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Archive: November, 2009
David Chang (no, not that one) writes on the NBC Philadelphia site today:
[Leslie] Pope and John Wagner were hauled away by police and charged with theft for not paying the mandatory 18 percent gratuity totaling $16 after eating at the Lehigh Pub in Bethlehem, Pa. with six friends.
Pope claimed that they had to wait nearly an hour for their order and that she had to get napkins and silverware for the table herself.
After the $73 bill came, the group paid for food, drinks, and tax but refused to pay the tip. After explaining the bad service to the bartender in charge, Pope claimed he took their money and called police. The couple was handcuffed and placed in the back of a police car.
Arresting officers charged the two with theft, since the gratuity was considered part of the actual bill. Chang opined in the piece that the charge is unlikely to hold up in court, where the couple appear next month.
Seriously though, dinner for eight people ringing up to just $73 with tax?� For that kind of deal, maybe you should be getting your own silverware and drink refills.
Well it is easy to tell the spot the waiters in the crowd. I feel an employer should pay their employee their wages not the customer directly. How would you like to see an airline pilot standing in the cockpit door demanding a minimum 15% of your airfare if you didn't crash but if you got a smooth landing he would expect 25%. Tips are a reward for good service. Average gets 15% and can easily go to ZERO. I as a customer don't care what the behind the scenes problems are. If the system isn't working and you are losing tips, go find a restaurant that runs efficently so you can earn your tips. I personally know of one waiter that worked at a restaurant with a mandatory service charge- which he got a large part of, who would tell diners that that it was not a tip and still should be added. The employees hate the system customers hate the system, the only one it works for are the employers. As a customer I usually avoid sit down restaurants. As an employee if you are unhappy with the system, go to school and get a better job.
As usual it fall on the server. It is understood that when dining in a establishment that offers table service tipping will be involved. Most people, not just graduate students, have bills and make nominal sums, however regardless of the dining experience you must leave something. Punish the restaurant by not returning.
Bradley, There is a basic minimum of service required at a restaurant in which a 15% tip is what is the norm expected. A good server who exceedes expectations may receive up to 20%. On the flip side, if the service was poor, then perhaps 10% would send a message of displeasure. HOWEVER, at no time is it appropiate to leave less than 15% for receiving the appropiate amount of service. IT IS IRRELEVANT WHAT YOUR FINANCIAL SITUATION IS! One should always budget 15-20% over how much the dinner will cost or one CLEARLY CANNOT AFFORD TO GO OUT TO EAT! I think everyone should work in a restaurant at one point in their lives so they will understand. DID YOU KNOW THAT THE I.R.S. ASSUMES ALL SERVERS MAKE A 15% MINIMUM ON TIPS AND WILL TAX ACCORDINGLY. IF YOU BUILD AN 'ADEQUATE' ROOF ON MY HOUSE, CAN I 'DECIDE' TO ONLY PAY YOU 50% OF YOUR QUOTED LABOR??!! Think about it....
I can say that I actually know the other people at the table, they are colleagues of mine, and they are mild and well-mannered people. Additionally, I have been to that establishment on many occasions and you can be sure that the service, especially on Sundays, can be terrible. For example, when dining at the bar (where the servers double as bartenders for a small crowd), I have found that after ordering your food, the server will not provide you with any flatware until you request it (even for dishes traditionally eaten with forks and knives such as steaks and pasta). Nor will they ask if you wanted any salt or pepper or condiments. Now it might just be that I was at the bar (talking to the server/bartender), but I think that some of their servers can be terrible. Furthermore, a few others at the table independently told me that the restaurant/bar was not busy and they were 8 of about 20 people when the 8 ordered only wings (which were on special, hence the low cost of the check) and salads. I know that wings only take a few minutes to cook and that salads are easy to make as well. I don't know what exactly happened because I wasn't there. What I do know from personal experience is that the service at that bar can be terrible; it is usually empty in there, no matter when you go; and that the owner is making the majority of his money from the hundreds of college students who come down there to dance to crappy techno music after they have pre-gamed and to drink at the bar from no earlier than 12:01 a.m. to close. And for anyone who is going to complain about the graduate students being cheap, I'd like to see you walk a mile in their shoes. With probable students loans to pay, making just a bit more than the poverty line, not to mention health/auto insurance, being frugal is an almost requirement of being a graduate student. I know. I am a graduate student.
