"AITA for taking back a tip from the waitress?"
A few hours ago I went to grab dinner with two clients. We ate at a very high end place where my company has "an agreement" to entertain guests. The restaurant is handsomely reimbursed to cater for our company even after hours.
This dinner wasn't on the books (some are pre-planned and you get a company card to use) as one of the clients suggested it themselves when I offered to take them out for dinner halfway through the meeting.
So I picked up the spending money for this dinner (finance department has cash for this type of purpose when it hasn't been approved by higher ups, usually larger notes. This normally gets approved when you bring back a receipt).
After the meal was finished I left a tip of 150 pounds as what we ate and drank was worth a lot more, and we are told to always tip on the upper end especially when clients are with us. I don't normally go there with clients and I am not sure if the waitress recognised me from the times I have been there in the past.
So when she came to the table to pick it up and she noticed the notes (all 50 pounds notes) she said we only take cards. A little surprised I said no I have paid in cash before and this is legal tender.
She refused to listen. She even loudly said we don't take fakes here. After a bit of back and forth I was very embarassed in front of my clients as they offered to pay for the meal with their cards.
So, I said let's talk to your mananger. She took me to another section after I told my clients that it was a minor misunderstanding and asked them to go back to the company where I would join them shortly.
In front of the manager she started immediately to tell her side of the story and accused me of paying with fakes as no one carries that kind of cash. She then turned to me and said "we don't take fakes" one more time.
The manager recognized me and after explaining my end he said the payment was in full, and apologized for the waitress. He also asked her to apologize to me.
He even put in a complimentary bottle, and said he would send lunch to my workplace as a way of making up even though they don't do delivery normally. Before leaving I picked up the tip and said, I guess you won't be needing this fake tip. She didn't look very happy.
Here's what people had to say to OP:
NTA, but are you in the UK? It sounds like you might be, and if so it's worth bearing in mind that a lot of places don't take £50 notes. Clearly this place does, but the waitress could have thought they were fakes because so many places refuse to take fifties nowadays.
I think they struggle to check the new ones due to the material they're made of and the pens they have to check them. She still shouldn't have made such a fuss about it, but something to consider for next time.
WearyConstruction523 OP responded:
I am in the UK, but at this restaurant I have paid in 50's before. It would be one thing if it was a cornershop, but at this place an appetiser costs quite a bit.
They are polymer now so I understand they might not be able to check with a pen, but I would have appreciated it if she had done it discreetly. The type of clients my company work with are not people I would have come across if I didn't work for this company.
Which is why we are told to always tip more. It's an "honour" thing. Each client is worth millions to us and to be seen as cheap or fraudulent doesn't do the company ny favours. I did feel sorry for her as I thought it was an honest mistake. Hence why I am here asking if AITA, but the way she went about it rubbed me the wrong way.
KatAttackThatA%s said:
NTA she was out of place. This is something the manager should deal with, not her since she obviously doesn’t know what she’s doing. She’s lucky if she didn’t lose her job over making such a scene in front of clients and regulars. Embarrassing.
iloveducks101 said:
NTA. The waitress should have gotten the manager instead of accusing you of using counterfeit money in the first place. She was rude and disrespectful and embarrassed you in front of clients.
BeautifulPhantom1 said:
NTA, she attempted to embarrass you in front of clients and made a big stink over nothing. She deserved to lose the tip.
RogerPenroseSmiles said:
NTA, the first rule of customer service is if you have an issue, quietly bring it up with a manager. That's what they are for, handling customers when it exceeds the paygrade of the FOH staff, not Rambo underlings laying down the law like they own the place. Have had it happen plenty of times where corporate cards get accidentally denied by overzealous CC fraud prevention etc.
I would specifically make sure that in the future, said waitress will NEVER handle my corporate bookings, and I would be EXTRA generous to the waitstaff that does handle it to spite her. Speak softly and carry a big stick, in the words of Teddy Roosevelt.
And before anyone says I'm a corporate bully, I was FOH in college, and BOH during my sabbatical at one of the finest restaurants in America. Service came before even food in priority, and the food was good enough for more than one Michelin star.
produkt921 said:
NTA, this dummy waitress handles cash all day long, day in and day out. She should know what genuine cash looks and feels like. She should have brought up her suspicion to the manager in private and out of your group's view and hearing. Betcha she got fired for that too, her dumb bullshit could have cost that restaurant a very good customer.
Inevitable_Water4478 said:
NTA, what she did was unprofessional. If she thought they were fake, she should have brought them up to the manager in private, away from your client. This is coming from a former service manager.