NJ Restaurant Chain Tells Servers to Beg for Reviews or Get Fired

Not exactly what you want to see in the midst of a nationwide worker shortage.

Making the rounds on Reddit over the weekend was this photo of a bulletin, which shows what appears to be a new Google review policy being implemented by Triple T Hospitality Group. Triple T oversees Tommy's Tavern + Tap and Tio Taco + Tequila Bar.

The policy reads:

Every service employee for FOH (front of house) is required to get a minimum of 5 Google reviews per month to remain employed at the Edison location starting February, 2022. The review must include your first name and five stars in order to count. We will have monthly Google review contests for each month to promote health(y) competition. You must have a minimum of 15 reviews to qualify for the prizes. 1st place gets first pick out of five potential prizes, and 2nd place gets to choose the leftover prizes.

Triple T Hospitality Group then lays out the prizes available:

• Two free meals up to $22
• 1 clothing item from the merch cage
• 1 blackout day of your choosing
• $25 Visa, Amazon, or Starbucks gift card
• Specialty prize (surprise)

Servers are already getting paid pennies on the dollar and must rely on tips from generous customers to make a living. If this bulletin is accurate, this wait staff must add in having to not only beg for a review but insist it includes their first name, then hope the patrons thought highly enough of them to leave a five-star review.

It makes me sad thinking about all the small businesses in New Jersey that COVID-19 has forced shut, but it makes me mad knowing businesses with awful practices like this are not only still open, but ignorant to the struggles of their employees, especially when you factor in the time that we're living in.

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In a perfect world, every single member of this restaurant's front-of-house staff would walk out in unison, but in reality, that isn't possible. Many people working in the hospitality business work paycheck-to-paycheck, depending on their weekly earnings for basic needs.

If you're going to turn your employees into review whores, then maybe consider paying them more.

One look at the prizes up for grabs shows you just how much Triple T Hospitality Group values its workers. Among the options are two free meals from the place in which they work, as well as some merchandise that represents the place in which they work. If a server earns 15 Google reviews (which undoubtedly benefits the restaurant more than the worker) in a month, they may get a ... day off?

That's not enough.

An embarrassment for Triple T Hospitality Group no matter which way you slice it.