One Guy Doesn’t “Get It”; His Employer Does
Over the past few days a little drama has played out on Facebook. It involves a restaurant, a waiter, his apparent contempt for the military, a public rant – and how that backfired.
Sometime in the past week or so in Hawaii, a waiter at a restaurant served a party at one of the restaurant’s tables. The party at that table purportedly ran up a $60 check and left a very small tip.
The tip was reportedly small enough that it seems to me to have been a deliberate message that the service was poor. But I suppose I could be wrong; maybe the individual paying the bill was simply an a-hole, or meant to leave more and simply forgot.
The waiter was upset. Hey, I can understand that. A tip of less than 1/2% is pretty bad.
But what the guy did next was, well . . . maybe not such a good idea.
The waiter had determined that at least some people in the party that had left the small tip were military. So the guy later went on Facebook and posted a rather irate, insulting, and profanity-laden diatribe concerning the people involved in the incident specifically – as well as about the military in general. (The diatribe can be viewed here – be forewarned that the language contained is very coarse.)
Did I mention he seems to have posted this diatribe under his own name? Or that this restaurant is located just a few miles away from both Schofield Barracks and Wheeler AFB – and gets a lot of military business? Or that one of the restaurant’s co-owners is the son of a World War II and USAF vet who served in Europe at the Battle of the Bulge?
Predictably, the Facebook outburst got widely noticed. But I’m pretty sure that didn’t work out precisely as the waiter had intended.
The owner apologized publicly as soon as he’d found out about the incident. And according to this article from the Army Times, “On Tuesday, [the owner] said the server no longer worked for his restaurant, but would not elaborate.”
I’ve intentionally omitted the names of those involved above. If you’re interested, the names are in the links if you’re curious.
Yeah, in America we have freedom of speech and expression. But the First Amendment applies to government actions – not those of your employer. And when what you say adversely impacts your employer’s bottom line . . . well, unless you have a really good employment contract or negotiated agreement, your employer generally has the right to put his business interests before yours and fire you.
I guess maybe this guy has figured that last part out for himself by now.
Category: "Teh Stoopid"
The First Amendment gives you the right to speak freely.
It doesn’t give you the right to be rude.
Maybe the waiter was just a lousy waiter. Suck it up, buttercup.
Actually, I would say it does give you the right to be rude. It just doesn’t protect you from the consequences of your rudeness.
Bingo – unless you’re in uniform. Then the UCMJ does impose a few limits on to whom you can be rude, and when. (smile)
Indeed, I suspect that any commissioned officer who’s served across any two administrations in the last 25 years has wanted to violate this one against somebody. And it may well be that some who haven’t served that long have had the same wish.
(Though I notice that the VA and IRS are not on the list…)
Not just limited to commissioned officers, Alberich. An NCO (or SPC, for that matter) probably shouldn’t knowingly tell the post/base CG to go attempt mid-air sex with a rolling toroidal fried pastry. Or his 1SG or CSM while they’re performing official duties, either. (smile)
It sounds like he must have been a shitty little booger-eating Sparkle pony of a Waiter who can go fuxx himself!!! 😀
I’m guessing the waiter had lost out on a few potential romantic conquests to locally stationed military personnel, and it has embittered him.
Hey, a buddy of mine grew in Fayetteville, NC. He said it was not a good place to be a teenage male; there was no way you were going to impress the ladies with all those paratroopers running around. Maybe that’s why he joined the AF.
(Also, an Army Air Force Battle of the Bulge vet sounds a little conflated to me.)
Not really. When the weather cleared after Patton’s famous prayer, the AAF had a freaking field day providing support to Allied ground troops. See
http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/apj/apj89/win89/carter.html
Just never thought about an AF vet identifying with a ground battle that way (but then I ain’t one), but I can see if you got holes shot in your wings (much less yourself).
My great-uncle remembered the DC-3s dropping cargo off to his FA battalion when the weather cleared; he said it was the greatest thing he’d ever seen.
And a cool article.
Could also be that he was in the Army at the Bulge and joined the Air Force after ’47.
That’s indeed also possible. A fair number of WW-II vets did rejoin the military after being out for a while. Not all rejoined the same service.
We had that problem in Hawaii. 16 year old high school girls were always hooking up with the Marines.
However, realize that in Fayette-nam is a haven for big-boned girls looking for BAH. It is a scary sight to see in clubs. Women who outweigh men that are pawing all over them to be “selected”.
