General Food, Dining and Nightlife News

[REnerd]

I read on reddit that both coffee shops did an overnight move and left the shops vacant with everything removed.  The landlords are probably securing after it was left empty of everything.

Apparently nobody was told including staff or apparently the landlords.

[tomh009]

The Protecting Small Business Act passed in June halted commercial evictions until Aug 31 for any business eligible for Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (any business paying <$50,000 a month in rent who had revenues impacted by 70%). I wonder why the Blackwing landlord did this now instead of waiting for the end of the month.

Does this actually count as an eviction, though, if the tenant has already abandoned the property?

[GtwoK]

Both are shut down but smile tiger remains open. I've got multiple friends that have worked at all 3 cafes (including one who was the manager of blackwing). They didnt give the employees any notice, and even when questioned a few weeks ago as to why they couldnt order more product or hire more people (they were a skeleton crew and the shifts they were working were not legal), and if they'd need to start looking for new work, they acted as if everything was fine

I've heard of so many stories of mistreatment from every person I know that's worked there, but this last straw has left a real sour taste in my mouth. Joel and Catharine sound like awful people, I'd say good riddance if smile tiger remains open, but i certainly won't be giving them any of my business

[panamaniac]

Selling the furniture to try to save the house.

[tomh009]

Both are shut down but smile tiger remains open. I've got multiple friends that have worked at all 3 cafes (including one who was the manager of blackwing). They didnt give the employees any notice, and even when questioned a few weeks ago as to why they couldnt order more product or hire more people (they were a skeleton crew and the shifts they were working were not legal), and if they'd need to start looking for new work, they acted as if everything was fine

I've heard of so many stories of mistreatment from every person I know that's worked there, but this last straw has left a real sour taste in my mouth. Joel and Catharine sound like awful people, I'd say good riddance if smile tiger remains open, but i certainly won't be giving them any of my business

Smile Tiger is managed the same way as the other two?

[GtwoK]

Both are shut down but smile tiger remains open. I've got multiple friends that have worked at all 3 cafes (including one who was the manager of blackwing). They didnt give the employees any notice, and even when questioned a few weeks ago as to why they couldnt order more product or hire more people (they were a skeleton crew and the shifts they were working were not legal), and if they'd need to start looking for new work, they acted as if everything was fine

I've heard of so many stories of mistreatment from every person I know that's worked there, but this last straw has left a real sour taste in my mouth. Joel and Catharine sound like awful people, I'd say good riddance if smile tiger remains open, but i certainly won't be giving them any of my business

Smile Tiger is managed the same way as the other two?

From what I've heard from a friend who used to be the manager there, yes. Though it's not so much the managers that are the issue, but the owners

[Bob_McBob]

Apparently DVLB and Blackwing paid their employees alcohol server minimum wage? Kind of ridiculous since first shift couldn't even serve alcohol until recently and cafe tips aren't great. A former employee of Smile Tiger says Joel implemented the same system there, though a "current employee" just made a Reddit account to say they pay minimum wage plus tips and their employer is the bestest and really cares about them etc. And while we're airing dirty laundry, Monigram has a "tipping policy" where all the tips are kept by the owners in exchange for some bullshit "perks" like a staff party that employees don't want. Putting out a tip jar in front of your employees and pocketing the money is so dishonest.

[ijmorlan]

Apparently DVLB and Blackwing paid their employees alcohol server minimum wage? Kind of ridiculous since first shift couldn't even serve alcohol until recently and cafe tips aren't great. A former employee of Smile Tiger says Joel implemented the same system there, though a "current employee" just made a Reddit account to say they pay minimum wage plus tips and their employer is the bestest and really cares about them etc. And while we're airing dirty laundry, Monigram has a "tipping policy" where all the tips are kept by the owners in exchange for some bullshit "perks" like a staff party that employees don't want.

This is one of many reasons why I think multiple different minimum wages are a bogus concept. Unfortunately, the logical conclusion of that idea is that minimum wage is bogus in the first place, but we don’t seem to be ready for a sufficient guaranteed minimum income to make minimum wage laws redundant.

Putting out a tip jar in front of your employees and pocketing the money is so dishonest.

How is this not fraud? Anybody who does that should go to jail (assuming that is the penalty for fraud; I’m not actually a big fan of incarceration).

[Bob_McBob]

How is this not fraud? Anybody who does that should go to jail (assuming that is the penalty for fraud; I’m not actually a big fan of incarceration).

It came out on Reddit last year and was confirmed by multiple employees on Facebook. The owners responded and claimed their tipping policy is ESA-compliant but refused to elaborate. I gather there is some wiggle room for employers participating in tip pools, but the Ministry of Labour FAQ says employees can't agree to waive tips in this manner. Even if it were legal, it's shady as hell since customers obviously believe tips they leave go to the baristas, not the owners. The owners put on such a cutesy facade that most people wouldn't believe the allegation even when someone actually went to the cafe and asked one of the baristas.

https://www.reddit.com/r/waterloo/commen..._owned_or/

[plam]

It has been so nice to be in NZ where tips are not expected. They are such a terrible way to operate the whole industry.

(There are still complaints here about margins for restaurants being impossible for owners to work with, but that's another story).

[ijmorlan]

Even if it were legal, it's shady as hell since customers obviously believe tips they leave go to the baristas, not the owners.

This is why I think it’s fraud. If I say I have some wasting disease and need money to buy a wheelchair, people are likely to give me some money. If the only reason they give me the money is because they believe my false statement that I have a wasting disease and need a wheelchair, then I’m defrauding them. Similarly here, putting out a tip jar is implicitly a statement that the tip jar money goes to the servers; some people might contribute to a tip jar for the owners or other staff, but many contribute because they believe it is going to the servers. So it looks like fraud to me.

If our legal system is incapable of recognizing this as fraud, there is something wrong with the legal system.

[tomh009]

The Round Table is reopening at One Victoria. LLBO licensed -- was it before?

   

[neonjoe]

Settlement Coffee that was there before was owned by the same people that own Abe Erb. They did carry Abe Erb beers on tap.

[bgb_ca]

Settlement Coffee that was there before was owned by the same people that own Abe Erb. They did carry Abe Erb beers on tap.

Pre-pandemic, I was told that Settlement shrunk in size as the space was too big, and Round Table took over that unused space. Not sure if Settlement is still there now, but it was the last time I was down there along with Round Table. Not sure if its the same owners or not though.

[tomh009]

Based on the signs, I don't think this has anything to do with Settlement any more.