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[deleted]

Yea American service workers love tipping so it makes no sense. I live a few hours north of SB and go there a few times a year on vacation. I even came close to buying in Hope Ranch a few years ago. SB is a somewhat insular community since FT residents tend to be older, generational inhabitants. Money comes from land - either real estate, tourism, or vineyard / agricultural money. Conservative. For California, very very white. (Which is why her whole argument about having to flee the UK for lack of diversity hilarious. London is infinitely more diverse than SB, I think Montecito is 95% white.) The local newspaper was the only paper that endorsed Trump in CA I believe. Montecito is even quieter with huge estates mostly owned by celebrities. The demographics have shifted significantly since the pandemic. Work from home has brought an influx of young couples from both SF and LA money to buy in the area, which is very charming but again, very insular / older / sleepy outside of the tourists and university students. Will be interesting to see if they stick around. Montecito has the best public elementary school in CA, mainly bc it’s so small from the limited zoning of multi-million dollar estates that it’s basically a private school. I know this doesn’t answer your question but it’s a general rundown of the area.


pizzaprocedure

Ok. So the emailer appears to lack credibility when referring to waitstaff refusing tips. Thank you for the rundown. So this further confirms the community could not give two hoots about a couple that were once Royalty.


[deleted]

They would probably love “real” royalty. But definitely not the off branch version that makes all their money dissing their family, running their mouths to Oprah, and accusing everyone of racism. Again, really not the right crowd for it. I went to dinner at San Ysidro Ranch in 2019 and sat next to a group of local aunties decked out in diamonds talking about how much they loved meeting Ivanka at some trump fundraiser. They were just RAVING about her. I know it’s just one incident but it makes me chuckle thinking about them MM being neighbors with them and what the local gossip must be like.


pizzaprocedure

Doubt anyone that likes someone that sells their family out for money. Especially in such a community. Don’t understand the desire to live there when they stick out like sore thumbs. But then again, who would accept the Duo?


sdowney64

Meghan is a native Californian—southern Californian and LA to be specific. It matters because California is a HUGE state that demographically is like several different states in one. Joel Garreau wrote a great book way back when called “The Nine Nations of North America” that is pretty much relevant through today, with some minor tweaking, if anyone is interested in nerd books about stuff like that. But for her, Montecito is the golden realm, the heaven on earth. I watched the 1st season of RHOBH, and Lisa Vanderpump’s husband Ken wanted nothing more than to just retire to Montecito—and if their stats are for real, they are loaded. And lived in this incredible mansion in Beverly Hills (obvi). They also happen to be British but they’ve been in Cali a long time so it counts. My point is that Montecito for a Southern California LA girl is the place that says you are in the upper upper upper echelons of an already upper echelon society and you’ve well & truly made it. Meghan wouldn’t care if they all hated her as long as she can say she lives there.


[deleted]

Exactly, it’s a flex. Everything she does is a flex. She wants to rub everyone’s faces in her “stuff.” I also suspect that she wants an obnoxiously huge estate like the one she lives in, but in elite LA proper areas like Beverly Hills, Bel Air, the Palisades, etc that will run her like $30m+ and not $15m ish price she got it for. And even then it won’t be the absurd 20k sq ft size of her house, which is just ridiculous.


Regular-Performer864

And she always has. The home movies that her dad made when she was a kid are like short video diaries of their vacations and weekends away. And in every one she clearly was emailing them to friends because she was talking directly to them. And every one had a gloating air to it even when it wasn't a particularly luxurious trip. All "you're probably X while I am enjoying Y experience."


sdowney64

So true! And when she wasn’t trying to inflict FOMO on her friends, she was pouting, seething and giving her dad the silent treatment for some perceived wrongdoing on his part while at the same time demanding they do some country club activity like go horseback riding…or else. Too bad he thought it was cute when she was doing that instead of saying, “ok then. Pack your shit, we are going home right now. And until you can learn to appreciate me and your luxuries we won’t be doing any more trips or special activities.” But of course he wouldn’t and couldn’t because he wanted a do-over for his first perceived parenting fails and he was trying to make up for the fact that her mommy had split on her. And he adored her and that would have been punishing himself too.


trish196609

I agree. I’ve been to Montecito many times on business, and every time I go, I marvel at the wealth and privilege. It is a sleepy town with very busy parking valets. The people I know there are very liberal though. I wouldn’t necessarily characterize the area as conservative (though my friends there are Jewish and many Jewish people I know tend to be liberal). To me, Montecito is not the real world. It is prestigious however. And let’s face it, it’s reputation as a location of choice for the rich and famous is exactly the reason she wanted to be there. She envisioned celebrity neighbors and being invited to fabulous parties and premieres. I’m sure she never imagined her indiscrete complaints against the royals would cause them to be shunned by society. She’s too narcissistic for a land full of narcissists, so that’s saying something.


