Johnny Rockets pads the bill
I was at Johnny Rockets today and you can see by the bill here that they take it upon themselves to pad the bill.We didn't want cheese, yet they added .69 for that, I actually went out of my way to tell the waiter that I didn't want mayo or cheese because I wanted to cut the fat. Mayo didn't come on the order, wonder how much that would have cost.
And the they actually added .39 for a slice of lemon, which was not ordered. I think that came in the Diet Coke.
Also, they add a tip, but they add it to the sales tax, too.
Johnny Rockets does have balls. I won't be eating there again any time soon.
We wrote about some nice Grove restaurants this week. Check out the main page here.
posted by Tom Falco at 4:47 PM
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34 Comments:
thats an outrage. i hope they see this blog.... why is an american greasy spoon adding tips anyway, let alone on tax? are they that desperate?
But their food tastes so good. The foreign tourists would not leave any tip if they had their way.
I believe it is illegal to add tip to a total which includes the sales tax - you are only allowed to add a tip on the pre-tax amount...
Correction from the previous post (right above) - you were CORRECTLY charged 15% on your PRE-TAX total. It sucks, but perfectly legal. The problem is, what do you do if you got crappy service and wanted them to REMOVE the tip?
I think you need to print this out and mail it to them; otherwise it will continue.
They need to be made aware that we are aware. I quit eating there a long time ago.
Mr. Moe's has the best burgers anyway.
Unfortunately, this is an outrage. But you can only blame it on the tourists, predominately from outside the country, who are to blame for restaraunts adding that 15% grat. charge. Most places in europe, include the tip on the bill...unlike here at home. so that i can understand...but the charge for the lemon, and the cheese (that wasnt ordered) is a bit rediculous. Now, if the service was THAT bad, as to not warrant a 3.42 tip...then i'd say something to the manager. On the other hand...a less than a 3.50 cent tip on a $22 check is nothing to really cry about, if you were a half decent human bieng, you'd know, that the servers there, and at most restaraunts with table service....RELY ON TIPS to live, because the hourly rate is roughly less than 3 bucks an hour. Now, the fact that you'd complain about a measly $3.42 tip...leads me to believe, had the tip not been included, you would have left less than the 15% which is standard. Those of us, who've been servers before, would have flashed you the middle finger, as you left. ;) You cheap ass
Wow, that was a rough comment above and probably a tad over the line... The previous poster is correct though - your math is a little off. The tip they calculated is exactly 15% of the food total w/o including tax. The fact that they charged you for the cheese couldve been a simple mistake (servers in Miami, especially the Grove, tend to be quite incompetent) but the fact that any restaurant would charge for putting a lemon in someones drink is completely absurd whether it was requested or not. I also gotta question the decision to eat at Johnny Rockets in the first place. I dont think the food is good at all (but thats just my opinion) and the music they play is enough to make even the most sane person go crazy.
My tip standard starts at 20% and can only decrease based on crappy service, attitude, lack of attention, and incompetence. I think that is pretty fair. I have been both a server and a cook and I think servers bitch about tips way too much. I can understand if you have a good attitude and try to enjoy your job and get stiffed - that sucks. But servers need to remember that this is the profession that they CHOSE to make money. Its not like Johnny Rockets walks up to people and says, "you have to come work here or we'll kill you". Bad tips are part of the job much like swimming is part of being a lifeguard at a beach. You dont see lifeguards complaining when they have to go into the water to save someone, do you? If you dont like the potential to receive a bad tip, there are plenty of desk jobs out there.
Well, my main concern was the charge for the lemon, I don't even know what the lemon was for.
And the waiter did want to argue about adding cheese to everything, they are probably told to upsell even if a person is trying not to eat all that fat.
I didn't mind the tip, I always give 20% or more. I just thought it was odd that they added it because the place is a burger joint and I felt it was a bit pushy.
My friend likes the "ambiance" of being seen on the corner there. I hate thier food, that's why I ordered the plain grilled chicken. Their burgers always make me sick.
