BEWARE of Chicago Pizza!!!

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

You have to tell the server not to run the card with the grat included.  

Everyone YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED to pay a gratuity charge - it is completely voluntary.  That being said, when you hand the server your credit card, just let them know that you will only pay for the food and tax, they will go the POS station, type in the amount you requested and run your card.  The balance left over, the auto-grat, will still be in the system waiting on a manager to void it out.  Write, CASH in the gratuity line, and leave the server with whatever you want.  

This is how you make a statement.  The servers get theirs and the management has to deal with the hassle.

Maybe then, the servers can use the extra money to pay for self-defense classes and still get out of the door with cash in hand.

[Brian Siebenschuh]

Can't find anything specific to Florida, but in California...

"A tip is money a customer leaves for an employee over the amount due for the goods sold or services rendered. Tips belong to the employee, not to the employer."

"Labor Code Section 351  provides that the employer must pay the employee the full amount of the tip that is indicated on the credit card. The employer may not make any deduction for credit card processing fees or costs that are charged to the employer by the credit card company from gratuities paid to the employee."

"Your employer can neither take your tips (or any part of them), nor deduct money from your wages because of the tips you earn."

Pretty sure the definition of the tip being paid directly to the server by the guest is NOT something that varies state to state.  Restaurant owners are just on the hook for the cost of processing the tip for the server...

[copperfiend]

What tangled webs we weave. Great thread.

[coredumped]

What tangled webs we weave. Great thread.

I know...I feel like such a whistle blower! Watch out Ken.... 

[BridgeTroll]

This may be how they are getting around it...

If tips are turned over to the employer, they are no long considered to be tips and the full minimum wage must be paid.

If they are signing something saying they agree to this practice then CP pays them minimum... and keeps anything over...

[copperfiend]

What tangled webs we weave. Great thread.

I know...I feel like such a whistle blower! Watch out Ken....  

I think it's great. When I saw the story on the 6 oclock news and it referenced this post, I could not stop laughing.

[BridgeTroll]

That means that they cannot be paid the 'waiters minimum'. (4.23) but must pay 7.25.

Yep!  Thats what I meant.  Somewhere early on in this thread one of the servers mentioned that they were required to sign something agreeing to this practice.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

It is only being applied to CC tips. 

I don't want to dig back through the post but the jist of the post was they keep their cash tips and get paid the remainder of their CC tips in their bi-weekly check. 

This is where the auto-grat issue really seems to be.  The employer is using the claimed CC tips as a basis for hitting the $7.25 minimum wage.  They are keeping the remainder with the understanding that the servers get to keep their cash tips.  According to one of the CP whistle-blowers (totally understandable) they actuall move the pay-out basis to $9/hr to cover the busboys.  The server gets to keep either the $7.25 or the Actual Tipped amount if it totals over $9 per hour worked.

By auto-gratting the customers the employer is making sure that more of the tip money is going into the pool, which cuts down on their operating costs when they figure in the busboys cut and that all of the servers are now making the $7.25 on their own.

[coredumped]

We made the consumerist (indirectly):
http://consumerist.com/2010/07/florida-pizza-joint-adds-a-15-tip-automatically.html

[brainstormer]

Is this thread turning into another Moon River?    What's with the pizza joints in this town?

[TheProfessor]

Tonino's Trattoria or Nero's Cafe each have the best NY style pizza and they have take out specials.  Forgetaboutit.

[Brian Siebenschuh]

I guess Chicago Pizza is famous now.

They should be.  They have the world's best pizza (by their own humble account) :-)

[Timkin]

I guess Chicago Pizza is famous now.

They should be.  They have the world's best pizza (by their own humble account) :-)

I would debate that

[RockStar]

Tonino's Trattoria or Nero's Cafe each have the best NY style pizza and they have take out specials.  Forgetaboutit.

It's "fuggeddaboudit"
lol.

[TheProfessor]

Fuhgeddaboudit!!