Loving Hut - Stolen Tips/Wages and Propaganda - Tampa, Florida

I worked at the Loving Hut in Tampa for all of two weeks. I was the only waiter who worked there during that time. I chose to work there because I am a vegan and I needed a part time job. The job itself wasn't that bad at first, but I couldn't help but notice that I wasn't receiving my tips (cash or credit) at the end of my shifts. 

After two weeks, when my boss handed me an envelope of cash for less money than I was supposed to be paid, I asked her why I haven't received any my tips and when I could expect to. She told me she did not realize I wanted to keep my tips and that she would have to talk to her accountant about paying me. I also asked her why my check was short and she said it was short because I picked up cash tips off the tables I waited on. 

At one point during our conversation about my missing wages, she tried to make a deal with me wherein I would work for no wages at all but be allowed to keep all of my tips, including those left in the tip jar. Yes, there was a tip jar in the front of the store and every night the owner would shuffle this money into the till. I actually said, "Okay" just to see if this was really happening, but she quickly changed her mind and said she no longer wanted to do that.

She promised me that she was going to speak to her "accountant" and then "pay" me my tips the next time I worked. Well, the next time I worked, she fired me upon arrival. She said she had a long talk with "the staff" (she only has 2 other employees) and her "accountant" and that they all agreed she needed to let me go so they could hire a dishwasher.

She said I am a very good server but she just doesn't need any help waiting tables right now -- even though I was the only waiter. She then went on to explain that she really needs a dishwasher because they just can't keep up with the dishes, and that she would never expect someone such as myself to do such a demeaning job. The irony is that in addition to waiting tables, I also washed the dishes, seated customers, bussed the tables and cooked food in addition to countless other tasks, such as cleaning and so forth. I was specifically told by her that if I was not actively waiting on a table, I was expected to do these other tasks, especially the dishes! 

Not only were my tips stolen from me (several hudred dollars) and was I fired for a made-up reason, every day that I worked there, I was bombarded with religious propaganda that I could only compare to that of a cult. Large TV's in the store played videos of slaughterhouses killing animals and short movies about people who were so "enlightened" they could live on nothing but air (breatharians); religious pamphlets covered every square inch of counter space; photos of their spiritual master, "Supreme Master Ching Hai," draped the walls; and everything behind the front counter and in the kitchen was labeled with a sticker that said, "remember God!"

I would discourage anyone from working for Loving Hut. They break every labor law they can feasibly get away with, and when someone calls them out on it, they pretend like they had no idea they were doing anything wrong.