Honestly, I wouldn't eat there if my life depended on it... cheesy charges or not. In between the noise level and the unpleasant corner in the middle of traffic, you'd have to be downright berserk to eat there.
I usually tip at least 18%, but when I see that tacked-on gratuity, I just pay that and not a penny more. I find it oddly presumptious, but of course if you eat in a cheesey tourist trap, you should expect such annoyances.
It's also worth noting that the service tends to be the worst where the house automatically adds on the gratuity. You see, the servers don't give a rip because they don't have to.
The addition of the lemon was oddly European in its pettiness. I don't think that I've ever seen a restaurant in the U.S. charging extra for a condiment, much less a garnishment, but it's quite common in the "Old Country". I hope that your experience is not an indication of a future trend.
It is also funny that they call them "American Fries" haha. If your friend likes the ambiance of being seen on the corner, why not go to Green Street? The food is a tad more pricey, but way better (for lunch, dinner is OK but the menu is boring). Plus, you dont get a free side of car exhaust with your meal...
They've been doing this for YEARS. I remember my mom being outraged years ago about this. At least back when it happened to her, they told her they did it "discretionary." In other words, if they thought you were a tourist, they would add it on.
Print it out and send it - along with the comments - to the offices of the franchise chain headquarters, not just the local schmo who owns this particular clip-joint franchise. HE is already aware he's doing this; the corp HQ may not be and it may be in violation of his franchising agreement. It's possible the chain may bring pressure against the local franchise owner.
Quit yer bitchin and do something -- go to their website and contact them:
http://www.johnnyrockets.com/contactus/
how else will they know.
What's wrong with you people! You don't even have to pay the tip if you choose not to. You don't even have to tip! Really if the waitress ignored, grabbed the top of the glass with her hands(from where you put your lips), was nasty, etc. etc.... which is a natural expererance here in south beach, I don't pay the tip on the check and leave about 10%. And, stop blaming it on the tourists! I have been in the restaurant business most of my life and todays service for lack of a better word SUCKS.
But, we'll leave that up to your own conciuos.
I think you guys need to get a life. You are not at a high end restaurant, you are eating at a buger joint. Remember we are talking about Miami and service here isnt the best but at Johnny Rockets they do better than most places in this city. Also, most of the concerns above had to do with a particular waiter not Johnny Rockets as a whole. If you were classy and had a life you would go to the manager like a civil person and deal with situation at hand, not write a blog like an idiot. Obviously you have never been in the restaurant business and have no clue what the hell you are talking about. Yes, charing for a lemon is absurd but writing a blog about ONE experience is even more absurd.
this is stupid
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR OPINIONS ON MY RESTAURANT. I AM THE GENERAL MANAGER OF THIS LOCATION AND I BELIEVE I READ ONE COMMENT THAT WAS TRUE. IF YOU HAD A PROBLEM YOU SHOULD HAVE COME TO ME AND I WOULD QUICKLY HAVE CORRECTED THE SITUATION. AS FAR AS 15% GRATUITY ADDED TO EACH BILL HAD YOU HAVE READ THE BACK OF THR MENU YOU WOULD HAVE READ THAT THEIR IS AN AUTOMATIC GRATUITY ADDED, HOWEVER YOU DID NOT READ IT. MY SERVERS ARE TRAINED IN CUSTOMER SERVICE AND PROVIDING THE EXPERIENCE THEY CHOOSE TO HAVE WHEN THEY DINE OUT. MOST OF THE RESATAURANTS HERE ALSO ADD THE TIP, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE WHEN WE ADD IT BECAUSE WE SERVE BURGERS AND FRIES, I DON'T THINK SO. IT'S APPARENT THAT YOU HAVE NEVER WORKED IN RESTAURANTS BEFORE. DID YOU KNOW THAT SERVERS IN FLORIDA ONLY MAKE $3.38 AN HOUR YET YOU HAVE A PROBLEM TIPPING THEM. DO YOU NOT LIKE TO BE PAID FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DO MAYBE NOT. WE DO NOT LIVE IN A WORLD THAT WORK IS FREE!!!
