiter. These guys work too hard to be left high and dry.
Enjoyed stirring some of you folks up LOL.
Try getting a Valentine's weekend reservation at either Shapleys or Ely's ten days prior to Feb. 13.
It's first come, first served at all area Waffle Houses and Krystals where most of you trolls eat anyway.
The headline to this blog says 'a major stiffing' occurred. People are screwed every day. There is no rule about tipping and there is no absolute obligation to honor a reservation duly-made. Get over it.
It's first come, first served at all area Waffle Houses and Krystals where most of you trolls eat anyway
You left out Cracker Barrel....I'm deeply hurt.
3:36, what a pretentious ass you are! You've got more money to spend in Mahliboo or Missoulah.......get over yourself.
@ 4:04, If you find my rants so bad then don't follow me on Facebook. I generally only rant about things I feel adamant about. We are closed on Sunday and not because it is a holy day but to give our team rest and time with our family who suffers through as much as we do with the long hours and having to hear us bitch.
3:36 was eating at Bennigan's
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