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StumbleHard Rock calls out K-Fed for stiffing servers
Friday, July 31, 2009 | 8:13 p.m.
Kevin Federline never ceases to amaze. Such style, such sass, such lack of class.
Britney Spears’ ex was in Las Vegas Thursday, at Wasted Space at the Hard Rock Hotel. Federline invaded the property at around 5 p.m. yesterday when the former backup dancer arrived at the resort as expected with his VH1 cameras in tow. The crew shot a scene at the pool for his upcoming reality show and left without incident, but Federline returned a few hours later.
And that is when the trouble started.
Along with a 13-person entourage, Federline and his current flame, Victoria Prince, set up camp in Wasted Space and enjoyed the fruits of Federline’s fading fame: complementary bottle service including two free bottles of Grey Goose vodka.
The group was polite and seemed to be having fun as they enjoyed rounds of drinks, staff said, but when it came time to leave, Federline did just that: He left. Without leaving a tip.
The stiffing of the staff prompted the casino to call Federline out online.
“KFed partying with gf Victoria Prince at Wasted Space. They left NO TIP despite getting comped two bottles” the post stated.
The boo-hiss was broadcast too on the Hard Rock’s official Twitter page, which, at present, enjoys an audience of 5,465 followers.
The hotel used the popular social networking tool to spread the word that Federline would be on site in advance of yesterday’s appearance.
The tone was notably different, however, before Federline was exposed as a deadbeat drinker.
“BREAKING NEWS: K-Fed filming a new VH1 show on property today! First at the pool and later headed to Wasted Space. Details to come!” read the Tweet, which was sent just before 2 p.m. on Thursday.
It seems that the Hard Rock is not eager to have Federline back. An official press release was distributed to local media this afternoon.
“Federline sipped Grey Goose vodka and Red Bulls from the comped bottle service and then decided to stiff their servers,” the tattletale release said.
The document also quoted unnamed “observers” who called K-Fed “noticeably heavier.”
It’s one thing to be called out for not tipping, but to be called out for not tipping and called fat? That’s almost too much, even for K-Fed.
Melissa Arseniuk writes about Las Vegas entertainment and celebrity events. She can be reached at 702-948-7823 or by e-mail at melissa.arseniuk@lasvegassun.com and found on Twitter @marseniuk.
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Why would you have comped that fat tub anything?
Yes, what's the deal?
They cater to this guy, who hasn't accomplished anything other than impregnating Britney Spears and he gets comped?
If he doesn't have the good sense to leave a little something don't invite him back or at least forget the comps.
K-OVERFED is a "Wasted Space"...!!!
Sorry but you guys deserved getting stiffed by this fat loser slob by thinking he is a "somebody"!
why did they give this guy special treatment in the first place?
i think they got what they had coming to them.
the very fact they promote this no talent as a way to get people to get customers really just shows a corny and cheese-ball the hard rock and the club scene really is.
-- they comped him because he was filming a show there--but everyone knows--if you are comped you don't just leave a tip--you leave a GIANT tip. Bravo for HRH to try and help out their staff by calling him out-
Dear PeterGun.. are you the only guy in town who doesn't work in the tipping industry? This IS how this town works..or are you new? and how much hatred do you ahve in you that even with this you found a way to circle it back to Obama.
HRH is the ONLY place to party in Vegas-- and you guys just seem jealous--what? do you all work at Hooters or something? LOL
Well thats what happens when you knuckleheads kiss a nobodies butt. You (the corporation don't lose any money) your employees do. All these Vegas so called clubs are a joke. The music sucks, the drinks are over priced, and most of the people that go to them are clueless star struck morons.
the people working in these clubs are not hurting for money, they need to shut up and swallow it, whiny *itches
This is his MO. Had a friend that worked at TAO 3-4 yrs ago and they did the same thing back then. Full blown dinner, and walked. Guy is a POS and will be digging ditches in a few years.
K-Fed & Britney Spears were known for countless years for stiffing. It's HRH's fault for even letting him in. Each of them are getting much needed PR for hoaring each other for this free press.
