Servers Fight Back Against Cheapskate Chili’s

By CHARLES FERRUZZA

Remember all the buzz among restaurant servers back in 1997 when Lidia’s Kansas City opened and announced that it would require its waiters and waitresses to pool their tips?

The collected gratuities would later be split evenly among the servers working that night. If you’ve ever worked in the food-service business, you know that’s not one of the more beloved practices. A real pro, who can handle a big station and has regular call customers who will only sit in that server’s station, will rake in a lot more tips than the kid who just finished training or the perpetually lazy waiter or waitress who shambles from one restaurant to the next. Who the hell wants to share tips with those types?