This one has it all (Outback firing)

if a restaurant charge 18% for gratuity on parties of 6 or more even when the sixth person is a baby, the restaurant should do the same for take out orders of six or more dishes.
 
This is why restaurants should, and often do, have clear policies on automatic gratuities on these kinds of things.

If this employee was waitstaff, and her wages are covered by tips, and they were pulled out of the dining room, then this tip should have been covered by policy.

This is a very sticky and unfortunate situation, for sure.
But, to me, going to FB instead of speaking to the managers about the situation was VERY wrong.
 
DH deals with unemployment law and said that Outback's policy (regarding Facebook) was clear, and the waitress violated it, so they had due process to fire her. Solution: include an automatic gratuity on large orders.
 


Out of curiosity, I went out to a restaurant's (not Outback) website to see what they said about large To Go orders and the first one I pulled up simply said that for any To Go order over $150, you have to call the restaurant directly instead of place it online. I assume that is so that the restaurant manager can verify that the order can be fulfilled and that they're given enough time to make the order. I would also assume at that point, there would be some discussion about cost and fees. I'd be surprised if an order as large at $725 worth of food didn't have some sort of service charge tacked on to help pay for the cooks and servers responsible for it.
 
This is so easy to solve, but every time the solution gets posted, everyone gets up in arms.

DO AWAY WITH EXPECTED TIPPING!

Raise servers hourly wage to minimum. People should be free to tip how ever much they feel like giving. They should not be made to feel guilty if they don't tip the "expected amount". You want a tip? Go beyond the bare basics for the job.

I've been in fast food establishments where, after you place your order, the food is delivered to your table. You leave your trash on the table and they'll clean it up. You're not expected to tip there. It's not that much different than a restaurant.

The next argument is "but the servers won't have any motivation to do well!" Sure they will. Because they'd be tipped by those who feel like they deserve it. And let's not forget the jobs people do for minimum wage. Since they're not tipped, do they have no motivation to do well?

At the same time, you do not post about work on social media, at least not complaints.
 
I've been in fast food establishments where, after you place your order, the food is delivered to your table. You leave your trash on the table and they'll clean it up. You're not expected to tip there. It's not that much different than a restaurant.

Employee in fast food establishment: Not a tipped position. Makes at least minimum wage.

Server in a table service restaurant: Tipped position. Their wage paid by the employer is nowhere near minimum wage.

Big, BIG difference.
 


Social Media is one of my least favorite things in this world.......
I'm old I guess.
Its nothing but trouble for some.
 
I've been in fast food establishments where, after you place your order, the food is delivered to your table. You leave your trash on the table and they'll clean it up. You're not expected to tip there. It's not that much different than a restaurant.

I wouldn't say it's similar to being a server in a restaurant. Taking a tray of food to a table and cleaning up some plates isn't the same, IMO, as being a server.
 
Sigh. Please read my entire post. I said raise servers up to minimum wage.

What is the point of tips?

You said in your post that “it’s not that much different than in a restaurant”. So, the way things currently are, yes there is a big difference.

I don’t see restaurants doing away with tipping anytime soon. Meal prices would go up considerably if that were to happen.
 
Meal prices would go up considerably if that were to happen.
Sorry, I call BS. There have been stories about restaurants (and I think towns) doing away with tipping. Their prices remained the same (or only slightly higher).

Let's do some simple math. Let's say my family goes out to eat and the bill comes to $100. I'm expected to tip 20%, so I'm out of pocket $120.

The restaurant decides to do away with required tipping. They raise their server's wage to the minimum. They raise their meal prices 20% to compensate. Guess what? That meal I paid $120 is now... $120. If I feel the server went above and beyond (or whatever criteria *I* decide), I can decide to tip more. But I shouldn't be given a guilt trip if I don't.
 
It suppose it's going to be more confusing trying to figure out who makes what.

We should have some way of knowing, perhaps.

In this case, though, from the first article:

"Servers, especially at casual chain restaurants, typically make less than the minimum wage, and the difference is made up by tips. Florida’s minimum wage is $8.25 an hour, but the tipped minimum wage is $5.23.

Yoder said that because she spent so much time working on the carryout order, she couldn’t tend to other tables, and made only $18 in tips that day."

And if she only made $18 in tips for the rest of the day, the employer (Outback) would have to pay her the rest to bring her up to the $8.25/hr. The $5.23/hr for tipped servers is expecting the tips to make up the extra $3.02/hr. If it did not, then Outback would be on the hook (as they should be) to bring her up to the FL minimum wage.
 
And if she only made $18 in tips for the rest of the day, the employer (Outback) would have to pay her the rest to bring her up to the $8.25/hr. The $5.23/hr for tipped servers is expecting the tips to make up the extra $3.02/hr. If it did not, then Outback would be on the hook (as they should be) to bring her up to the FL minimum wage.

So in FL waitstaff will make minimum wage?
 
Sigh. Please read my entire post. I said raise servers up to minimum wage.

What is the point of tips?

Here in Ontario minimum wage went up a month ago and we are having a nightmare with some places. Tim Horton's took employees paid breaks away , etc. Prices of the food going up everywhere. It needed to go so people could live but it is hurting small businesses. Catch 22 for everything.
 
This order was for 25 chicken dinners, 25 steaks, and 25 sides of potatoes. I think we're looking at dinner for 50 at about $13 per person. The restaurant should never have accepted a "take-out" order of this size; this is off-site catering. I put the blame on management at Outback. HOWEVER... she shouldn't have taken it to Facebook. Direct violation of company policy.
 
Sorry, I call BS. There have been stories about restaurants (and I think towns) doing away with tipping. Their prices remained the same (or only slightly higher).

Let's do some simple math. Let's say my family goes out to eat and the bill comes to $100. I'm expected to tip 20%, so I'm out of pocket $120.

The restaurant decides to do away with required tipping. They raise their server's wage to the minimum. They raise their meal prices 20% to compensate. Guess what? That meal I paid $120 is now... $120. If I feel the server went above and beyond (or whatever criteria *I* decide), I can decide to tip more. But I shouldn't be given a guilt trip if I don't.

They would need to raise meal prices by more than 20%.

A PP said minimum wage was nearing $13.50 in their area. If servers are only making $2.25 that’s a lot to be made up by the employer if tipping is done away with. Even if servers are starting higher than that, say $3 - $5 and minimum wage is only $10 it’s still a lot to be made up.

Thankfully most customers know that tipping is expected (by servers and their employees both) in a table service restaurant. Of course if a server doesn’t even do the bare minimum of service, that’s different but if they do their job well a tip is definitely expected and deserved.
 
So in FL waitstaff will make minimum wage?

In all states with this tipped position minimum wage that is less than the regular minimum wage for non-tipped workers, the company where the tipped employee works has to make up any deficiencies so that the worker earns the regular minimum wage.
 

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