Peter Gun You are an idiot. Obama was voted in by middle class America, educated Americans,retired Americans,poor Americans,Americans who grew tired of the very wealthy get huge tax breaks while the average American had to pick up the difference in these tax disparities,and by a huge majority of white America. Thanks to ignorant, hate mongering, fear mongering red knecks like you America was given the worst president in history George 'W' Bush. Do some research on the Bush family and Neil Bush makes K-Fed look like a beginner.They are both losers. And then thank the voters in America Palin is not in the loop.
PeterGun - the writer is filling the demand for stories like this, stories that you obviously read, and take the time to comment on twice.
Proof that you can take the person out of the trailer park, but can't take the trailer park out of the person. What did the HR expect? He has never been known as a tipper. Duh
Tipping has really gotten out of hand in my opinion.
I don't think that the servers kicked in the grey goose- it was the establishment that paid for it !!! So why should he tip the servers in exchange for getting comped ?
I suspect that the club did a LOT more business and made a LOT more money because he was there. THAT paid for the bottles of grey goose many times over !!!!
Its obvious the servers "expect" generous tips from the celebrities, but one should remember that the celebs themselves are attractions the clubs court in order to get more business. Its part of their marketing strategy, which benefits the servers as it does the club itself.
If I was bringing in the kind of money he brings in from popping those two Spears bambino's, I'd be a good tipper for sure.
Station casinos would love this guy. Stiffs mean more money for the casino. It's nice to see any casino take a stand for their employees instead of doing everything to ensure employees get as little in tips as possible.
Peter you really need to get a life or a hobby. Melissa Arseniuk is a fantastic reporter who really engages the reader. I love reading stuff like this. Sure beats the same old politics rhetoric.
The other poster "bitchincamaro" is so right, you took the time to read the article and post twice about it.
Peter ... how about spending some more time trying to disprove Obama's US citizenship. Seems like a better way to waste your time.
The most shocking thing said here is that K-Fat is filming a reality show. Why anyone would comp him or watch a show about him? it's ridiculous.
I cant watch this kind of stupidity and every channel is full of it. How are these people famous? Celeb rehab, Kardashions, John and Kate, ...or infomercials. I really need to cancel my cable TV.
I think it's awesome that they are vocal about celebrity stiffers! I am not in a tipping profession, but I have always said that if you can't afford to tip you shouldn't go out. It is detestable to stiff waitstaff whether or not you are comped. It is even more disgusting to stiff when you aren't even paying your own tab. Everyone knows that comps do not include gratuity. Anyone that claims ignorance on this point is a cheap sob. Even when I go out with a group, I will always be the last to walk away so I can make sure the tip was appropriate. If not, I compensate for the shortcomings.
To all you money grubbing whining servers out there, A TIP is something someone gives of their own free will so if you get stiffed or a person with money leaves an average tip & not an over the top tip you go crying about it. Too damn bad! either your bosses should put a mandatory tip on a bill or eliminate the tipping process all together & pay the employee a higher wage. Besides most of the time you get bad service in this town from grumpy servers or too incompetent ones who can not get an order right to save their lives, so too damn bad!! that a free-loader, hick, took your free vodka & left no tip, why didn't the Hard Rock step up & give a little extra to those servers who got stiffed as they wanted K-Fed there & promoted his filming on property, they got the free publicity out of it. Just like the free publicity they are generating by twitting about the no tip. You don't like the way somone tips or does not tip get into another profession.
my son worked at the hard rock pool a few summers ago and attended mr federline and his group n 1 of thier cabanas.he didnt tip him that day but promised 2 take care of him on his next visit.the following day mr federline returned w/his group and generously tipped my son.
Sorry, but he should have tipped at least something. Mr. Narcissa owns a restaurant as one of his side businesses and I'm always in there because I get bored.
I would be embarrassed not to leave a tip, even if my husband does own the place! I also hear stories about the unbelievably bad tippers out there; our waitresses are the best and they give 5 star service no matter what, but I have gotten to know them over the years, and every so often they will just shake their heads over the way some people behave. I don't blame them!
Regardless of who you are, not leaving a tip just a really tacky thing to do, period.