Granted, that happens all the time around larger installations.
CCO: …(Also, an Army Air Force Battle of the Bulge vet sounds a little conflated to me.)….
The way I read it, Nakashima’s father first served in the army, then later in the USAF (or AAf):
rgr1480: during World War II, the people who joined what later became the USAF WERE in the Army. (smile)
Hawaii locals are not military friendly…
Some of them sure are. Just make sure they’re of legal age, please.
Remind me again why we need a string of islands in the Pacific?
Beaches? Pineapples? Cuts the trip to Japan or Asiatic mainland.
So Steve McGarrett could catch crooks.
It’s pretty.
Because it makes liberals all butthurt. 🙂
Besides, every time I hear somebody talk about the Hawaiian annexation, I tell them to look up how an earlier King (Kamehameha himself IIRC) requested annexation and Statehood by the US in the 1830s because he feared British colonization but was refused because Congress *didn’t* want an empire. Fifty years later, his grandkids were getting paid off by the British, who pissed on the islanders under a veneer of political “independence”. US annexation was a win-win for Hawaiians, they just don’t like to admit it.
I would disagree Adam. There are “parts” of Hawaii that might not be as friendly. There are groups that don’t like the military being there, but its nowhere near the same level of “dislike” as places on the mainland.
So, not military friendly has a whole different definition in Hawaii than it does CONUS.
A late blooming stank-assed hippy! This guy would have fit right in with scumbags of the 60’s and 70’s.
A waiter in restaurant Alpha gives me good service and I tip him well. The next week, a waitress in restaurant Alpha gives me similar service and I tip her more than I tipped the waiter. Why? Gender discrimination. I guess that makes me a bad person.
Was it because she had a huge rack?
Mythbusters did a show on that. Bigger Boobs get bigger tips, even from other women. Granted, Kari is smoking hot in any boob-format, but I digress.
And if a guy has a huge rack, he probably won’t get a bigger tip from me, but that’s just me…
Actually, as folks who read my comments know, I am a huge supporter of womens’ and, I will add, LGBT rights. Women who work as waitresses are often treated as servants, expected to take orders, be pleasant, and satisfy the customer. To me, this harkens to the days of women as chattel and I, as a liberation proponent, want to do my part to help these women break the chains of financial bondage. So, I must say that I am greatly offended by your reference to boobs playing a role in how much I tip. Besides, I’m much more of an ass and leg man.
I really hope that was sarcasm.
I came to TAH to find an oasis of peace in this polit1cally correct world that is destroying my soul.
Great post, I am going to use this today as a training opportunity for the staff in my restaurants.
“What would happen to your sorry ass if you…..”
(My lawyers love me)
I don’t think this was about the tip as much as his general upset with the military. I think this waiter has had long time issues with the military in general and this was just gave him an opportunity to vent his opinion. But as others above have said, there are almost always consequences for our actions and he received his. Maybe, while he’s walking down the street kicking rocks, looking for another job, he’ll stop at a recruiting poster and decide to enlist. You never know, I met bigger dick heads than him in the military.
DH: just tell them the following:
“Some customers are going to stiff you on a tip. If you didn’t give them good service, take that to heart and do better next time. If you did give them good service, write it off as them being an a-hole and forget about it.
When that – or something else – happens, do NOT get stupid about it on Facebook/Twitter/whatever. People know or can find out you work here. If you p!ss off enough people that hurts MY bottom line. You do that, I will let you go – quickly.
Here’s a link to an example. You might want to look at it. This guy’s brain got ‘stuck on stupid’, and it cost him his job. Remember that.”
Then give them the link. (smile)
I appreciate your advice as always HONDO. Thing is I own the office building at the green on hole number one of the golf course. With the weather breaking for the better those barristers of mine will be out putting around instead of working.
I think the sneaky bastards try to cart on by the first hole sometimes. I text their ass if I catch them washing their balls. It is great entertainment to sit here looking out the window watching them try to cheat each other.
I wouldn’t want the lack of billable hours to cause any personal financial hardship.
I just got a kick out of reading about poor little Matt Heflin and his big tip. Got a brand new shiny quarter for you, kid. 😀
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quarter_(United_States_coin)#/media/File:COBREcentavosecuador2000-2.png
Facebook should change their catch-phrase to:
“I’ll make ya famous!”
Just like Billy the Kid, with similar results sometimes.