I work at a major chain restaurant that has been in the news. So preface this, I used to be a manager at the same chain at a different location but now I am a server by choice..

When I was a manager, there were many times I told servers that they should write a letter altogether, making sure it is the same across-the-board talking about getting automatic gratuity as a manager. It wasn’t my place to write it for them or to speak on that matter that it needed to come from a server.

Also, when I was a manager, I had several of my servers talk to me about parties of 10 parties of 15 parties of 20 and parties of 30 racking up a bill of over $400 over $600 even over $1000 and being left a tip of like $20 or at most $30 time and time again. I have even had servers who took large parties of 30 people and received zero dollars as a tip. Sometimes, when this happened, I would as a manager take tables when I could or like when necessary I would take tables and then save those tips to give to that server who got seriously gypped.

I remember feeling so upset and sad for my servers that’s why I would let I would try to find someway to make it up for them so they can get some type of compensation from that. I would also make sure I know what level of service they were giving them and many of the times they were giving them very very very good service. So it wasn’t like they were being bad at their jobs. Typically when you have a table of that size as you all in her know, it’s a lot. You have to keep up with everybody and what they have their drinks where they’re sitting, and if they move, which often they do still be able to get them the proper meal.

Now I’m a server I have taken large parties 15 people and I’ve gotten decent tip 15 to 20%. I’m just now waiting for that time where I take a party of whatever and getting I do know that I am an exceptional server. I was a manager, and I know all the things to look out for and I even as a server, I tried to teach everyone And coach everyone as best I possibly can but is no longer my job.

What I wanna do is make a letter now because I am a server and contact everyone from my old location and subsequently all of the locations I have been and see if they know people who may work at other locations to write this letter to our respective DOs and SDO. I want to advocate for us to have automatic gratuity on parties of six or more like at many other restaurants. Working at this major chain restaurant we do not have automatic gratuity for any party whatsoever.

This is just an idea. I don’t know if it will work, but it might get the attention that we are not just going to work ourselves to the bone for scraps.

I don’t like the idea of my fellow coworkers running themselves into the ground, running back-and-forth from the kitchen to the bar into the room back to the kitchen to the drink station to the bar and not being properly compensated.