Take a $20. bottle of vodka that costs 75 cents to make and sell it for $300. because a waitress with a $3500. boob job brings it to you. Why should he tip anything? I predict the end of the club. How can people be so stuppid. Do the metro undercover people tip? with our tax money?
To MRS. Narcissa,
Your husband owns the place of course your going to get great service. Either that or your just trying to plug your restaurant.
P.S.
They should have no comment on how a customer behaves as they are there to serve not analyze the patrons.
Maybe he felt a sense of entitlement because he was shooting whatever reality show they were doing.
But still, being intentional and responsible goes a long way, especially if you are comped.
It's possible it was an oversight or a miscommunication.
If he cleans it up with the servers, will that be reported as well.
Or just forget about the whole thing, as in who cares.
At the end of the day, it's trivial.
Uhhh, yeah, "Sphen", why don't you learn how to read before making another comment? YOU LOOK RIDICULOUS.
I never mentioned the name of the restaurant and I certainly didn't drop any lame hints as to it's identity. So, what kind of an idiot would accuse me of trying to plug my husband's restaurant?
Oh, that's right, an idiot named "sphengali", that's who!!!
As for me getting better service, I've known the staff for so many years...they are great people and great servers. BUT...since you must be a giant cheapskate, in addition to a hopeless moron with no reading comprehension skills, I can see how you would attribute cheap tipping to somehow being
the fault of these waitresses and not because some people are, in fact, just plain cheap.
I think he only makes like $25K a month, he has to watch his pennies these days (not like the good old days w/Brittney)... remember, we're in a recession people??
Also, why don't the servers go get a job where they don't have to rely on tips?
Oh- and one more thing, "Sphen", when a customer leaves a lame tip after spending hundreds on a dinner with great service, these waitresses most certainly have every right to mention the bad behavior such poor tipping reflects.
What are you, stupid? Do you think you're living in the Roman Empire with slaves that aren't allowed to voice an opinion? No one's "analysing" any customer's behavior, but when/if they leave a crappy tip after great service and a great meal, you had better believe they might mention it in passing after I ask them how their evening has gone.
I realize that in your world, these servers should just have their eyes to the floor and get 40 lashes for daring to make eye contact with the customer, but in our restaurant, they are actually allowed to talk about their evening without being told to, "Shut up and quit umm, 'analysing'".
Loser.
Why doesn't your husband pay his staff more and quit delegating pay responsibilities onto the dining public?
I think he is the loser here, not Sphen.
I can't believe the cheapskates on this blog! If you get bad service, then don't tip! It is very rare that I have ever had bad service here in Las Vegas. I just have to reiterate, people that don't want to tip their server have no business going out. If you go out to eat or drink and don't tip your server for good service, you are a scumbag low-life.
Nice try at deflecting, ED, but the fact remains that here in the United States, tipping is an inherent part of the service/dining experience. Also, you don't know WHAT my husband pays, so you should "quit analysing" before you have all the facts.
But like I said, that is not the point-something I see I'll have to repeat since, like Sphen, critical thinking is obviously not one of your strong suits. The plain fact is
even if my husband paid the servers ONE MILLION dollars a year, if a customer leaves a crappy tip after a great meal and great service, they are behaving badly.
Now, go lobby Congress for restaurant tabs that contain Euro style pre-factored tips. Because as long as we have tipping in the US, failing to give a proper tip after quality service will ALWAYS be bad form, regardless of the server's base pay.
And seeing as part of the huge amount in taxes that my husband pays probably goes to help support geniuses like you, YOU are the loser, not him.
JF comes from Pendleton Oregon, a primarily Republican community of real cheapskates. It's a predominately cowboy wanta be location.
Thanks for the support ED.
By the way I usually tip 20% of the bill & 15% if the service was so so. Only twice that I can think of have I tipped less.
My point about analyzing customers is the server should be happy at what ever tip they get & not demand or assume they will get a big tip for a big bill.
A tip is an extra reward a customer willingly gives for service in THEIR OPINION was above & beyond. The servers in town feel like it is the 11th commandment to tip well.
Also when people revert to name calling & personal attacks to someone they never met they tend to lower their credibility as an intelligent person.