George: Spoken like a true restaurant owner or cheapskate diner. You missed the whole point. It isn't always up to the server how much money is made. Great servers cannot rifle pockets of diner if stiffed, no matter how good the service was. $$$$$ may be earned but diner can leave $ or 0 on the table. This, of course, leaves a negative balance with which to pay all those people who have their hands in the servers' pockets with the blessings of the owners. If you don't want to tip, stay home or pack a lunch until someone changes the tip rules and owners pay decent wages. Everyone, remember, a great way to judge character of people is how they treat those who serve them. And then....there's karma. LE
Lynn, the only guarantee a server signs on for when taking a wait staff position is their hourly wage. That's all, nothing more. Beyond that, it's up to them how much money they make. It's no different than taking a sales position. Hustle to provide great service and you can expect to make more money. Provide lousy service, expect a rock in your trick-or-treat bag. Just as with sales, the back end of the business makes a difference in the quality of service you're able to provide. If the back end is lousy, you're always free to look for another company to work for.
If you order steak and they serve you fish, do you pay for the fish? Likewise, if you receive poor service, do you pay for good service? This company just signed their death sentence. Not only is it now common knowledge that they provide poor service, they'll have you arrested if you don't leave a tip.
Tipping is required as advertised. Period. However, this is NOT a police matter. Do you mean to say I can call the police in on a neighbor who has borrowed my ladder ($100+) and won't return it? Is this a Police State now in Bethlehem, controlled by Sands and the surrounding little businesses? The police should be prosecuted before anyone else in this situation.
The long wait could have been due to food not being ready for server. No matter, no server should be stiffed; they have to put up with a lot. Just the fact that there is a mandatory tip at that restaurant shows that the servers have been stiffed in the past. Some owners keep the tips, anyway. People don't realize that servers also have to tip bartenders in order to receive drinks to serve. Some have to tip kitchen help, all tip the bus people, sometimes have to pay off managers, also the ma�tre d� ...just for the great opportunity to work their butts off. And, some restaurants insist that the servers "split" tips, sharing all the tips...encouraging those who are honesty deprived to steal from co-workers. It's unfair that servers have to rely on generosity of diners but that's the way it is. Stay home if you don't want to tip until the world changes and owners pay living wages. Hah! P.S. In Canada, I saw hotel desk clerks post tip cups on their desks.
Bill P, the problem with your attitude boils down to your use of the word, "...the help". If you and those like you, and I know those like you, consider those serving you food or drink THE HELP, THE HELP will treat you like the asshole you are. Try treating those you feel are THE HELP with some respect and maybe you wouldn't get lousy service. Do you provide a service in your industry? Do you consider yourself THE HELP for those you serve? I hope I never have the opportunity to be The Help for you jerkoff. I wonder if the other six people, who were paying less then $10 a head to have dinner, were OK with not leaving a tip. I hope to hear the whole story.
The case Leslie Pope and John Wagner of PA being arrested for not paying a TIP is similar to a no TIP arrest that happened over five years, in Lake George NY. The Warren County DA dropped the charges because of an old federal court ruling that stated TIPs are voluntary. I believe victims then sued the restaurant or the Lake George police for false arrest. In addition the IRS audited the restaurant because a TIP that is enforced is a service charge, which is taxable to the restaurant even is the money is paid to the employees. Some of the stories about this are still on-line if you google �Lake George TIP arrest�.
How about all prices are raised so a server gets a living wage and then we don't have to worry about this little battle anymore? People who think they have an option whether to tip or not are completely insane. Do I have an option to not pay full price on my groceries if the person doesn't bag for me? No, because their wage is built into the cost. You don't like to tip 20% fine. Pay twice as much for your burger then.