I AM HIGHLY INSULTED THAT YOU COULD NOT HAVE THE DECENSY IN MAKING ME AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, SO YOU WANT TO SLANDER THE NAME OF JOHNNY ROCKETS THAT THEY HAVE WORKED FOR OVER 17 YEARS ESTABLISHING. MY LOYAL CUSTOMERS AND THOSE WHOM CAN NOT GET ENOUGH OF OUR FRIENDLY AMBIENCE, AND RELAXED LOCATION WITH QUALITY FOODYOU ARE ALWAYS WELCOMED IN MY HOME, I DO APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INNCONVENIENCES HOWEVER F.Y.I THAT SERVER WAS ALREADY DISCIPLINED FOR THE CHARGEOF THE LEMON WE ARE HUMAN AND UNLIKE ROBOTS HUMANS MAKE MISTAKES.
DELIVERING EXCELLENCE DAILY,
GENERAL MANAGER
JENNIFER FREIRE (NOT JAN FREIRE)HAHA!
JOHNNY ROCKETS REPRESENTATIVE.
Johnny Rockets should be ashamed of themselves for profiling tourists.
Charging tourists for lemon and adding the tip to their bills is not right.
The waiter didn't "slip" or make a mistake. There should not even be an option for charging for lemon. What balls.
If you do it to everyone, then that is fine, but to pick and choose, that is against the law. No one is complaining about tipping people, we are complaining about you picking and choosing who you add the little extra charges to.
I had my camera because I blog about the Grove and you idiots just assumed we were tourists when you saw the camera, so you added for lemons, cheese and tip.
Back when Sobe restaurants were profiling black people and adding tips to only their bills, they got in big trouble.
Complain to the manager. What a joke, the manager is in on this little scam. Who you kidding?
I CANNOT belive that the manager of that store had the indecency to actually try and defend what happened there! Managers do not defend themselves online nowadays...they act upon corporate measures. I pray she gets fired.
I too worked for Johnny Rockets at one time. I would NEVER EVER have tried to defend my store online. Woulda cost me my job.
Johnny
Speaking of the whole mandatory minimum tip garbage, I got stuck with an 18% 'suggested' tip when i paid my cover charge with a credit card at Blue Martini (Brickell) the other night. I understand tipping for GOOD service and / or GOOD drinks. I tip almost all service professionals pretty generously. But to me, charging tip on a cover charge is ridiculous. What are you tipping, how stuck up the bouncer was?
Firstly, stop the shouting, JR manageress! Help me here. I may be terribly archaic in my views on take-out. I often leave a dollar at my local Thai when they bring me my order. When I dine there I tip 20% or more. My problem is understanding the concept of tipping on a purchase. For instance at some Tasti DLite or other ice cream places there's a tip job. The model has always been: you go to a store, buy an object and there employee hands it to you. Why should I tip? If I sit and have a coffee...of course I tip. Many friends work in food service and I'm in the music biz, so there's common ground of working with the public. When you take out, you are buying a product and leaving with it. I'm just baffles why that should be tippable. Also, many times WHEN I tip, I get home and they got something wrong!
I don't understand the manager paying ONLY $3.38 an hour to the waiters and then shouting at the customer for not tipping, as if $3.38 an hour is somehow the CUSTOMER's problem. If you want to add a 'mandatory' tip, why don't you just increase the price by 15% and write 'no tipping necessary'?
This comes down to the same thing as cell phone companies keeping the price low and adding artificial charges to inflate the final bill without increasing the advertised price. Why don't the restaurant guys fight for better wages rather than calling me a cheap ass just cause I don't throw down a few dollars in your hat? I am NOT my brother's keeper!
If that really is the manager of that store, they just made a very bad move.
You don't post a defensive retort like that - complete with spelling errors - on a public web site, no matter how much you think you need to defend the store. I understand Johnny's Rockets is a franchise, but it doesn't mean you own the name. You just made the whole franchise look bad with your non-customer-friendly, ALL CAPS response. Bad form. Very bad.
