Posted on 03/27/2007 9:26:39 AM PDT by Hildy
Actor Jeremy Piven has reportedly been banned from America's Nobu restaurants after paying a waiter's tip with a DVD. The Old School star was dining at celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa's restaurant in Aspen, Colorado during the recent Us Comedy Arts Festival. When the bill came, Piven paid up and left the waiter a copy of his Entourage series DVD as a tip. The outraged server threw the DVD at the celebrity diner. A fellow diner tells the New York Daily News, "He (Piven) came in with a large group of 12 or more without reservations and asked for a table. It was a very busy night, but a table, although cramped, was provided. On his way out, he made a nasty comment to the manager: 'Thanks for nothing.'" The actor was later advised to steer clear of all Nobu restaurants. But Piven is playing down the incident in Aspen: "I'm such a fan of Nobu and all of his restaurants. I had a great dinner at the Nobu in Aspen. As always, the meal was excellent and the service was great."
EXACTLY! My husband worked as a bartender for many years, and he actually overtips...but that's ok...I think it's sweet that after all these years, he still remembers how much he counted on tips to surive...and lucky that we can now afford to help out.
If they didn't have tips, and the restaurants have to pay their staff more, guess where they are going to get the money from? That's right, they will increase the prices on the menu. So one way or the other, you end up paying a tip.
Yeah, I think he was just trying to get in character.
Ari Rules!
Yup. Fame doesn't change people; it reveals them.
I like him in Entourage too, but this story leads me to believe he isn't acting.
Maybe he's angling for a role as Pablo Picasso--but who the hell carries DVD's around?
Weird.
If Piven were to argue that this treatment of a DVD violates the DMCA as not being "fair use", he could invoke America's most feared secret police organization, the RIAA. The hapless server would never be seen again.
It may not be his "right" to give you crappy service the next time you walk into his restaurant, but you should expect nothing less. That's just the way the world works.
As a side-note, a good portion of European culture does not require tipping. Generally, European service sucks. That is not a coincidence, since gratuities of any kind act as an incentive to perform. Whether or not everyone (including waitstaff) acts on that incentive is immaterial. It exists.
dont they auto-gratuity for parties larger than 8?
As I recently commented about People Magazine: I never heard of half these people, and the other half I can't stand.
"Piven", whoever or whatever he is, falls into both of these categories.
If a tip isn't a tip, then it is part of the bill? If one pays the bill is it not paid in full? You can get arrested for not paying the bill but you can't for not giving a tip. Right?
Consider:Piven requests a table for 12 on short notice, and it was provided though it was "a busy night."
He leaves a DVD as a tip!
On the way out he makes a nasty comment to the manager, apparently out of some sense of dissatisfaction.
So now I am wondering how he and his party behaved during the meal. He (and they) seem to have some sense of entitlement deriving from his celebrity. Thus I would not be surprised to find out they were a very demanding and difficult group to deal with, and whined and complained throughout the entire meal about service and about this and about that. I don't know, of course, but given the story, I think that is entirely possible.
Not at the fancy places. Besides, the famous celeb was probably late for a charity function to help the poor.
Smells fake to me.
Having worked at restaurants through college, I have no doubt that this is true, especially given the things I've heard about Piven over the years.
Mark
And if you want to know what that's like, go to Europe and see what the service is like in a restaurant where there's no incentive for the waiters to hustle to please the customer.
I have, thank God we have tipping.
Here on Maui, most all restaurants say right on their menu that seating six or more in a party , 15% tip will automatically be added to their bill.
This is the funniest story I have read in a while....classic Ari!
I'm white collar now but have been a waiter in a college town. Most are paid under minimum wage and tips are supposed to make up the different. Most waiters need the money more than everyone they're serving, and many are over-worked. just my 2 cents
The waiter got ticked because he ONLY got 18% instead of most that add another 10 to 20 percent on top of that (for good service and good food).
If the 18% wasn't the case, Piven is just a jerk.
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