Tipping the scales: Be glad this cheapskate doesn't live in Denver

• Kanpai�s Formal Statement to WXII News Channel 12�s Story Also petition in Support of Kanpai: http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/ISUPPORTKANPAI/ Response to WXII News Channel 12 We appreciate the community�s support of Kanpai in regards to the story aired on February 23rd by WXII12 News. We are working on correcting the critical mistakes that WXII News Channel12, and WXII�s reporter Jermont Terry made during their report. We feel that our story was not portrayed accurately and we would like an opportunity to explain our circumstances. The restaurant�s policy regarding parties six or greater are automatically added a 15% gratuity. This policy is clearly stated on our menu. The report by WXII News Channel 12 regarding the situation with Mrs. Monica Covington was not accurately reported and was more complicated than what was portrayed. At the time, Mrs. Monica Covington was a frequent customer. On many separate occasions, a server of our establishment attended to Mrs. Covington. Each time our server waited on Mrs. Covington no gratuity was left. Shortly after this incident, Mrs. Covington returned with a party that was originally composed of six people, which later turned to five. The same server waited upon this party and added the 15% gratuity to her bill without the manager�s knowledge. When this case was pointed out to the manager, the problem was soon remedied and the gratuity removed from the bill. Even after the gratuity was removed, Mrs. Covington and her party left no gratuity. What followed shortly afterwards, on a separate occasion, Mrs. Covington returned with two or three other diners. Our Servers and even Chefs told the manager that they refused to wait on their party. The manager, in hopes of appeasing staff and customers alike, formally asked Mrs. Covington if she would mind a 15% gratuity added to her bill and was explained in detail as to the reasoning why. Our compliance with North Carolina Law, and our stated intentions in protecting our staff members and allowing Mrs. Covington to dine with us, was clearly stated and in an appropriate manner. Absolutely NO discrimination occurred whatsoever. We feel that WXII News Channel 12 misrepresented our story. Although they spoke with our general manager Michael Lam for 20 minutes, only a very small portion of his comments were aired during their broadcast. We would hope that their journalistic creed would go beyond showing simply one side of the story. We here at Kanpai Japanese Steakhouse are completely grateful for the warm outpouring of support shown by our loyal patrons. In this letter, our hope is to clear any misconceptions and incongruity portrayed by the reporting. The Winston-Salem community all know that Kanpai has served the community over 13 years, and we are always be committed to one goal: to provide our guests with an unparalleled dining experience

• Tipping is mandatory unless service is terrible. if you dont like it move to a country where prices arent kept artificially low by paying the staff dick.. So if you are too fucking cheap to tip just do everyone a favor and stay home. k,thx bai

• After being a manager for some time in the food industry, I can safely say that bad tippers are the norm. I can also say that in the last 15 years service is also falling off. I see both sides. However, when a patron decides that no service is worthy of a tip but continues to come and eat at the restaurant time after time, the problem is the patron not the servers. If the service was not worth a tip repeatedly she wouldn't come back. And Joe, unless she watched people spit in her food or put a booger in it, I really would doubt she had any of that in her food. The restaurant is a traditional Japanese restaurant ...they cook the food in front of you.

• It's a safe bet that this cheap woman ate a good amount of boogers, phlegm, dirt, and an assortment of other gross stuff that was added to her food.

• My daughter worked as a waitress at a Chucky Cheese. She worked hard and did a good job too. Usually when she did not get a tip it was the woman that did not tip. ALWAYS this was for a table with the worst behaved , ill mannered kids who left the most mess. I am all for the owner in this situation. To continue to come to eat a restaurant and not tip is NOT OK! Yes karma is a ..... and who is to say she did not get hers from the owner?

• Weege...gotta love the restaurant business. It is a tough one. I have owned one and waitressed quit often to pay the bills or just to have extra cash. Hmmm...I guess I have mixed thoughts. I do feel that some people go out and don't expect to tip and then there are over tippers that make up for the ones that don't. It is a give and take thing. Customer Service whether you are in waitressing, selling a car or a piece of land is tough. Suck it up and don�t complain and be grateful for what you have�a job!!! If this waitress or the cook did this to me as an owner of a business, they would not work for me period. And the owner should be ashamed for conducting his business in this manner...it will hurt him/her in the end. Karma is a Bitch! The customer that does this on a continual basis will get there's in the end. Just sit back and relax and watch!

• Here I am the perpetual peace keeper. I can see both sides on this. On the one hand, I agree with MarkB, tips should not be expected. Wait staff have a hard job, I know this.. but they know it too when they take the job. The whole idea of getting paid a super low wage because you'll get tips is just ridiculous to begin with. So on the other hand, I can see the managements position, because they should have the right to refuse service, as I being a non lawyer don't see how this refusal is in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Being a cheapskate is not a protected class.

• If this cheap bitch can't afford or, more likely, doesn't want to tip, she needs to stay home. It's no secret anymore that tips are a part of dining out, if you receive good service, you tip. If not, you withold tip and speak to the manager. You don't keep going to the same place and stiffing the server. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO/CAN'T TIP YOU DON'T EAT OUT! Simple.

• There was a woman like that who used to come into a restaurant where I worked. She would come in with her husband and two kids, order an appetizer, two kids' meals, two adult entrees and dessert. And never tip. Never ever ever. And she was a horrible, horrible bitch. So when I saw her sitting in my section, I would pay another server $5 to take that table. It was worth it to me to not have to deal with her attitude.

• <p>I call BS on the behavior of the owner. Sorry but tips used to mean, a way of expressing satisfaction and by no means were they mandatory. Now from the sounds of it, these people not only expect a tip they demand a tip. If I lived in that town, I would stop going to that place if I heard about this kind of treatment of another customer. How long before the staff decide that I don�t tip enough and my bill goes up by what they believe I should pay.</p> <p>If you believe that your service is so outstanding that the staff deserve the money for the work then raise your prices, pay the staff a larger wage and take the tip line off of your credit card slips. Write a note to customers saying you no longer expect tips and people should be cool with that because your food and service are worth it.</p> <p>Before you get all indignant on me, I understand that service staff rely on tips to make a living wage. Yes I tip and probably overtip most of the time but that is no excuse for feeling entitled to what I feel I should give.</p>

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