Don't add tips to take out. Check the local law regarding tips and gratuity (you'll see you don't have a leg to stand on).
Corporate will be seeing this soon enough. Get ready for it. They'll likely be calling you.
BTW - in the future, don't mention that additional charges you'll apply to all customers are buried in small print on the backside of the menu. You're just sinking yourself in deeper.
What bugs me the most about these automatic tips is how can I be SURE the money that I am paying is going into the pocket of the person who served me? I've read too many horror stories where stores would KEEP automatic gratuities to themselves instead of giving them to the servers, or forcing the server to split the gratuity with everybody else so all the servers got the same amount. I prefer to personally hand my server their tip. At least I know exactly where the money is going, that way.
And I sure as hell won't tip for take-out!!!
I DON'T THINK I WOULD WANT TO GO TO JOHNNY ROCKETS IF EVERYBODY THERE SHOUTS ALL THE TIME.
If you are really the manager of that Johnny Rockets and not some wanker than I suggest you do the following:
1. enroll in a nice community college and become just a tad more literate.
2. Practice the following phrase in preparation for your upcoming new move in the fast food field: :Would you like to super-size that today?"
CAPS LOCK IS CRUISE CONTROL FOR COOL
BUT EVEN WITH CRUISE CONTROL YOU STILL NEED TO STEER
70 cents for a piece of cheese? What is it made of, Dodo Bird milk??
My god, they even charged for a Lemon..lol.
Here's how I handle a situation like that:
1) Cross out the gratuity.
2) Circle the cheese and the lemon.
3) Pay the amount less the gratuity.
Now, the idiot who charged you for a lemon and a slice of cheese you didn't want has lost his/her tip for it. If asked, explain that whoever decided to charge for unwanted cheese and lemon also decided that a tip was inappropriate.
Oh, and don't go to Johnny Rockets. This kind of crap is widely-reported with them.
Wow! I worked for that owner years ago, but at the Rockets in Dadeland Mall. We used to add gratuity only on larger parties. However, EVEN FOR TOURISTS, we only put a stamp on the bill, which was two languages, that gratuity was not included.
I hope you bitch slapped the waiter on the way out.
JR's are run by corporate nazi pin heads
We have a few down here in my neck of the woods, the food's terrible.
I only go there for the shakes.
I currently work for this Johnny rockets, and although Jennifer Freire WAS our GM, she very recently got fired.
It is true that they push us to upsell with cheese and bacon and things like that, but you're not supposed to be so pushy when you offer them, and I've never heard of anyone charging for a lemon...at least in the 7 months that I've been working there.
Most places in the grove have gratuity automatically included because (generally) tourists do not tip, but we don't profile, the gratuity is added to every single check.
I'm currently a student at FIU and I work really hard to be able to pay for school and I bust my a** at work and some people are just cheap.
I take pride in my job (even if I do just work at a "burger joint") and I do a damn good job. I give everybody great service unless they have given me a reason not to.
Also, tipping on to go orders is really appreciated since we do make most of the food that is usually ordered.
IE. we fry our own fries and onion rings, make all our own desserts, and make our own shakes which are a huge pain in the butt to make.
It's really unfair of you to trash the entire restaurant on one experience. Everyone has their off days.
I appreciate the above post. I also am currently working at Johnny rockets and WISH we could add gratuity to every bill. But since the restaurant I work at is located within a mall which usually only gets the locals we aren't allowed, and you won't believe how many teenagers swarm the place, recurve the service every customer deserves, and leave exact change (no tip). If we only delivered the food maybe I would understand. Yet, again, we do have to make fries and shakes while also waiting on other tables and giving them good service too. Here's the thing, we are in America so fast food is never too far, if you wanted a burger AND are cheap then be my guest and go pick up sme burger king. We greet you when you walk in, we sing, we dance, we make a good amount of what you order, we deliver your food, and we care about your experience. It goes a little deeper than what you are getting at a fast food chain because it is a RESTAURANT where you should feel it's necessary to tip since we feel your satisfaction is necessary, and work damn hard to get it.
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