Letter to the Editor #3 12/8

By Kimi Bennett, Jasmin Dashiell and Amanda Varner

published: Mon, 7 Dec, 2009

To the Editor,

I am writing in response to Alie Gensheimer’s Dec. 4 column on how to live cheaply.

My fellow restaurant servers and I are appalled at this irresponsible suggestion to save a couple bucks. Gensheimer should be ashamed. She suggests that the consumer cheat restaurants to save money. Businesses operate to make a profit. This recession has hurt everyone, not just the consumer.

Restaurants already operate under the assumption that they will have to absorb a lot of the costs before they can make a profit. They do not assume, however, that they will lose profits from customers who are unwilling to pay for a product.

Restaurants specifically have a policy against sharing a buffet. It is inappropriate to purposely set up a confrontation with the wait staff and management in an attempt for free food.

Additionally, servers are not stupid. If we see you sharing a refillable item, such as soda or coffee, you will be charged for two.

As far as not telling a server you plan to split an item to avoid having to split the charge, you do not play by the rules of the restaurant, which purposely sets up a confrontation with management.

These suggestions are ethically wrong.

We hope that The Pitt News’ readers will not heed Gensheimer’s advice and think it is irresponsible that the paper would run such a column.

My managers and fellow servers are outraged. We hope that the paper will find some way to retract Gensheimer’s shameful suggestions.

Kimi Bennett, Jasmin Dashiell and Amanda Varner
Pitt student, Carlow student, Pitt student