Whoa.. This has nothing to do with Italian restaurants at all.. These practices have been standard operating procedures for over a century, and memorialized in union contracts.. I believe this is the managers, and/or owners, taking the practice to new limits.. This has more to do with pooling tips, to service employees that are not participating in the tip pool, with the owners/managers, taking a cut.. STUPID, CHEAP, and totally unfair.. The unions loved this practice because it allowed the union to insure a piece of the tip pool in forcing the tips were part of the wages, therefore allowing them to their cut..
carlo3b: Whoa.. This has nothing to do with Italian restaurants at all.. These practices have been standard operating procedures for over a century, and memorialized in union contracts..
I'm glad you weighed in on this,Carlo. You have first-hand experience.
The unions loved this practice because it allowed the union to insure a piece of the tip pool in forcing the tips were part of the wages, therefore allowing them to their cut..
Unions "feed" upon each and every business with which they are affiliated. They sometimes kill their own golden goose but other times The Won will bail them out.
I worked in many, many restaurants in NYC as a kid and it was only Divino’s that forced me to hand over tips. I worked at Japanese restaurants and hotel bars. Never was cheated out of a tip (except by creepy patrons). In the old days, we didn’t pool tips - and, boy, did we make money!