Manhattan, NY – The Prime Grill, a Glatt Kosher steakhouse in Midtown East, has fired a waiter who added an automatic 20 percent gratuity to the bill of a Chasidic couple at the restaurant, according to a press release from The Prime Grill.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
“We won’t tolerate this kind of behavior,” said Joey Allaham, owner of The Prime Grill.
“We found out about this incident one day after it happened and as soon as it was brought to our attention we researched the incident. Having determined what happened, we called in the waiter, who had only been with us for two months, and fired him right away.”
The couple dined in the restaurant on November 17, and noted that their check included a 20 percent tip. The waiter incorrectly told the couple that it was standard gratuity added to the tab for all Chasidic diners.
News of the mandatory surcharge began circulating through the Jewish community. Allaham terminated the waiter and reversed the credit card charge for the couple’s meal. Allaham said he also plans to donate the amount of the meal to the couple’s favorite charity to apologize for the incident, but has not yet been able to reach them.
According to Steven Traube, director of operations at The Prime Grill, the waiter admitted that he added the extra charge out of concern that the couple might not leave behind a gratuity.
“He added in the tip by using a button on the register that automatically adds in a 20 percent tip for parties of six or more people,” Traube said. “We have changed the system so that automatic tips can only be added by a manager.”
Traube said The Prime Grill only adds in automatic gratuities for large parties.
Kol hakavod to this fine restaurant.
Adding automatic tips to begin with is a disgusting practice, a tip is exactly that, a tip. It shouldn’t be mandatory, it should be for good service. And one of the reasons restaurants stick you with this 18% fee, (it should be 13%) is because they don’t pay their waiters a salary. Another sleazy restaurant practice is to keep their waiters’ tips, and to pay them a salary.
This is just a cover up. This was their official policy, and I know quite a few Chasidim who were added an automatic gratuity. This has been going on for quite some time.
Why charity? What dos charity to do with this?? Give the money back to the customer…
It’s very strange that there are different customs in different parts of New York City. In Flatbush, many of the kosher restaurants automatically add a gratuity to checks regardless of the size of the party, whereas you don’t see that in other parts of NYC.
Call me a cynic, but I think this story is being put out there to lend weight to Gneenfield’s attempt to pass a gratuity law. This incident makes the news, particularly Orthodox news sites (Greenfield’s constituents), there is a perceived “need” for this law and the Law gets passed. Greenfield doing the people’s work.
One moral of the story is, that the tips as a whole is outrageous and should be illegal.
Especially, in these steakhouses where just the primary payment is astronomical, the tips is a tremendous burden. They can afford to pay these waiters.
I also would add, that should they drop tips, they would see an increase of consumers at upscale steakhouses.
Same trend as you see in every 2 cultures mixing up and one looks down on other but yet they are very happy to take their money.
I personally am friendly with 2 popular fine dining places and both had said to me (one in a very derogatory way) that most patrons don’t buy very expensive food. But, the Chasidim that come, buy expensive steak etc (I don’t know why, it’s a separate debate).
Does that mean that they get treated at least as nice as the norm; absolutely not they even get this dirty unwelcoming look from the staff etc.
Oh one Chasid took it to a public domain, ouch that’s bad for business; of course an apology will take place. After all, their business is superb.
Just as the Jew always live with this guilty conscious and is always at the defensive side when it comes to the general public. So is the Chasid vs non-Chasidic Jews
Wake up and smell the coffee!
Disclaimer: I am not sure what a Chasid means to me personally there is only one kind of Jew. I am just analyzing the facts based on this article and the notion that these Jews with this old fashioned garm is being called Chasidim.
So just like Barney’s is afraid of black shoppers because of a lot of theft through fraudulent credit cards, waiters are afraid that Chasidic clients don’t tip like everyone else? The community needs to join Al Sharpton and protest together.
Their apology is simply not true. There are copies of several receipts from different waiters in the store with the 20 precent charge!
They should come up wi
wait,so this isn’t supposed to mandatory?
Unfortunately this is correct as Hasidic people don’t leave the correct tips and these poor waitresses get left with no
Money at the end of the night. I’m not saying this waiter was correct although we do need to be a little more respectful when giving tips in general.
It is appropriate to tip the server 20% but that should be the decision of the customer, not the server to pay himself a gratuity. Also, were they only charging the gratuity to chasidishe customers but not to customers in non-chasidishe levush, then it’s discrimination in addition to overcharging.
The staff at prime grill is extremely nice. I noticed them going out of their way to accommodate a chasidish couple who were out on a date. I’ve dined there a lot. Can attest first hand that this is an isolated incident.
P.S. I’m chasidish and I DO always leave a tip…!
must be a very slow news day.
I had this happen to me in a pizza store on 41 street in Miami Beach. I assume it was because we were served the wrong item and they chose not to apologize nor replace it. By the way, it was a fish dish, not pizza. I ended up tipping double because of their tricks.
Reply #4 they reversed the charge.. in addition they wana give the same amount 2 charity…. (read the story )
Joey is Joey, you can count on him doing the right thing at the right time.
