To think dramatic colleague should not have done this?

[Mabeldram]

I work in big brand hospitalality.

Last night there was a married couple in my section. She was lovely and he was a bit of a sleaze. I saw him scrolling through his for you page in Instagram - full of bikini babes. And he was a bit lechy with one of our teenage food runners, so I stopped her attending the table. I'm a sturdy mid fifties meno woman, I feel very protective of the youngsters.

When the couple came to settle up, the husband had a discount QR on his phone, so as per normal protocols I asked permission to take the phone to the host station to scan,

I asked a colleague to take it over as I needed to head to another guest as a priority. He scanned it, printed the bill and popped the phone down on the platter.

I always switch a phone off once scanned but Malcolm, the colleague didn't.

Malcom came back over to me after dropping the bill and phone down to the couple and ushered me into the kitchen.

Gleefully he told me that as he was heading back to the table, a tinder notification came up on the phone so he deliberately left the phone in a very visible position for the lovely wife to see.

AIBU to think he should have closed the phone down, or placed it face down, to save the grand reveal?

Blimey. Even my local Toby Carvery gives the staff small tablets, and they scan QR codes at the table.

Taking away a customers phone, could really open a business up to claims if that phone got dropped/damaged.

And if the husband is stupid enough to have Tinder on his phone, with pop up notifications for his wife to see, then that’s on him. Malcolm just returned the phone in the condition it was given. Not his fault the notification was on the screen.

I’ve never known any waiting staff having to walk off with a customer’s phone in the UK. My DH has a taste card and shows a QR card the majority of times we eat out - never do the staff even touch the phone.

I also can’t remember the last time a member of staff used their words to establish if we were married or not.

I would not let anyone take my phone away, having had a finance app hacked recently through no fault of my own!

Nope not American.

Every phone which is taken to the POS point is only taken after permission which I'm pretty sure I mentioned in OP.

Our ipads are few and far between and some of the cameras don't work re the QR codes, that's how the convention cane about I guess. I've been in other similar branches and happily gave FOH my QR code on my screen to take to POS point.

I wasn't trying to "establish" people's marital status, it came up in natural conversation via the couples' words. 🙄 I also know that the late teen who sat on table 17 on Sunday is back for the weekend for Leeds University where he's studying Law. Again, not trying to "establish" anything; natural conversation. It's My Job.

What’s a meno woman?

Shorthand for a woman in menopause stage of life.

I’ll take things that never happened for 500, Alex.

Malcolm should be out of a job. The only justification in a professional environment is if they felt there was a genuine risk to someone's safety.

I don’t think there are any ‘winners’ in this sorry saga. Only losers.

None of his (or yours) bloody business.

Another one here completely aghast at taking people’s phones, albeit with permission. It’s a massive security risk, plus I’d hate other people’s fingers all over my screen. Yuck.

A woman who is in menopause

This. If you use your phone to pay and a notification comes thro it's not up to the assistant to do anything but take the payment and hand the device back. Sounds like he did.

As did the husband, arguably. It certainly wasn't for the purposes of edification.

You were both unreasonable.

Why did you ask a waitress to stop working on a table, instead of asking the lechy customer to stop/leave?

Why do you take customers phones instead of asking them to come to the till?

He shouldn't have looked at the customers message or left his phone open as it's none of his business, but also neither of you know the relationships dynamics.

Everywhere I've eaten recently the servers always have ipads and/or those terminals to take payments at the table. I'd never hand over my phone, especially if the maitre d' was likely to hand it on to someone else. I think you need to change your system.
Apart from that? The man was an utter sleazeball, I quite agree.
Also, I hope the menopause isn't too troublesome 🤞

LOTS of men would do this.

Team Malcolm.

The customer should have gone over to the til, as you say no option to sort it out at the table.

If the Tinder thing came up, I would’ve left it as well, since nothing to do with the transaction, up to the customer to deal with their notifications.

Yes, since reading threads on MN I've realised just how low the bar is for many men.

You make people give you their phone and wander off with it?! I cannot get over this “protocol”. Is this in the UK?

Yes uk.

I'm sure of the gun laws were different here, we'd be holding a gun to their heads to force the issue.

Huh ? Justification for what ? Not locking the customers phone ?
Bollox

Anyway if they would say anything you can cover yourself saying he forgot to switch it off. Poor wife, but she should know about it.

People actually willingly hand over their phones in what is obviously quite a downmarket establishment as they aren’t able to supply their staff with the tools to do their jobs. Well I never…. 😳