Cedars is one of the best Indian joints in Seattle. You can’t go wrong ordering their Garlic Naan, Butter Chicken, Tikka Masala and bottomless (!) chai.
Service is prompt (if a bit brusque) and your glass will never be empty. A quick, attentive waiter will pass by your table at least once every 20 seconds. Try to race them by pounding your chai or water… you can’t win.
So why not five stars? Well, I’ve discovered, through friends and a couple discussions with waiters, that Cedars doesn’t allow their waiters to keep their tips.
I’ll repeat that: the house keeps the tips.
The waiters are paid a fixed hourly rate (better than some restaurants, but still very low, by all accounts), so don’t bother tipping, as this just encourages the house to keep confiscating tips. I’ve also been told by former staff that waiters are punished if they accept cash tips or money “under the table”, so don’t make them risk their job by offering them money off the books.
I would recommend asking the proprietor to allow you to tip their staff directly. Or, simply embarass them by asking them if your tip will actually go to the waiters for whom it was intended.
Were it not for their shady business practices, I would give Cedars five (hell, six!) stars for their amazing food. I still recommend you try it; I just can’t support their mistreatment of their waitstaff. Considering how hard it is, economically speaking, to survive in Seattle, their refusal to allow their waiters to keep their tips is borderline criminal. Especially when one considers that they don’t bother to clarify their policy (and punish waiters who do) when they hand you the check.
wendoger
04/10/2007Ugh! Thanks for being honest and letting us know…