Courts / Dublin / Report

Gresham waitress dismissed after letting customer leave without paying drinks bill, tribunal hears

Summary

A waitress named Aisling O'Brien, who had worked at the Gresham Hotel for over a decade, was dismissed after a customer left without paying a €63.55 drinks bill. On 5 July 2014, a party of six, including a former colleague, enjoyed cocktails in the hotel's Writer's Lounge. When the credit card of Ms O'Brien's friend failed, she chose not to embarrass the guest and agreed the bill would be paid the next day. Instead, she called in the following day, provided the order details to a colleague, and paid the amount with her own card. The hotel's food and beverages manager, Greg Forrestal, suspended her with full pay and later referred the matter to HR. Sharon Coleman met with O'Brien twice; on 6 August 2014 she was dismissed for gross misconduct, effective 8 August. O'Brien appealed, but the dismissal was upheld by Roger Russell, the appeals officer.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Gresham waitress dismissed after letting customer leave without paying drinks bill, tribunal hears. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

• Saturday, 5 July 2014 Other
• August 6, 2014 Other
• August 8, 2014 Other
• 6 August 2014 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2016-12-07 Publication

Why: A waitress who worked at the Gresham Hotel for more than a decade was fired after allowing a customer to leave without paying a drinks bill because she didn't want them to feel embarrassed, a tribunal has heard. CNI source report

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Hearing Or Decision

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Read the original CNI report