I’ve seen the automated tips added in many places I go to. Anywhere between 15-20%. I’ve never argued that. Except, if and when I wasn’t happy with the service, I would just cross out the automated amount and pay the bill without any tip added.
So whats the big deal?
If it’d be me to who the waiter would say, “You’re paying more because you look Chaisdish”, he’d be getting zilch.
Oh! btw, like #14 , I’m chasidish and I DO always leave a tip when he deserves it.
I like the place alot, but I find it hard to believe that the waiter was rogue and not following some unwritten policy. Probably didn’t expect it to turn into a public relations nightmare.
The waiter is a scapegoat for the owner.
This is a standard practice there when they feel like adding on 20%.
I feel bad for this waiter..
18%-20% is a very standard rate of tipping. It shouldn’t be mandatory, but unfortunately some people are truly ignorant of proper tipping etiquette. There are many groups who have been labeled as ‘bad’ customers for their tipping practices, without mentioning ethnicity, you can find out for yourself. When you tip 20% to a waiter he also has to give a percentage to the busser, and sometimes to the matire’d and bartender depending on the establishment. That being said, hopefully the story will enlighten anyone who doesn’t properly tip. The waiter was likely tired of getting stiffed by those who he characterized as chasidishe.
Source: 10 years in restaurant industry.
Just happened to me also. Party of 2 and a 20% gratuity was added on. I wish i remembered the name of the waiter
We strive daily on ways to make our Jewish customers proud. Especially when they bring in non-Jewish friends and show them what kosher is. To us, all customers are treated equally. We have great management team that has forged close friendships with many of our clients.
It was never the policy of the restaurant. The prime grill has built its business on being a welcoming glatt kosher restaurant to all customers both Jewish and non-Jewish.
It was a single waiter (as of now we have 2 receipts one of which he logged on using a different waiters card) that perpetrated this greedy action. He has been working here for a few months and as soon as we were made aware of what this waiter was doing we fired him. It is an unacceptable practice which we won’t allow in any of our restaurants.
If you ever have any requests or issues please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Steven Traube
What’s the big deal with automatic tips? Most restaurants in Israel and Europe automatically add a service charge if 10 or 15 percent. That’s how they pay servers better than in the US
just read the receipt….
i would suspect that Chasidic customers generally tip well and/or above the general custom (minhag hamakom) because of their background and appreciation of work/labor.
the torah teaches us not to delay payment of a day laborer and this concern is imbued into all torah observant jews
In England people don’t tip, cab drivers, delivery boys, restaurants. etc. If you add the tip automatically but have signs on the menu, or such. Also I would put a notice on the receive where maybe the client could inital
If you add into the bill fine that’s all you get. Leave the decision up to me you might just get a little more
Prime grill is a overpriced complete rip off. The food is good but not good enough to warrant the price. The service is hit or miss and the ambiance is always a miss with the place always being too crowded, too hot and noisy.
This incident is just another pathetic addition to the poor overall experience that is prime grill.
Plenty other restaurants to choose from.
It is actually against the law for restaurants to automatically add tips to the bill unless it is for a party of six or over. And I have unfortunately seen this illegal practice done to people even if they were only a couple or 3 people….
I was the evening manager of one of Monsey’s finer restaurants, so I speak from experience: 25 – 30 years ago, it was very rare for Chassidic people to eat out at waiter-serviced restaurants. The new generation of young Chassidic clientele, for the most part, do NOT have training from their parents about finer restaurants and tipping — they are frequently at a loss as what is proper. In my experience, I saw many that viewed tipping as “all-or-nothing” — it the service was good, the waiter gets a tip (15%); if not, no tip. When they asked me for advice, I explained to them that the tip was a “sliding scale” from 12% to 20% “depending on” service, but in any case, it was proper to give between 15 and 20%. As the “new” generation gets older and more experienced , these type of problems will decrease …
12% is a number I never heard. The standard tip was always 15%. Today the standard seems to have gone up to 15%-20%. Many people in NYC just double the tax and leave about 18%. I, at times, used to deliver goods. The best tippers were people who worked for tips.
Yes, I know the meaning for tip that was given. I know in England, Japan etc. tips are not expected. However, here everyone knows that waiters make less than minimum wage. The law allows it. Tipping is expected because the law allows restaurants to pay waiters and busboys badly. Yes this could all change if waiters were given a livable wage, of course the price of the meal would go up. If service is terrible don’t tip, but if it is OK people should be tipped.
One of my pet peeves is that in restaurants which add a service charge, lleave the tip portion of the bill so that, if you are not careful, you will double tip. This obviously is wrong.
Well anyone who CAN afford to have a meal there shall give NOTHING less then 20% tip.
It’s amazing to me with 9-12 children they still able to go to the most expensive places like Prime Grill. The bill is above $150.- or more.
Just something to think about.
i have went to the restaurant few years back and i was not satisfied with their services at all. I have been to a lot of non kosher steakhouse “i don’t keep kosher” and the server was horrible waiter was very rude would never got back again…
Also, if you check the bill, they add the 18 percent after the tax. so you are paying 18% of the tax amount as well. Also, since they add it automatically, the waiters don’t try extra hard to be nice cuz they are getting their tip regardless.