At Le Bec Fin in Philadelphia, Abraham Abisaleh worked his way from bussing tables to general manager. When you see a Manhattan ordered at midnight, you follow that waiter. When you see a waiter pouring Champagne into a rocks glass 'to check the bubbles', that's enough to take strong action. Todd Armbuster had similar hands-on experience. Before buying Service Is Us, a Chicago-based agency that supplies temporary help to the hospitality industry, he worked as waiter and bartender.
Waitresses tear up receipts and reuse the receipt number, pocketing the cash.
Taking a bottle or two at a huge function where there are 2,000 guests and 42 bars isn't hard. There's not much inventory control or accountability. Missing flatware had been a slow, pounding migraine at Tavern On the Green in New York City. So did tensions. Servers responsible for setting up stations to serve 1,500 brunches or 1,800 dinners a day often resorted to hoarding pieces in their lockers.