Zuckerberg stiffs Rome waiter on honeymoon
Facebook’s $20 billion dollar man probably didn’t get rich by being overly generous.
Now, Mark Zuckerberg’s penurious ways are attracting the attention of at least one Rome waiter, who received no tip from the Facebook founder.
Zuckerberg is in Italy on his honeymoon. He married longtime girlfriend Priscilla Chan in his back yard the day after the social media giant’s company went public, making him and many of his employees some of the richest people on Earth.
London Telegraph reporter Nick Squires reports Zuckerberg and Chan really like artichokes. While honeymooning Monday, they dined on deep-fried artichokes, fried pumpkin flowers and ravioli stuffed with sea bass and more artichokes. The total bill – about $40. The tip? Zero.
Waiters at the “service included” restaurant Nonna Betta were “amazed” they didn’t at least get a Like, a Poke or even a friend request from Chan’s dog Beast.
Word is the happy couple also didn’t tip the night before after eating pizza.
This kind of news could make Italian waiters as depressed as Facebook’s stock.
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158 comments Add your comment
uga
May 29th, 2012
4:56 pm
The headline link says he “stiffed” the waiter, implying that he was supposed to pay him and didn’t. Given that this is not the case (perhaps he SHOULD have tipped him, although that is questionable at best, and in any event a matter of personal preference), this is borderline libelous. Not that he’d pursue something like this, but it still appears defamatory.
Johnny the Economist
May 29th, 2012
4:57 pm
Waiters in the US are crybabies with a huge sense of entitlement.. Don’t like your wages? Work somewhere else!
Don’t try to emotionally manipulate customers to contribute to “your salary” (guilt trip)
Your salary is a private negotiation between the restaurant and the waiter.
Waiter hourly wages in the US are going lower and lower BECAUSE customers are leaving such big tips and the employer is using that fact to negotiate below minimum wage salaries.
Market rate of waiter hourly wages will only go up when customers stop tipping.. simple economics
bean
May 29th, 2012
5:21 pm
betcha the place sucked… and if tip was included maybe that was all they deserved.. what a bunch of classless babies, I know too many people in the food industry who would never, ever speak out loud about a guest famous or not, it’s just not the proper thing to do
Jeff
May 29th, 2012
5:29 pm
Tipping is not the norm in Europe. Good service is expected. Unlike here where tipping is expected, and sometimes not earned. So why is this news? AJC run out of real news?
drooling stool
May 29th, 2012
5:34 pm
Susan: it’s “cheap skates”
Gotta go with previous posts – if service was included, then what’s the point of this article? Oh, that’s right: we Americans think we should tip for ehh-heh-hheverything! There’s a tip jar next to the register at Moe’s, for crap’s sake! The emissions place I stopped at had a sign saying “all gratuities are appreciated!” As if emissions wasn’t a total butt-raping to begin with!? This country has gone off the deep end with all the tipping. It’s REDONK!
Look before I leap...
May 29th, 2012
5:37 pm
Folks:
In Italy, the service included restaurants tack on a 20% surcharge.
This money does NOT go to the server, it goes directly into the pocket of the establishment owner.
In a sit down restaurant, it is customary (and appreciated) to leave a 10-15% tip.
Zuckerberg may be just plain cheap but if he is claiming ignorance of the customs in Italy, then how is it that the billionaire founder of an internet based company, does not know about Google?
ragman
May 29th, 2012
5:43 pm
Tips are included in European meals. American restaurants charge a premium for the food they sell. The waiters tip should be included in that price.
Look before I leap...
May 29th, 2012
5:45 pm
@Johnny the Economist:
“Waiter hourly wages in the US are going lower and lower BECAUSE customers are leaving such big tips and the employer is using that fact to negotiate below minimum wage salaries.”
Where’d you get your economics degree? Serbia?
The minimum hourly wage is NOT negotiable.
Restaurant owners are required by law to pay a minimum hourly wage: Per the US DOL:
“What is the minimum wage for workers who receive tips?
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires payment of at least the federal minimum wage to covered, nonexempt employees. An employer of a tipped employee is only required to pay $2.13 an hour in direct wages if that amount plus the tips received equals at least the federal minimum wage, the employee retains all tips and the employee customarily and regularly receives more than $30 a month in tips. If an employee’s tips combined with the employer’s direct wages of at least $2.13 an hour do not equal the federal minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference.
Some states have minimum wage laws specific to tipped employees. When an employee is subject to both the federal and state wage laws, the employee is entitled to the provisions which provides the greater benefits. “
Look before I leap...
May 29th, 2012
5:46 pm
@bean
“betcha the place sucked…”
And you know this how?
9 hangin'
May 29th, 2012
5:48 pm
Stereotypes are earned not given. My best friend is Jewish & he’s always joking about how cheap “his people” can be. Another friend runs a really big/popular restaurant in massive warehouse location. This friend says there is/was a certain element that comes into his establishment and treats everyone like doo-doo then complain to no end trying to get a free meal. Funny thing is the word must have gotten back to the “certain element” they will not comp your meal or your dranks thank goodness so now they quite showing up because heaven forbid they actually pay for something with their hard earned money. Errrrrrrythanng in their mommas name….sitting on 24’s in section 8 housing….