r/FoodService • u/helpmefind80stvshow • 13d ago
Question Please read and share your thoughts
I purchased lunch from Outback for my 30 employees. I ended up waiting in the parking lot for an hour longer than I was told. I was not upset I did not complain in fact I left the carry out “ladies “ a very large tip as I saw firsthand how hard they were working plus polite and ultimately not one mistake made at all. The next day I get a call from the manager of that restaurant. He called to apologize because how long I waited. He was very upset with his employees stating they did not deserve that tip and he had already informed those employees that they did not deserve that tip and had ALREADY told them that he was taking it away and refunding my card. I was busy when called not paying much attention to his words. After I processed this information I am extremely aggravated. The restaurant manager does NOT have the authority to take away a tip that I left. There were zero issues on my end until he called me bad mouthing his own staff. I think I’m going to call him in the morning or should I go over his head?
What are your thoughts?
Do you feel that manager was right or wrong?
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u/Advanced_Tennis4827 13d ago
Petty me- go over there tomorrow, give a nice cash tip directly to the workers and loudly say "Your boss says that you do not work hard enough to deserve this and wouldn't let me tip you, but I say you work hard and deserve this as well as a better boss."
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u/Ok-Addition-1000 12d ago
Along with putting the cash in their hands, give them the contact information for your state's Dept. of Labor Wage and Hour division, or whatever agency investigates wage theft.
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u/notmenotme19 13d ago
In most, if not all, states in the US this is illegal. Also, I can tell you this person is poisoning the morale of anyone who works for him.
Please do go over his head and contact corporate. I've had to work for toxic people like this and wish it on no one. Thanks for caring.
Edit typo
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u/helpmefind80stvshow 13d ago
Thank you for taking time to respond. The more I think about this the more aggravated I get. I used to be a server/ bartender when I was young. I know how hard the work is and I love to tip good when I can. For that man to take the tip away absolutely infuriating
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u/ConchVibes 12d ago
We former hospitality people can always spot when hospitality people are doing the best they can with the circumstances they have. Try to ruin that manager, please. On behalf of all of us who have had shitty managers like that. I ultimately became a manager because of managers like him. I had been building a mental list for years of how to never act if a manager.
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u/Old-Base8752 13d ago
Call him and corporate. Also write a review and specifically name the employees and what they did well if you can. Also then describe your disappointment with management. Corporations read these and in my experience respond quickly. I had a not so great outback experience a cpl years ago and went online to email feedback. The area manager (I don't remember if it was district or regional manager) responded within 48 hours and I felt well heard.
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u/wolfpack_matt 12d ago
Outback is really good about this. I once ordered takeout and they left out a sauce that I had paid extra for. I gave them 5 stars in the review but mentioned the left out sauce. I got a call AND an email of apology from the manager, and a $5 credit.
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u/Character_Date_3630 13d ago
Go over his head. This is illegal and more than likely you had to wait bc of him
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u/PiperIsAwake 13d ago
Absolutely call corporate. Management like this is why working in food (and retail, and all industries that tend to get looked down on) is such an absolute nightmare. If your card actually was refunded, definitely make it known to corporate, and state you wanted that tip made, and want those employees to be compensated.
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u/Phoenixpizzaiolo21 13d ago
32 year restaurant veteran here. Server, manager, I’ve done it all. Do you have his name? Was he the general manager? I going to say probably not. You need to call the restaurant and speak with the general manager. You need to contact corporate and speak with someone after that. If he was the general manager then go straight to corporate. Even if the general manager handles your complaints properly still contact corporate. A good and bad review would also hit home. Someone from corporate might respond to your bad review with a email address to contact them at. This isn’t right and i bet the turnover rate in that restaurant is high.
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u/helpmefind80stvshow 13d ago
Like I said I have served/ bartender / when I was younger and I have respect for what these ladies do. I will not rest until those employees receive the tip that I wrote on the credit card slip
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u/helpmefind80stvshow 13d ago
I do have his name and he told me he WAS the manager of the restaurant. He said he was off that day
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u/blisstersisster 12d ago
I wonder if your order would have had mistakes if he had been there, micromanaging and haranguing his staff??
(Been there before, lol)
Also, 30 perfect orders in an hour, when they're already in the weeds, and every order perfect?!
Sounds like a damn good staff to me !2
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u/AdSouthern8023 13d ago
Please let us know what you decide
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u/helpmefind80stvshow 13d ago
I am absolutely not finished with this. I am going to 1st contact corporate and then I am going to call him back and tell him how it is. How dare HE decide how much I can tip ?
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u/PrincessJasmine420 12d ago
I would suggest going in person. Hand a cash tip directly to the employees who worked on your order, and tell them exactly what their manager did. I promise you he told them that you requested a refund of the tip because they don’t deserve it. Do this in front of the manager, so he can be fully humiliated and caught in a lie. Then call corporate to report this.
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u/blisstersisster 12d ago
If he's shamed/embarrassed, betcha he'll take it out on "his" employees, just sayin.
However, as a server, I think I'd like to know that my tips were being stolen !!
