I'm on the restaurant's side, but this reminds me of Mr. Pink, who would soon be joining Covington on the restaurant's ban list.
Posted on 02/26/2010 7:48:42 AM PST by dennisw
WINSTON-SALEM -- A woman who a local restaurant manager refused to serve claiming she is a habitually poor tipper told WXII Wednesday she is in the process of consulting an attorney.
Monica Covington was recently banned from the Kanpai Japanese Steak and Seafood House on Stratford Road after manager Michael Lam said servers and chefs refused to serve her because of her less-than-expected tipping history at the establishment.
Covington, who started a boycott petition against the restaurant, said the restaurant slandered her in the WXII report, which has set off a firestorm of opinions surrounding the issue of tipping.
"At this point, I am securing an attorney to address the slander against my name and character," Covington said in a statement to WXII. "I have always left a good tip at Kanpai Restaurant , even when I was given poor and less than honorable service."
Covington said her spat with the restaurant began in 2008 when she was told she would have to pay an 18 percent gratuity to dine.
"Yes, because we can't keep continuing to serve her anymore because the servers and chefs are not willing to serve her," Lam said Tuesday when asked if he refused Covington service.
On Wednesday, Lam said his establishment has never tacked an 18 percent gratuity on to her bill without her knowledge.
So far, 300 people have signed Covington's petition. Supporters of Lam's restaurant have also started an online petition.
You forgot French Canadians. The WORST! I used to bartend at a place near an airport in upstate NY. Whenever FC’s would walk in the waitresses would argue over who got them. Cannot stand those people.
Less than expected tips? Probably habitually stiffs them.
When I worked in the restaurant business the wait staff would flinch when certain people entered. Then they’d try to negotiate whose turn it was to serve them.
There was one particular couple who came in several times a week and spent a lot of money in the place. They always had their particular table, and woe to the server of the prior diner who had not pushed their people to finish before those folks’ reservation!
The staff called her “The Queen”. They were unpleasant, extremely demanding and cheap with the tips. But good for the house, so they always got good service.
I used to play a little game on them (or more particularly, her). They could see the bar from their table, and I’d pretend to adjust the heat or AC. Within minutes their waitress would come running over and say “Mrs. ******* says it’s too hot (or too cold), please change it.” I’d then pretend to adjust it.
It was the same thing with the lighting, or the background music. Dim or brighten the lights, raise or lower the volume and you got an instant complaint. Control freak, thy name is “The Queen”!
I'm on the restaurant's side, but this reminds me of Mr. Pink, who would soon be joining Covington on the restaurant's ban list.
All due respect, food quality is not the server's fault. Good service gets a good tip from me, but I'll give the staff a heads up on any food complaints.
Well she’s probably used to getting anything she wants for free. Why should she have to TIP??!! The restaurant is probably just RAAAAAAACCIISSSST!!!
Can we add women and Christians to that list?
I've never wondered why there weren't any studies that measured predisposition to violence, crime, etc. based upon someone's identifiers. It's likened to the public outcry and justifications that come streaming when crime stats report what percentage of what ethnicity is incarcerated in US prisons. You're not supposed to study or report things like that.
>>African Americans are notoriously bad tippers. Sorry, I really don’t mean to be racist, I think it’s just a wired cultural thing.<<
Absolutely correct. I took summer jobs in university and college, including waitering and bartending...blacks are the worst tippers. Most of the time, they DONT TIP.
yeah, yeah, I’m racist (rolls eyes)
**Can we add women and Christians to that list?**
except maybe a small minority of SORORITY members. Others that believe their blessings of Jesus upon me should be enough of a tip (dang.. see post 4 again)
No tipping in Europe either.
I've always wondered why tipping should be based on the cost of the food. I've had excellent service at inexpensive restaurants and lousy service at expensive ones.
It is my perception that Americans, liberal or conservative, seem to have been consciously liberated by Obama’s election and less fearful of calling out poor behavior by blacks and or the inaccurate cry of racism. Am I the only one who senses this?
Same thing happens in pizza delivery. If we have more than one delivery, and one is an address that never tips, guess which one’s going last.
Well, I worked both Spring Break and Thunder Beach. Blondes are cheap tippers. But from viewpoint, that’s ok. I make exceptions.
If I'm the manager, I knew about this customer long before an employee refused to serve that customer. I would rather an employee refuse to serve a customer than to spit in a customer's food.
That's why I left customer service and sales; I knew I was reaching the point where I couldn't interact pleasantly with people anymore.
Enjoy your day (for real!)
My wife waitresses at the same type of Japanese steakhouse where the chef puts on a show at the table/grill ,, the tip money goes primarily to the chef and waitress although the busboys and soup/salad ladies get cut in also. The chef gets a real salary , the waitresses get just over $2/hr. ,, black people are notoriously bad tippers as are Europeans (we are in a tourist area).
What are freeper’s opinions about tipping at buffets, such as Golden Corral or a typical Chinese restaurant? You get your own food and seat yourself, but the waitress refills your ice tea. Do they get 15-20% of the total bill? I’ve never known what is expected.
How commonly do you run into Christian’s not tipping? As a Christian I always try to leave a good tip because I want to be a good witness.
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