The Jazz Kitchen Bill Cluster Fornication

Not Afraid · 04-28-2009, 03:42 PM

OK, I've talked to Alan, the manager of the restaurant.

Esmeralda was VERY organized (as much as she could be with the sudden onslaught of separate checks). A couple of things to note:

Jazz Kitchen does NOT add a mandatory gratuity for large parties unless asked in advance. It is their policy to NOT do that.
There were a few people that asked for separate checks in ADVANCE and were accommodated without issue.
Esmeralda returned each jacket with all of the change (with no tip taken out) and any credit card slips that were a part of that bill. According to Alan, the "change" was removed from the jacket as "change" and not kept in the jacket as a tip.
The actual bill for food and drink was covered in full but the remainder left over in cash or tips on credit cards amounted to about 2% of the total.
Deciding on separate check AFTER the meal was completed was the primary factor that resulted in this disaster.

Alan made the following suggestions for the future:

We stick to ONLY one check whenever possible
We have ONE person in charge of the party so that if any questions arise (such as splitting out the check) the server knows who to talk to and our party members know who too talk to if someone need to leave early.
We stay somewhat organized until everyone is done eating. (Our running about apparently didn't help the situation either.)
We give the server our AP for discount purposes BEFORE we get the bill.

We also can add on a set gratuity amount too the total bill if we choose and request. We can add a minimum percentage and, if an individual feels it is necessary, they can add more. But, at least the server will not be stiffed in any way. This is something we should ask for before we get the bill.

I promised him that, if I was there, I would try and keep things organized so our group would minimize the impact we had on the restaurant and their staff.

04-28-2009, 03:42 PM	#11
Not Afraid HI! Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 17,108	OK, I've talked to Alan, the manager of the restaurant. Esmeralda was VERY organized (as much as she could be with the sudden onslaught of separate checks). A couple of things to note: Jazz Kitchen does NOT add a mandatory gratuity for large parties unless asked in advance. It is their policy to NOT do that. There were a few people that asked for separate checks in ADVANCE and were accommodated without issue. Esmeralda returned each jacket with all of the change (with no tip taken out) and any credit card slips that were a part of that bill. According to Alan, the "change" was removed from the jacket as "change" and not kept in the jacket as a tip. The actual bill for food and drink was covered in full but the remainder left over in cash or tips on credit cards amounted to about 2% of the total. Deciding on separate check AFTER the meal was completed was the primary factor that resulted in this disaster. Alan made the following suggestions for the future: We stick to ONLY one check whenever possible We have ONE person in charge of the party so that if any questions arise (such as splitting out the check) the server knows who to talk to and our party members know who too talk to if someone need to leave early. We stay somewhat organized until everyone is done eating. (Our running about apparently didn't help the situation either.) We give the server our AP for discount purposes BEFORE we get the bill. We also can add on a set gratuity amount too the total bill if we choose and request. We can add a minimum percentage and, if an individual feels it is necessary, they can add more. But, at least the server will not be stiffed in any way. This is something we should ask for before we get the bill. I promised him that, if I was there, I would try and keep things organized so our group would minimize the impact we had on the restaurant and their staff.
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