Foluso S.
Yelp
It's not common sense to start a tab without the cardholder's consent or knowledge.
After a fun night outside with family, my 5-year-old wanted something to drink on our way home. I went inside, got in line, and ordered a fountain drink, fried pickles, and fries. I paid and was given a number. Two other family members had the same thought and they followed the same process. We ended up staying longer as the kids were bonding.
We got up to leave and were told we needed to close our tabs. One of the family members had been here multiple times and said she never had to do that, but we all said okay. This is where the poor service begins.
The young worker, whom I commend for working, had a very inefficient process. There were 3 tabs that needed to be closed, and she would go back and forth asking names, writing them down, and trying to find them. This process took about 10 to 15 minutes, either because she did not write the name down correctly or could not find the tab for some reason. I offered to give her the cards we used to pay several times, hoping that would make it easier, but she declined. Finally, she brought someone to help (Gabrielle), whom I assumed was a manager of some sort. She made it worse!!!
I offered some feedback to Gabrielle, saying this process was inefficient. I asked if they could put a sign at the register saying tabs were being opened or to close a tab right away, or for the workers to verbalize that a tab was being opened. That way, we would not be held up when trying to leave. Gabrielle was dismissive, patronizing, and condescending. She told me it was common sense to close a tab and that signs were posted on the way out to close your tab. I explained to her that, in order to close a tab, I would need to know I have a tab. She said the servers normally mention this. I walked to the front and ordered a drink to test her theory, and the same thing happened. I was not told, and I saw the attendant grab the receipt, ball it up, and throw it away.
I told Gabrielle this must be a training issue. She explained that the reason for making sure the tab is closed is to ensure we are not being charged for the wrong thing. My father-in-law also bought a drink, and they were unable to find his tab. Gabrielle came back saying, "We could not find the tab, but it's okay. They probably put it on someone else's tab, and it's okay." He offered to pay, not before checking his account to see if he was charged, and indeed he was. This means she and the establishment were willing to have someone else's card be charged for a purchase they did not make, which exposes the fraudulent nature of this practice of automatically opening a tab without a customer's consent.
I should not have to read about your policies online before dining at your restaurant. It should be made simpler for first-time guests that you automatically have a running tab that could possibly be fraudulently charged, and then we have to deal with the inconvenience and time.
This entire process took almost an hour! You have a sign saying it's cashless. Have a sign to get consent before opening a tab, or just close it right away.
This is not the last you will hear about this fraudulent policy!!