Bill P's response is rambling gibberish (probably due to the fact that he has no reading comprehension and couldn't figure out who actually wrote this post), and Dave, if this seriously fits with your definition of "injustice," you should go read the Wikipedia page on Sudan or something (perhaps even donate to the cause through PayPal!) because you're clearly very privileged and out of touch with reality. Oh no, that blonde grad student had to WALK UP TO THE BAR to get a soda refill? Somebody call Amnesty International! It's not so far-fetched to guess that the customers were acting like dicks, and that caused the waitstaff to act dickish right back to them. Neither party is in the right if that was the case. But all told this is less an issue about the politics of the mandatory auto-grat than it is about some most-likely-douchebaggy customers and an equally douchebaggy manager/bartender who decided to get the police involved in something that could've been settled with a simple conversation.
Hi Bill P, thanks for commenting. Just to clarify, the quoted text (behind the gray vertical bar) in this post was written by David Chang for NBC 10. The commentary, including the sarcastic last line, was written by me.
Yeah, Fela...HILARIOUS commentary. We're all real impressed. If you're ever the victim of an injustice, I hope some stranger on the internet treats you with the same respect, you jerk.
l maybe you should be getting your own silverware & drink refills" Ha-Ha David, you're right, they deserved it the cheap bastards-don't they know there is an unspoken minimum you're supposed to purchase to get "real" service? Of course they'll hit you with a guaranteed 18% gratuity even if they treat you lke the dirt you are so ha-ha jokes on you! And if you complain to the help (don't choose the bartender like they did)don't expect him to call the manager but expect the d*ck to call the police! On another site the owner said the manager offered to comp their meals (which the partons say never happened). I'm SURE that he's correct and that they turned down getting a $73 discount off of the bill but decided to pay $73 and refuse to leave the mandatory $13 tip. And when the cops got there I'm sure they reiterated their desire to NOT get their meals for free but to get arrested And expect the police to stupidly, stupidly not try to resolve it but to pick 2 of the 8 people involved and arrest them. Sounds like a good argument about mandatory tips-why bust your hump when you've got a guaranteed payout & you can spend more time sucking up to your other patrons who CAN legally stiff you (and probabaly wont leave more than 18% anyway.) And if they got some service who is to say they wouldn't have ordered more drinks, appetizers, dessert, coffee,whatever. This had better be thrown out of court & I hope everyone boycotts this lovely establishment! Explain that to David Chang-whoever the hell he is.
Frankly, I think this is outrageous. I have been treated like this before by wait staff and it is very unpleasant. You are required to pay the waitresses money even if they refuse to wait on you or are rude? This is highway robbery. And the manager and police had awful sense. Outrageous. Who would ever want to frequent this kind of establishment with this kind of treatment? http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local-beat/Time-In-Prison--70426052.html?yhp=1
@Bradley, I agree with Woody. I am a college student as well. I ALWAYS leave 20% tip and if the service is exceptional 25% when eating at restaurants. I am not rich. I work two jobs on top of a pre-med career just to be able to pay my student loans. When I don't have money, I just go to McDonalds or Wendys. If I do feel like eating something nice, I go to restaurants where I always tip. Servers have to put up with a lot and I personally believe that it should be a law that you MUST must always leave at least 15% tip. If you don't tip, you are actually making the server pay for your dinner because he has to tip the bus boy, hostesses, and bartender regardless of wether you tip him or not. Is this fair? The guy who served you food has to pay for your share to meal as well? No matter how crappy the service, you can at least pay up the 15%. Also, if its already written on the menu that the gratuitiy is automatically added, you just have to take your chance. Because you are breaking the law, if you refuse to. Either pay up or don't eat. Simple as that. This is the case in almost all of the restaurants. I know this because my boyfriend has worked as a server and your $10 tip can really make a big difference in what turns out to be his "bad" days or good days.
