An Arkansas waitress, who recently received a tip of $4 400 (about R70 000), was unethically fired by her restaurant after the manager coerced her into giving up 80% of the money.
Ryan Brandt, a server at the Oven and Tap restaurant in Bentonville, was given the large tip to be split between her and another server. However, she was soon asked by the restaurant manager to split the tip among all her co-workers, something that was never in the clauses of her job.
According to reports, Grant Wise, who owns a real estate company, organised the '$100 Dinner Club' to dine at the restaurant, earlier this month, with each member contributing a $100 (R1 600) tip.
I'll never forget this moment and I hope it inspires more people to host their own $100 Dinner Clubs! Grateful for everyone that helped us leave a $4400 tip. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/9rMCsRQJ8G
— Grant Wise (@likegrantwise) December 9, 2021
Wise told KNWA that he called ahead to the restaurant and asked about the tipping policy, to make sure everything would go smoothly but things did not go according to plan.
The news site reports that soon after Wise presented Brandt with the money, she was told that she is going to be giving her cash over to her shift manager, and she would be taking home 20% and sharing the rest with her co-workers, something she said had never happened in the three years she worked at the restaurant.
Wise said pooling tips with those who didn’t wait at his party was not his intention. He asked the restaurant to return the gratuity and he gave the cash to Brandt outside.
Brandt said after that, she was fired, leaving her no way to cover her bills, the new site also reported.
In a statement provided to KNWA by Oven and Tap they said: “After dining, this large group of guests requested that their gratuity be given to two particular servers. We fully honored their request. Out of respect for our highly valued team members, we do not discuss the details surrounding the termination of an employee.”
Wise has started an online fund-raising campaign to help Brandt out.
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