(A little background info before I ask my question…)
My sister-in-law (non-JW), who manages a popular chain restaurant near a Kingdom Hall, just found out that my wife and I have recently “faded”, so she decided to get something off her chest the other day… You guessed it: She wanted us to know that JWs are the worst customers ever! She then told us some really embarrassing stories about how JWs would request a table for 15 to 20 people (after a Sunday meeting) and then (when the bill came) some of the JWs would start deliberating amongst themselves on whether or not the waiter was “diligent” or not (to justify the low tip he was getting anyway). She explained how her waiters would sometimes argue over who had the last JW table. The very first time she interrupted two of her waiters during their argument (to find out what the fuss was all about), they basically told her that JWs take forever to decide what they want, ask way too many questions about the menu and, after overstaying their welcome, give very low tips.
She also mentioned that she especially dreads “Memorial” night because 35 or so JWs would suddenly show up at 9PM (when the restaurant is cleaning up just prior to closing for the day) and the restaurant employees would practically have to re-arrange the entire restaurant (only to set it up again for the next day). She never understood this since the party of about 35 usually had smaller “cliques” within the group (of about 4 to 5 JWs each) who only conversed with each other all night and practically ignored the other cliques sitting at the table. The only time the different “cliques” actually interacted with each other was when the bill (or bills) came so that one clique would not end up getting away with paying less than everyone else. Occasionally a brief argument would ensue over the tip amount and who should pay for what, but there was always a “father figure” (possibly an elder?) who kept the peace by kicking in a few more dollars (but never enough to reach the minimum suggested tip).
Anyway, she asked me if this is a common ritual among JWs (showing up in large numbers after a meeting or event and then leaving a small tip) or if this was just a “local” issue. Oddly, I didn’t think of this when she asked me the question but I recently read “Apocalypse Delayed” which touched on this subject (on page 87) where it states the following about the famous 1958 Yankee Stadium/Polo Grounds convention:
“But clerks, restaurant workers, and others were often happy to see Jehovah’s Witnesses leave. Their presence caused overwork and they were notoriously poor customers and tippers.”
So it appears that JWs have earned quite a reputation at restaurants over the years. So my question is this: Am I generalizing when I assume this is a wide-spread issue? Also… Does anyone here work at a restaurant which is occasionally visited by large groups of JWs? What has been your experience? Thanks!