Is the new standard to tip on pre-tax or post-tax? I have always been told and therefore practice tipping on the pre-tax amount. If the bill comes to $54 total - with $4 in taxes - I tip $10 or 20% on $50. That still means 18.5% on the total $54 bill. I feel taxes are a cost of doing business to be absorbed by the owner. Is this fair?
Adam Ritter of frequent Meal Ticket haunt The Sidecar (2201 Christian St.) tells us that he's just inked a deal for a second location. Located in a long-vacant bar space on the corner of Montgomery and Girard in Fishtown, his as-yet-unnamed project will be most comparable to a contemporary European bistro in both design and layout � picture a 30-seat U-shaped bar in the middle of the space, surrounded by a smattering of picnic bench-style seating. The location, which'll be single-level to start out, is roughly twice the size of The Sidecar's floorplan.
Right now the plan is do between 20 and 24 beers on tap, plus growlers � "It's going to take what we do at our place and put it on performance-enhancing drugs," says Ritter. The menu, which'll be handled by new Sidecar chef Brian Lofink (formerly of Matyson and Brasserie Perrier), will be focused on well-crafted smaller shareable plates. The spot should be open sometime in the first quarter of 2010.
By the by, Sidecar's plan to expand to onto a second floor is still a go.
I love the sidecar!
[...] An even bigger deal concerning the Sidecar, owner Adam Ritter has lined up a second bar, this one� at Girard and Montgomery in Fishtown. No name yet, but the “European bistro” is aiming for a first quarter of 2010 opening. [Meal Ticket] [...]
BRING BACK CORN MASH
sidecar rules!! can't wait for a second location.
Social comments and analytics for this post... This post was mentioned on Twitter by mealticket: Owner of @thesidecarbar to open a new spot in Fishtown: http://tr.im/Fk1I...
[...] in November, we shared the news that Adam Ritter of frequent Meal Ticket haunt The Sidecar (2201 Christian St.) would be expanding [...]
PLEASE I hope they have vegan food!
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When we dropped by Michael O'Halloran's Kong (702-704 N. Second St.) back in August, we got to check out his mother-in-law Ping (above) cranking out dumplings with the quickness. Tonight they'll celebrate their house specialty with a dumpling shindig of sorts. The NoLibs eatery is offering 10 different varieties of dumplings � three pieces a plate, just 50 cents apiece. Check out the wrapped-in-dough lineup after the jump.
- Edamame and Tofu: Spinach dumpling wrapper, pan fried
- Curried Vegetable: cabbage, edamame, asparagus, shiitake
- Three Way Pork: Chinese bacon, braised pork, ground pork
- Sweet Potato, Bacon and Green Apple maple-soy dipping sauce
- Mongolian Lamb: pickled eggplant, toasted pine nut, fried
- Beef, Potato and Cabbage: ground beef, grated potato, scallion
- Shrimp and Pork Wonton: ginger and scallion
- Chinese Duck Confit: with leeks and cabbage
- Chicken and Shiitake: soy braised chicken and shiitakes
- Philly Cheesesteak: Beef, caramelized onions, mascarpone
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If whimsical cocktail lore is to be believed, today, Nov. 19, marks the 100-year anniversary of the Cuban daiquiri � rum, sugar, lime, water � making its first appearance on American soil. Story goes that Navy Admiral Lucius Johnson caught wind of the drink and introduced to his boys at the Army Navy Club one century ago today in our nation's capital. To celebrate the occasion (why do cocktails always have such awesomely erudite backstories?), The Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co. (112 S. 18th St.) is offering $8 renditions of the classic today from 5 p.m. till last call. For a dollar more, they'll strawberry-ify it for you. Since all Franklin tipples are usually $12 across the board, this is a deal, so drink one or six in a salute to the good Admiral.
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| Photo | Neal Santos |
- We take you inside the meticulous and altogether meaty research process that produced Percy Street Barbecue, the new Texas-style venture from Steve Cook, Erin O'Shea and Michael Solomonov. Be sure to check out Neal Santos' excellent photo slideshow.
