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 Message 8780 of 22774 in Behind the Bar
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Subject: Re: I need some advice.
From: Mister2
Posted: Thu Sep 29. 2005, 05:34 UTC
Followup to: "Re: I need some advice."  by Spellbinder  (Thu Sep 29. 2005, 02:55 UTC)
> Well, first question, was that stuff he did something that YOU had to 
> do if he didn't?  If not, then he hasn't an ounce of right anyway.  
> He volunteered to do that stuff...If it was your work to do, tell him 
> not to do it and you can show up 30 minutes earlier.  Take away the 
> justification...

Not really.  He scrubbed the bathroom floors (which I would have done if 
asked, but they were mopped after the last shift - fairly unnecessary, given 
that we have a weekly cleaning crew AND barbacks), and made about 8 drinks all 
night, mostly tequila shots (which he poured triples for the owners, who only 
wanted singles) and beer.  I already told him that if he needed extra opening 
stuff done, to let me know - The time he gave me to show up was already an 
hour after I normally do, which I found strange, but also didn't question til 
later.  

> Second, how does he justify $40?  I can understand if he expected a 
> couple of fins for the effort, but that amount would suggest he'd 
> been there for at least 3 hours (and that's being kind).  You may 
> trust him, but I suggest you count your tips before he even lays a 
> hand on them in the future.

If he had pulled $5 or something, I wouldn't have batted an eyelash.  But 
pulling $40 was more than I'd tip him out - hell, he's making close to $5 per 
drink poured at that rate.
> 
> I'm not sure I get the point behind him staying a bartender...do you 
> guys split tips?  If you're splitting tips officially, shove him out 
> from the bar.  If he's just serving some drinks to the owners and 
> collecting the tips they give him...well, it's cheesy and it's 
> basically stealing tipping customers (a sin of it's own), but it's 
> not strictly wrong.

No, he's taking a hell of a lot more out of the tip jar than is going in based 
on his work behind the bar.  He wants to stay a bartender because he wants to 
go home with cash in his pocket every night - even though he gets salary while 
the rest of us get hourly.
 
> Or is he suggesting that some of your tips came from the owners and 
> were meant for him?  If that's the case, tell him to keep the money 
> in his own jar and not to touch yours.
> 
> Fair warning, the fact that you trusted him until now, and he's 
> pulling stuff like this, I would expect that he's going to look for 
> new ways to steal tips in the future until you're fired or he's 
> fired.  Being that he's the GM, the best advice i have is to avoid 
> taking him head-on...Make sure the other bartenders have a similar 
> experience with him and then bring everybody to the owners.  If it's 
> just you, try to figure out why.

The thing is, he ALWAYS calls me first to pick up extra shifts.  Every single 
time.  When we normally have a staff of close to a dozen on any given night 
and that gets cut down to 2 or 3 for whatever reason, I'm the first person he 
calls, without fail.

I spoke with a manager at another job I have, who managed numerous bars here 
in town as well as others across the state, and according to him, this is very 
illegal.  I'm going to keep working here, but only as long as it takes me to 
find another gig - I'd even take a pay cut (albeit not a big one) to get out 
of this place.  And when I DO find another job, on my last weekend there, I'm 
going to bring this matter to the attention of the owners.  I'd do it now, but 
I don't really know any of them well enough to know their reactions - and 
since I can't trust my manager with money any more, I sure as hell can't trust 
his tongue if it comes down to saving his job over mine.


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