People who leave lousy tips for decent service are the bottom feeders of the earth.
sphengolly,
I doubt Kfed's lack of a tip was due to bad service. He's kind of got a reputation for not tipping. That makes him a cheapskate. When you're a cheapskate that stiffs waitstaff on the tip, you deserve to be outted.
The issue is what's his face getting free publicity for acting like a bad boy, he wins if he gets on your front page, in my book, not like he did something terribly wrong that cant be ammended; I think they do have underlings who take care of that.. Who is Federline anyway? never heard of him until I read the diatribe attributed to his free drinks.. As a member of a religious group, "the seven levels to hobo heaven" I understand it is a sin, to pay for drinks, and not to tip, is the fastest way to hell. By the way, I bought hell, and am partitioning it, anyone want to purchase, I have lots available on madoff ave. sometimes it feels like hell here, alas, I am digressing, liked to read all the bitching, and all the insults, thrown about, lets all pause and remember our common foe, cheapskates, and faux celebrities with entourage. Thanks for the laughs, hope I gave at least one of you a smile,
Both sides are wrong...Kfed for being a loser in the first place... and the Hard Rock for comping this nobody. The Hard Rock has about as much class as Kfed... complaining and calling him out... another example of how the mob should run vegas again..The Mob would have never had that loser in there in the first place nor went crying like a baby about it
to servers who make 100,000 a year anyways
The corporations will KILL LAS VEGAS... THIS WAS ALWAYS SIN CITY BUT WITH SOME CLASS
NOW ITS SIN CITY WITH NO CLASS AT ALL
A tip amount is and always will be subjective based on how the diners felt about the service... not on what the server's or establishment owner's perception is.
I'm not even sure why their opinion is relevant. The server's JOB is to take an order and deliver food. That's it. Obviously, they love their job or they would not have chosen that career path... therefore ANY tip is a bonus!
Don't be intimidated into tipping if you receive terrible service. If you feel compelled to tip after getting bad service, you're rewarding servers & restaraunt managers/owners for bad behavior.
OMGZ--he's big as a house!
My advice to non-tippers is this. Don't go to the same restaurant twice. If you do, you deserve whatever "extras" you get with your meal.
"K-Overfed", thats funny! Lets see now, why did HRH broadcast that this guy was filming at their hotel? Could it be that it was to draw more customers in? As we know there are a lot of Britney fans out there and some would love to meet anyone with a connection to her. I say the HRH made money off this guys small amount of fame. The comp of two bottles of overpriced vodka was absolutly nothing to them and probably nothing to federline. Look, I have been saying this for years... If you work a tip oriented job, be prepared to get stiffed sometimes. Thats just the way it is. When I waited tables I never bitched about getting stiffed. I did my job and made what I made and tipped my bus 1/3 of what I made. HRH was wrong to call this guy out. You don't answer bad form with bad form.
Ed, I hate to interject reality into your post
"A tip amount is and always will be subjective based on how the diners felt about the service... not on what the server's or establishment owner's perception is."
Most establishments have a guaranteed tip policy if the group number is XX or larger.
I was recently in Texas at a very nice steak house; the waitress made a big deal about the fact that there would be a mandatory 18% tip and then proceeded to give us the crappiest service I have ever experienced. There were sixteen of us and the bill was split four ways. We let her know up front about the four groups of four and since we all wanted to sit together so we agreed on the tipping policy.
Here is the rub, we were all drinking and trying to have a good time. The drink service was slow, the food service was slow and the only person who busted his a$$ was the busboy.
When it came time to pay the bill our waitress was all of a sudden ms. charm and friendly. We all agreed that any money EXTRA was going to the busboy. We settled our bill, paying nothing extra in the "tip" line and took a cash collection for our hard working busboy. He made about $100 extra that night.
the restaurant closed and we went to a bar and continued our night and the crappy waitress was the topic of discussion. We all agreed that if service had been personalized we would have gladly and voluntarily given more that 18%. I pay for service not neglect.
Back on topic: KFed is an idiot and this shows how the "pop culture" is parasitic.
Kfed isn't worth the snot from my nose...