- Trey Popp finds that's there a whole lot to like about chef Joshua Noh's cooking at Paul, the unassuming BYOB on Pine Street.
- Erin Mae Szrankowski touches on Thanksgiving-themed goodness and more in this week's What's Cooking food events column.
- We fill you in on the latest openings in Feeding Frenzy � check out the deets on Hawthornes, Vietnam Caf�, Green Aisle and more.
I think your stories have entirely too many options for sharing. MySpace still? Really? I'd also eliminate Reddit and Stumble Upon. Do you have actual usage stats for those links after every story?
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French Laundry/Ad Hoc/per se superchef Thomas Keller, who you might've caught on last night's Top Chef, will appear at the Williams-Sonoma in King of Prussia tomorrow at noon to sign his new book, Ad Hoc at Home. Here's Erin Mae Szrankowski with details in her latest What's Cooking column:
Renowned chef/restaurateur/multiple James Beard Award-winner Thomas Keller will visit King of Prussia's Williams-Sonoma for a signing of Ad Hoc at Home (Artisan). Named after his casual Napa Valley restaurant that specializes in family-style comfort food, the cookbook provides recipes for dishes like their infamous fried chicken. Buy a copy of Keller's cookbook at Williams-Sonoma to get the superchef's signature. Williams-Sonoma, 160 N. Gulph Road, King of Prussia, 610-265-5970, williams-sonoma.com.
he looks so chipper in that photo.
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Originally slated for Sept. 2009, former Pod chef Hiroyuki "Zama" Tanaka will open the doors of his namesake restaurant, Zama (128 S. 19th St.), this December.
The former Loie space got a chic makeover by Jun Aizaki of Cr�me Design Collective, the design-brain behind Jose Garces' Amada, Chifa, Tinto, Distrito and Village Whiskey. In a June interview with Meal Ticket, Tanaka used the term "wa" � that crisp, distinct design style that's immediately recognizable as Japanese � to describe his vision for the 80-seat eatery. Aizaki delivered an ultra-simple space with backlit, light-colored maple wooden slats framing the walls, concrete floors sparkled with with shimmery aggregates, maple wood butcher block tables and a vaulted ceiling.
Hot menu items will range from $5 to $28. Highlights include "Lob-Temp," tempura lobster with uni sauce and teriyaki truffle; and "Sizzled White Fish," striped bass with citrus-soy and finished with hot sesame oil.� Soups, salads and a few entr�es round out the selection � look for Genmai Vegetable Spring Rolls with spinach, wood ear mushroom and pickled vegetable wrapped with brown rice paper and the cooked-tableside Zama House Tofu. More than 30 items, including maki and vegetable choices, will be available a la carte from the sashimi menu.
A full bar will be stocked with Japanese and domestic beers, a variety of sakes and wine, as well as specialty cocktails (like the Tokyo Martini, a blend of bourbon, ginger brandy, St. Germain and grenadine). More menu items and cocktails after the jump.
Featured Food Items
Lob-Temp, tempura lobster with uni sauce and teriyaki-truffle
Hama-peno Mango, yellowtail with jalapeno and chili-mango
Bullish!!!, seared Kobe beef on top of sesame-soy wrapped sushi rice with spicy ponzu
Sizzled White Fish, striped bass with citrus-soy, finished with hot sesame oil
Akadashi Soup with tofu and scallion
Salmon Skin Salad with mixed greens, kawarie sprouts and sesame onion dressing
Genmai Vegetable Spring rolls with spinach, wood ear mushroom and pickled vegetable wrapped with brown rice paper
Zama House Tofu, cooked tableside with choice of two sauces
Kirin Ichiban Braised Short Ribs served with saut�ed udon noodles
Yuzu Pepper Chicken, oven roasted free-range chicken with grilled maitake and Tokyo scallions
Black Cod Misoyaki with pickled root vegetables
Specialty Cocktails
Grasshopper-san, Zen green tea liquor, melon liqueur and Calpico soda
Sake Punch, Nigori, black cherry vodka, raspberry puree, mango juice, lime juice and garnished with dragon fruit
Tokyo Martini, bourbon, ginger brandy, St. Germain liquor and grenadine
sounds a lot like the same morimoto stuff to me. Maybe they should photo copy the nobu menu
Hopefully they will serve Zima.
