1 /5 Candice Shallal: Absolutely unacceptable experience at Mastro’s Fort Lauderdale, and even more unacceptable was how management handled it.
My husband and I were dining with our 4-year-old son and were clearly rushing to leave because it was getting late. When the bill came, my husband handed his credit card directly to the server so he could run it while we gathered our things. When he returned, my husband was given the credit card receipt to sign (the one where you add the tip). Thankfully, he looked at the itemized receipt underneath before signing.
The actual bill was $316.72.
The credit card receipt was for $388.14.
That is a massive discrepancy and NOT a rounding error.
When we confronted the server, he brushed it off as a “mistake” with zero explanation, accountability, or apology. We immediately involved a manager — who shockingly took the server’s side and dismissed the issue entirely. No concern, no investigation, no ownership.
It is painfully obvious what happened here: the server entered an inflated total assuming we would add a 20% tip on top of an already increased amount and not notice, especially since we were rushed and distracted with a child. That is deceptive at best and fraudulent at worst.
What’s most disturbing is that management allowed this to slide. At a restaurant of this caliber and price point, this behavior should be taken extremely seriously. Instead, it was brushed off as if overcharging guests by more than $70 is no big deal.
This needs to be addressed by corporate immediately. If this happened to us, it is absolutely happening to other guests. Check your receipts carefully, especially if you’re in a hurry.
For a brand like Mastro’s, this experience was disgraceful.
Oh my husband still tipped 20% on the correct amount because that’s the kind of people we are.
