Working in the service industry is a job unlike any other, especially in the food service industry. If you’ve ever been a server you know that job comes with 1 million stressors, and ID’ing customers to ensure they’re legally able to drink is one of them.
Sure, it may be slightly annoying for those of us who are well over 21, but it’s for the safety of the server and the entire restaurant.
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A man has taken to Reddit to see if he was in the wrong for not tipping his server after his wife was denied a drink because she didn’t have her ID with her.
The man begins by explaining that he and his wife would classify themselves as “regulars” at this particular restaurant, where they spend $150-200 each time and tip generously.
However, during their most recent visit, the man claimed it was all new staff who he didn’t recognize.
His 34-year-old wife was unable to order a drink since she didn’t have her ID with her, so instead, she resorted to having a few sips of his drink.
“My wife has maybe 3 discreet sips of my drink (not in front of the server) and I want to order another drink,” he wrote.
“The server refuses to give me another drink because he says we are sharing drinks and watching our table like we are little kids.”
The man goes on to say he believes the server had other people “spying” on their table.
“I have no problem with them not serving my wife because yes the law says no drinks if you don’t have ID, but you deny me a grown 33-year-old man with a wedding ring on a second drink,” he wrote.
“Even if the liquor board is there they check to make sure people who are drinking are ID’ed. They’re not going to make a fuss if someone has a sip who is obviously over 21.”
He concluded by saying it’s “none of your business what happens at our table” and left a $0 tip due to poor service, then asked the people of Reddit if he was in the wrong.
As you can imagine, the Redditors did not hold back.
“It’s your wife’s fault not the server,” wrote one person. “Alcohol laws are strict and businesses can lose their license over people like you. Then you leave no tip for someone making 3 dollars an hour because your wife forgot her ID”.
“Back when I was serving, if the liquor control board found out you served a person who didn’t have their ID, regardless of how old they looked you, the server, could face a $15,000 fine, PLUS the business would be fined between $25,000 and $200,000. Per incident,” wrote another.
It’s safe to say the server had every right to protect themselves and their workplace.
Let this be a lesson to us all to never forget our IDs at home!
