Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Hey, late to the party, but I have to say, the original of what J would say - "Hey, was everything okay?" (paraphrased) made me sit up and think of all the times I could have used that. What you wound up saying gives me pause if only because you directly say "Is this all you meant to leave?" which can put people on the defensive... otherwise, bravo!
PS Carding people made me uncomfortable initially as well. Eventually I got to know the signs of underage drinking fairly well, and if I did card you, it was a signal to the boss that there was an issue... We had to throw a guy out who seriously looked like he was going to reach over and punch me (!!!) for carding his - I SWEAR SHE LOOKED 12 and COULDN'T be more than 16 at most! - mistress. It was really disturbing because he was like 35 or 40 - not OLD, but uncomfortably old to be dating a girl who not only look to be just entering puberty but apparently was under 21 as she did not have ANY ID on her. Ick.

I think the time has come for waiters and waitresses to get paid a salary instead of having to 'beg' for tips. And don't tell me restaurant owners don't make enough money to support doing this. I know what the markups are. Instead of telling customers not to dine out if they cannot afford tipping, tell restaurant owners to close shop if they cannot afford to pay their staff!

Federally Mandated %10% WHAT??? I have been in the biz 30 years and have never heard of this. If that were true, half the country would be in jail. Any links?
IMHO, the risk of upsetting/embarassing/infuriating a customer is not worth the reward of an extra 3-5-7 bucks on one tip.
Regarding the folks who don't see asking for ID as a courageous thing, let me assure you it CAN be. 98% of everyone, even the just turned-21 crowd, is OK with an ID check. The other 2% can have a reaction ranging from open hostility to violence. I have witnessed shouting matches, threats and more over a simple ID check. Some people carry the attitude "I don't have to show my damned ID to anybody, now get me a drink!" Witness how many shootings occur because someone was denied entrance to a bar or restaurant. A guy I knew fairly well was killed here in Las Vegas in the mid-1980's who worked as a host for a bar/restaurant/nightclub place and it was over an ID check. One guy in a party of about 5 did not have an ID; his friends were going in anyhow. He gets mad, goes to the car, gets his 38 and kills the host. (Interesting this chap, who turned out to be 24, had his gun handy, but not his driver's license.) The point is when you ask for ID, some people get REALLY offended.

If the customers had made an error and tipped too much, would you have brought that to their attention as well?

peeps are awesome - I was just saying this morning I can't believe i hadn't had any this year. i may have to cave and make these tonight

I wonder if the bunny and the chick have ever gone head to head in the microwave race....

lastly - the Wall o'Peeps at Target always makes me smile! :)

The Colonel's secret recipe ... for Peeps?

See

http://notionscapital.wordpress.com/2009/04/11/finger-lickin-peeps/

PEEPS contest/week on my blog. there is even a version of Smeeps.
http://savorthethyme.blogspot.com

This is probably the only way I could choke down one of those things. Bleh.

To understand fully the horror of this post, I share the following. Shame on you all! Power to the peeps!

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PEEP LIBERATION FRONT

The Peep Liberation Front was formed in Providence, RI in 1992 in the wake of what is now known as "The Governor Street Massacre." On Easter 1992, frustrated by the International Solidarity Organization's domination of Brown campus politics and the overall lack of chinese food in Providence, a lone deranged graduate student drove over several unwrapped packages of peeps in order to see how well they held tire impressions.* Outraged by this horrific display of cruelty, one of the peepicidal grad student's housemates rescued the remaining peeps. As they were recuperating on a shelf with many bell hooks, Paolo Friere and Franz Fanon books, the inevitable happened, and as soon as they had properly mourned their comrades, these brave survivors formed the Peep Liberation Front (PLF). Over the next four years, they staged small, targeted indoor protests in the weeks leading up to the Massacre's anniversary. Due to limited professional opportunities in RI, as multi-colored peeps faced deep discrimination in the mainstream candy community, the PLF migrated to lower Manhattan in 1995 just in time to take part in the last Wigstock held on the West Village piers. Today, the PLF continue to march each year in support of peep rights, and are focusing their off-streets efforts on policy change and public awareness. Peeps recognize that it is their lot in life to be eaten - all they ask is that they be allowed to live and die with dignity. They are currently working to pass legislation for a total ban on the microwaving of peeps.

*The answer: almost CSI-quality.

Peeps. Peeps. Peeps. So cute and sweet.
I only wish you were more tasty to eat.

Wouldn't it be more humane to cut their little heads off first?!

I used to make s'meeps in my college dorm room. we weren't allowed to have toaster ovens so I made mine in the microwave. It was always exciting to see just how large the Peeps would get. Sigh, memories!