Thanks to elwood for noting Friday night the The Iconoclast’s post — the first mention I saw of this news — that the Florida-based restaurant chain (Bonefish Grill, notably) has dropped its plan to deduct credit card company fees from tips added to restaurant tabs. Hard-working servers won’t have their blood sucked further after all.
This afternoon I received an e-mail from Anna-Marie Zazzero, Media Relations Manager for corporate owners OSI Restaurant Partners, LLC in Tampa, Florida, announcing that they were “rescinding the policy.”
Attached was a policy statement from Joseph J. Kadow, Executive Vice President of OSI acknowledging that the decision was “inconsistent with our Principles and Beliefs. Effective immediately, no server will be charged for credit card processing fees on their tips.” In addition, in those areas where the policy has already been implemented they will be refunding any fees deducted to the servers.