Takara Japanese Resturant Waitress/server VERO BEACH Florida
I am a waitress at Takara Resturant in Vero Beach, Florida. I have had customers leave the resturant without paying their bill and the resturant manager makes me pay for their bill. This has happened twice in two weeks. i am hired as a server and have no way of knowing when the people get up to leave wether or not they have paid their bill. I am busy working with other customers. Is this a legal act? This seems unfair and unethical to force the server to pay a thieving customers dining bill when they skip out without paying.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Giselle
Bloxwich,United Kingdom
Florida
#2Consumer Comment
Sun, August 23, 2015
The minimum wage in Florida is I think, $8.05. If, after your shift, your base pay plus tips and then minus the charges for the dine and dashers, causes you to fall below an hourly wage of $.05, then it is ILLEGAL for your employer to make you pay. For example, you worked 8 hours at a base pay of $2.13. At the end of your shift, by law you should have made at least $64.40 with your tips (employers are required to cover the difference if tips plus base don't add up to minimum wage). Let's say with tips, you made $80 that shift. A dine and dash table has a bill of $30 and it is deducted from you pay. That leaves you with having made $50 that shift, which is BELOW minimum wage and it is ILLEGAL for the employer to make you pay.
Please call the Dept of Labor in your area. There are several offices in Florida and the one you would call is based on your location. I am not positive, but try the Tampa office, if that is wrong number, they can steer you in the right direction. You can't post phone numbers here, so search on U.S. Dept of Labor Florida and the list will come up.