A Richmond restaurant’s attempt to attract customers may have backfired after its new system for incentivizing employees was posted online.
According to a former server, the new management of Tasty Secret Hotpot told staff their pay could be docked for a number of reasons, including inappropriate restaurant attire, placing wrong orders and receiving customer complaints.
The woman who created the post on Chinese social media platform Little Red Book said she and two other servers were fired after they questioned the “incentive” program.
“I asked if this abides by B.C.'s labour laws but didn't receive much of an answer,” said the former server, who goes by the handle KEL. She is an international student, and the Richmond News has agreed to not use her name.
A spokesperson for the restaurant acknowledge that management was implementing a new quality control system, however, the financial deductions would be taken from a bonus provided to staff, not from the staff’s base wage or tips.
"Aside from tips, our restaurant provides various bonuses to our staff. For example, servers will receive a commission for promoting certain dishes,” the spokesperson said.
The deductions would only be applied to the bonuses and not affect the staff's salary or tips, she explained.
"We need a way to uphold quality customer service,” the spokesperson added.
Regarding the recent termination of some employees, the spokesperson said they were let go because of their poor customer service, not because they questioned the restaurant's incentive system.
The post about the incentive program quickly went viral and sparked a flood of comments, mainly deriding the restaurant for its management practice.
The spokesperson said she is aware of the feedback and is hoping for it to blow over.