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| Photo | Monica Simpson |
There is no alcoholic beverage that I enjoy more than champagne. But let�s get real, I usually just drink it � I know very little about the stuff other than the fact that it's carbonated, and if it�s not from the region of Champagne, France, you have to call it "sparkling wine." But last week's Phiz Fest, at the Grand Ballroom at the Park Hyatt at the Bellevue, was just as much for the champagne connoisseur as it was for the novice � both received an education in pairing possibilities.
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| Photo | Monica Simpso |
My education began with the crispness of Taittinger Brut La Francaise. I then fell for the light and sweet Schramsberg Mirabelle Brut Rose, but my particular favorite of the night was the Kitaya Ai No Hime "Princess of Love" sparkling sake. Princess of Love (with a name like that, it better be good) is fermented in such a way that the result is not only fruity-forward, with flavors of mango and guava, but also pink. It was the most unique drink of the evening.
To accompany the bubbly, there were a variety of foods on which to feast. Who knew champagne went so well with pizza � specifically, the honey lime chicken pie from Peace A Pizza? World Caf� Live provided a smorgasbord of vegetables and a cold roast beef spread that my companion eloquently described as "ballin'." To sweeten the deal, there was cake from Eliza�s Bakery topped with delicate champagne icing (I took three pieces).
Given the swanky Bellevue locale (and after observing a handful of attendees), there were moments when the fest seemed more like an excuse for people to simply get drunk and unknowingly audition for The Real Housewives of Philadelphia than to expand their palate. But it's still an event I would recommend to anyone. Sixty bucks gets you all you can eat and drink and a fancy Phiz Fest tasting glass to go � serving as a classy reminder that you could very well pour yourself some bubbly the next time you get a pizza delivered.
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| McGillins.com |
The Stoudt's -brewed McGillin's 1860 IPA has been available exclusively on draft at McGillin's Olde Ale House (1310 Drury St.) since it debuted Aug. 4, 2009, 150 days before the tavern's 150th birthday on January 1, 2010.� Now three distributors have just 200 cases total of the first bottling of the secret-recipe India Pale Ale, which is hopped with Centennials and Amarillos and left unfiltered for historical accuracy.
Pick up a case ($35) at Springfield Beer Distributor (27th & South St., 215-546-7301),� Bella Vista Beer Distributors, 755 S. 11th St., 215-627-6465) and Fishtown Beverage (1511 Frankford Ave., 215-634-4883).� Six-packs ($11.95) can be had at both Foodery locations (837 N. Second St., 215-238-6077 and 324 S. 10th St., 215-928-1111).
Licensing is also in the works for bottles and to-go six-packs to be sold at McGillin's, as well as other area restaurants and pubs.
Email McGillins[at]aol[dot]com with requests for bottles and kegs of 1860 IPA at your preferred distributors, take-out shops and public houses.
A Meal Ticket reader checked in with the following query this morning:
I'm trying to track down a market, florist, or retailer who sells edible flowers (edible flowers being specific varieties of plants that are farmed organically without pesticides). Any leads?
We're gonna leave this one to you, Meal Ticketers � have any suggestions on where one would acquire such a specialty item?
Restaurant Depot
Thank you, Drew, Maria, and Andy!
I did an episode of The Philly Dish where I used edible flowers. I bought them at Whole Foods on 20th. They are expensive though. $8 for a tiny package.You can call ahead and they will check for you to see if they have them in stock.
iovine bros in the reading terminal market have them usually. or Michael Anatasio Produce at 9th and Christian... Also Killian's Harvest Green a produce wholesaler can get them in for you. Lots of varietys.
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