By James Lomuscio
The manager of downtown Westport restaurant admits that some of the wait staff have added tips into the bills of teenagers, but that it has never been a restaurant policy and that it will never happen again.
Diners at Matsu Sushi over the weekend. It admitted adding tips to teens’ tabs. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Helen Klisser During for WestportNow.com
“I strongly warned them not to do that any more,” said Pauline Lee, manager of Matsu Sushi, 33 Jesup Road, “and I apologize for what happened. This is not a good thing.”
Lee made her comments following negative publicity caused by an article in Inklings, the Staples High School newspaper, by Isaac Hayden Stein, the paper’s Web editor-in-chief. He quoted students as saying they were baffled that tips as high as 20 percent had been placed on their bills.
“I noticed at the bottom of the check that there was a 20 percent tip added to our meal cost,” Morgan Garrison, a Staples senior, was quoted by Stein. “It was baffling, especially because we had waited for our food for close to an hour.”
Stern told WestportNow that he spoke to a number of students who experienced the same thing.
He also said when he spoke to Lee, who had asked not to be identified, she told him it has been the policy for a couple of years because there had been too many times when teens had skipped out without tipping.
Lee, however, tells a different story, saying that it only happened on several occasions.
“It was never a policy,” she said. “You don’t expect a teenager to tip like an adult. I appreciate the fact that they come here. We don’t expect them to pay 15 percent because they don’t have the income.”
The problem began, she said, when some wait staff became frustrated after teens paid their bills but left without leaving a tip. On their own, Lee said, the wait staff began putting tips into the bills before they were brought to the table.
“I told them that tipping is a very personal thing, and when they (teens) run away without tipping, we’ll have the house pay their tips,” she said.
Lee added that Matsu Sushi has established good relations with customers of all ages during its nine years in town.
Stein, who stands by his story and what the manager told him, feels that Lee has changed her story since the article ran and was picked up by Dan Woog’s blog 06880: Where Westport Meets the World. He also feels the restaurant was “stereotyping teenagers.”
While he took issue with some of Lee’s comments, Stein said he was happy to hear her assurance that it would never happen again.
“That’s good to know,” he said.
Meanwhile, the stereotype of Westport teenagers being poor tippers may be an inaccurate one, to hear the owner of another popular teen haunt, Sherwood Diner, tell it.
“We’ve never done that, and we’d never do that,” said Dimitri Alatakis, owner.
“I understand some restaurants do it with large parties. For the most part, the kids are excellent here. The only time the kids don’t tip is when they’ve spent all their money on food, and they apologize and say they will next time.
“Basically, the kids in Westport are excellent, and their parents have taught them very well in basic restaurant etiquette.”
Ha! I can recall Matsu doing this as far back as 2006. May not have been policy, but they always did it.
I have eaten here 4-5 times when I was in town on business. I always dined alone and don’t recall the tip being automatically included. What I do remember is that the sushi is not that great. I had to hit crumbs next door a couple of times to salvage the dining out experience. I think I just like going here because I saw Rocky III in that building when I was a kid. Anyone remember Ships’ restaurant?
Yes, I remember the movie house and Ships, but Matsu Sushi is the best Japanese restaurant in the area and I’m sorry that it didn’t fill you up, Jim. My husband and I go there often and the meal (sashimi and sushi) is always super-fresh, plentiful and beautifully presented. And I’m sure teenagers will continue to be welcomed. There are often kids in Matsu Sushi and I have never overheard complaints.
A tip should be earned and by NO means should be assumed or added to a bill. I add up to 20 percent for good service and do not reward for rude or bad service. As this was not stated on the menu this is criminal and the owner should be offering refunds to those done wrong. Sorry but we messed up does not cut it in the real world especially with teens who are not yet fully aware of norms like tipping or that the world is not always fair.
The place is good and the service is above average. I think I had a piece of yellowfin tuna once that left a bit to be desired and may have had a roll that I didn’t like once. I do remember them having excellent wasabi shumai. I retract my earlier statement. I will continue to go there. Any suggestions?
Oh, I’m glad, Jim (and I’m acting as though I know you but I don’t), because the fish there is so yummy. My family has liked the Katsu Don and the tempura, but I adore the sashimi entree with a salad. And one day I’m going to have a piece of Uni by itself (sea urchin, my favorite). The kids love the incredibly creative special sushi rolls like Super California, Rock N’ Roll and Cherry Blossom which are listed on the board.
I still say the best way to eat sushi is deep fried. 🙂
My family and I have eaten at Matsu and gotten take-out from there many times. I’ve never had an issue with the food or the service and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the restaurant to anyone.
That being said, I am not a teenager nor am I a parent of a teen who has eaten there and been victimized by this, if not illegal, highly unethical practice. I think that if that were the case I would be none too fond of the place.
I hope that the attention that this has received will ensure that this ‘policy’ is effectively squashed and will never be utilized again.
Matsu – bad job. Non-tipping teens – wake up.
Isaac Hayden Stein – fantastic job! That’s a journalist right there folks.
I laughed at Dominick Romano’s comment about deep fried sushi. When fish is that fresh (at Matsu Sushi or other Japanese restaurants where it is required to be many times fresher than one can buy in a good fish market because it will be eaten raw), it will taste delicious however you want it prepared! 🙂
And congratulations to the investigative reporting by Mr. Stein, and the helpful response from Pauline Lee that things have changed, and the suggestion to teenagers to learn that as almost-adults it is important to learn to tip.
Major props to Inklings! Keep up the muckracking!