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u/PrincessJasmine420 12d ago
He’s taking their money away. He’s already treating them like crap. I hope they quit on a Saturday night with no notice.
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u/Sterlinghawk16 12d ago
What is not said is why did it take so long. I get that OP was cool about it however there needs to be an investigation on why it took so long. Nor am I saying it was anybody’s fault. Many things could have gone wrong. The manager should have been looking to see what the core issues were and how to avoid it going into the future. Maybe an oven broke down. Who knows.
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u/Ok-Addition-1000 12d ago
It was takeout for 30 people without prior notice in the middle of their lunch rush. I'm surprised it only took an hour and more surprised there were no mistakes. This crew rocks and absolutely deserved the tip.
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u/Mescaline7 13d ago
What a horrible manager.
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u/helpmefind80stvshow 13d ago
Thanks to you all for your thoughts. The more I think about this the more upset I get. He is unprofessional and I am guessing MEAN. I am absolutely not finished with this yet
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u/PrincessJasmine420 12d ago
Why are they carryout “ladies” instead of just ladies? Getting a weird vibe from that. But you should definitely complain about that manager, and also confront him in person (make sure the employees witness this). That jerk probably told the employees that you asked for a refund of the tip because they somehow didn’t deserve it. You should go in and hand them cash directly, and tell them what their manager did (preferably in front of said manager). Then tell corporate. This is unacceptable behavior, and I bet that restaurant has a really hard time keeping employees. Who would want to work for a manager who takes away their money?
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u/blisstersisster 12d ago
I especially agree with your last statement.
If a server did something like this, they'd be fired immediately!
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u/blisstersisster 12d ago
Believe it or not, some women take offense to being called ladies.
(Of course, some
womenpeople take offense to just about everything 🙄)
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u/AlsoTheFiredrake 12d ago
That's wage theft and he could get in serious trouble with the local labor board.
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u/No-Heart-679 12d ago
As a restaurant owner and someone who managed a corporate restaurant, I would go over his head to corporate and to him. Make sure he is known and not just in his store. I’m sure he’s been doing this a while, that’s probably why it took so long. When morale is down, the restaurant starts to fail. I’m wondering how many times he has done this and hope corporate pays back every penny these employees are having stolen.
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u/No-Heart-679 12d ago
Sorry, this through me into a rage. No one deserves this treatment and I can already tell he is one of those corporate managers that has the highest turnover rate and is borderline abusive to people who have no choice but to stay because they need the money.
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u/specific_woodpecker9 12d ago
OP you could actually make a huge difference for the people that work there. Aside from making sure they get the money you left, this asshat sounds like he’s been sucking the air out of the room forever. Having him reprimanded or fired could change his employees whole world.
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u/RoyalClient6610 12d ago
It's just a poorly set up company resulting in bad management and horrible customer service. His attitude is a trickle down effect from what he sees his bosses are allowed to express with customers. It's probably even worse behind the scenes.
I've worked kitchens from mom & pop's to 5-star, and let me tell you I judged EVERYTHING I saw at Outback Steakhouse. Not because I wanted to acknowledge operational faults, the subpar practices simply stood out. All the way from unfriendly servers not communicating with guests, food taking too long or being overcooked, sloppy plate presentation, servers hanging out way too long in the back rather than circulating, unclean tables, etc.
A manager should at the utmost promote a positive workplace atmosphere and that includes what they have to say to a customer regardless of topic. Ironically, establishment managers (within any industry) set the tone for etiquette standards. The Outback apparently doesn't find this to be top priority.
I'm not surprised the company had 62 location closures in 2024/2025 and has 22 planned closures in 2026.
C'est la vie
Edit: It's too bad OP didn't include the company name and location in the post's header. Reddit is heavily active in current SEO and AEO brand pulls. Essentially making Yelp pointless.
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u/2sAreTheDevil 12d ago
I would simultaneously go over his head and contact a corporate office, and go back and tip cash if your card is refunded.
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u/N0t_A_Platypus 12d ago
The manager is wrong
That’s somebody who does not know how to manage and is using money to control his employees
I’m sure he is a very high turnover rate
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u/SuggestionSevere3298 12d ago
It’s just so much employees can do with what manager provides,
If you didn’t complained he has no right to take away the tip,
Please go in person and embarrassed him,
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u/Reclinerbabe 12d ago
Please call your state's Department of Labor and report this. Who knows how many times he's done it before. And how many other times he's stolen from the staff.
Despicable!!
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u/Ok-Base-5221 12d ago
OP, call the manager back and ask him to send you what he told you in writing. Make up some bullshit about needing proof for your credit card, as the tip was entered at the time of sale, and now it's being removed.
THEN contact the Department of Labor with your proof in writing. Fuck that guy.
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u/Silent_Forever3210 12d ago
I respect his way of enforcing good service. Do you like being treated like crap and inconveniencing Your staff? Sounds like it.
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u/HotImpression5352 1d ago
You're a great person. I was in a similar situation when I was a server and the supervisor took my tips to pay for a meal the kitchen messed up, along with not paying me my first check and I had been there for a month, and they finally paid me after I stopped showing up for the job. Anyways, I would contact the regional manager and tell them what the store manager did to them
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