So do restaurants make waiting staff pay when customers leave without settling their bill? A fortnight ago, in his “Money talks” column, Patrick Collinson related how, at an airport restaurant earlier this month, he was told by a waiter that they had to pick up the tab if a customer did a runner. Yet the company in charge vehemently denied the account, saying: “This does not take place.”
The waiter’s account is far from uncommon, but companies tend to reject any suggestion that they have such policies. So we asked readers – for example, those who work in a restaurant – to get in touch. Quite a number did.
The nature of their allegations means it is difficult to verify exactly what did, or didn’t, happen – some were customers who were only able to say what they had been told, while others were deliberately vague about the details because they did not want to be identified. Here are some of the emails, and the responses from the companies.
Loch Fyne, Bristol
What you said
“We were shocked, astonished, when the staff, when pushed, disclosed that they had had to cover runners the previous night. The runners used the scam of ‘smoking’ to go outside after eating and drinking champagne and top-notch wine … and kept walking. And who paid their bill? Staff! Disgusting.”
What the company said Loch Fyne restaurants are part of the Greene King chain, which runs 3,000 pubs, restaurants and hotels, including Chef & Brewer, Farmhouse Inns and Hungry Horse.
It said: “Team members do not have to cover the cost of walk-outs in any of our pubs or restaurants. Managers do not have discretion to apply their own policy.”
Prezzo
What you said
“My daughter has been working in a small-town branch and the same situation applied, ie, if someone walked out without paying, the full amount was deducted from tips for the evening. It’s really scandalous.”
What the company said
Prezzo is part of the TPG Group, with about 300 branches. It said: “It is definitely not our policy for waiters to cover the cost of walk-outs. Managers do not have discretion to apply their own – this applies to all Prezzo Group restaurants and brands.”
The Dome, Edinburgh
What you said
“A young man (son-in-law of a friend) had to pay his employers £90 out of his wages due to a table of diners running off without paying... this establishment, the Dome in George Street, attracts customers from all over the globe … resulting in queues and queues of well-heeled customers desperate to eat there; the bottom line being that the owner’s income must be astronomical. So they have absolutely no excuse, over and above the moral one, for depriving hard-working staff of their (most likely) paltry pay.”
What the company said
The Dome includes four bars and restaurants under one roof. Its general manager, Steve Hall, told us: “I’ve been here three years and can’t recall something like this. We’d investigate fully, and most of the time swallow the cost. It would only be the responsibility of the waiter if they had been negligent. Even then, we would ask them to settle the cost of the food, not the full price.”
Carluccio’s
What you said
“In mid-February my husband and I ate in Carluccio’s, Stratford-Upon-Avon. I heard an agitated waiter talk about a ‘walker’, and it was clear someone had left without paying. Our waitress said staff have to pay out of their wages. A walker left owing £40, which the waiter had to pay, though he/she got a staff discount, so only had to pay £20!”
“I worked for Carluccio’s first Glasgow restaurant about five years ago. As you were responsible for the cash, credit card money and receipts on your own section, if they didn’t balance, it came out of your tips, no questions asked. I think the consensus is, this is tax-free money staff are never going to declare as earnings (unless paid via a tronc) ... some days you could be talking around £200, so essentially it’s fair game.”
What the company said
Carluccio’s is a chain of more than 100 Italian eateries. It said: “Incidences of unpaid bills are very rare and always dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Our default stance has always been for the restaurant to absorb the cost unless fraud is discovered. We have reviewed our policy wording and made it clear that staff will not be held liable for genuine cases of customers leaving without paying.”
Frankie & Benny’s
What you said
“This happens in the Trafford Centre, Manchester. Not consistently … lots of waiting staff are immigrant and, although settled and working perfectly legally, are afraid of losing their job and the consequences of getting another once they have been ‘sacked’, so they accept it. It’s not happened to me.”
What the company said
Frankie & Benny’s is part of the Restaurant Group, which operates more than 500 restaurants and pubs. The company said: “It is not company policy to charge staff for customers who leave without paying. But we would reserve the right, following formal procedures, to restitute from staff in the event of negligence or dishonesty.”