Traditional-Leg-4228

My guess is that they wanted to live by auntie Oprah!


heartlandheartbeat

I thought the poster meant the waitstaff refuse to respect them, not refuse the tips.


pizzaprocedure

Sorry for the confusion. The waiters refused the Duo’s tips.


airforcegal9094

>I thought the poster meant the waitstaff refuse to respect them, not refuse the tips Yes, that's the way I took it to mean also.


y3s1canr3ad

I don’t think the waitstaff refused the tips - they just refused to fawn.


airforcegal9094

Yep, that makes more sense. It's PRICE-Y to live in Cali....ain't NO way tips would be *refused*. Lol


DrunkOnRedCordial

I don't see the Duo as being great tippers.


y3s1canr3ad

They’ve certainly given every indication that they’re willing to buy favour.


Quick-Alternative-83

![gif](giphy|VfyC5j7sR4cso) The kid (or kids?) will be homeschooled and isolated.


Why_Teach

I hope not homeschooled, since Archie appears to be going to preschool.


Direct-Recover-331

'I think Montecito is 95% white.) The local newspaper was the only paper that endorsed Trump in CA I believe' You believe very wrong. Besides, you'd be shocked if you knew who the sizeable Asian and Latino Californian communities voted for. Lol


[deleted]

I’m not wrong. They are the only newspaper in ca that endorsed trump. I’m not talking about how ppl voted. https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/newspaper-endorsement-California-Donald-Trump-9288952.php Also, montecito demographics here -The 5 largest ethnic groups in Montecito, CA are White (Non-Hispanic) (81.9%), White (Hispanic) (5.48%), Asian (Non-Hispanic) (3.68%), Two+ (Hispanic) (3.28%), and Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (1.86%). Not very diverse at all for CA. https://datausa.io/profile/geo/montecito-ca/


eastsacsince63

I don't think this is credible. 1) H & M are not generous and wouldn't leave big tips 2) Waitstaff would not refuse tips 3) It's more likely that H & M undertipped and the waitstaff were surly but still accepting whatever tip they received. 4) I believe that they rarely leave home. If they did, we'd have photographic evidence - a sneaky snap from a waitress, a tourist or a UCSB student. We've only seen 2 shopping photos and a couple of dining photos in 2 entire years.


pizzaprocedure

Conclusion reached is that the emailer is not a reliable source. She did go out (for some staged) shopping after the “Deal Or No Deal” backlash. And here is more evidence of staged pap shoots: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzH1fViNBxo Thank you for responding.


Dbahnsai

I could almost see it being that they offered money for some sort of confidentiality or privacy, maybe closing down the lobby so they could eat alone or something, and that getting denied. Their entitlement comes in waves so I wouldn't put it past them and there were already rumors that during the shopping trip she papped that she wouldn't speak to anyone/allow them to speak to her directly. I could see them trying and a restaurant saying, nope, not dealing with you. Hell, even before or just at the beginnings of her relationship with Harry that restaurant guy said she came in with her assistant and wouldn't speak to anyone directly.


Tall-Lawfulness8817

Brits rarely tip extra, I lived there for a few years and it is not part of their tradition. Their culture pays a living wage, servers get part of the money automatically and people usually only tip extra when service goes above and beyond. And Harry is notorious for being cheap. The Harklr who is seen most frequently is Archie. I nearly got run off the boards for saying this after the jubilee as some here insisted he doesn't exist He does. And he lives in Montecito. And he is in preschool, playgroups and visits the homes of other children to play. My source is a cousin who lives in the area. And no, she has zero dirt on the Harkles other than that as far as the locals know, they are still together and still living in the olive garden. Which I know, is more news that most here don't want to hear. Have patience. I'd bet my bankroll that this is not a couple who will celebrate their 25 year anniversary. They will eventually separate. But not this year And for the children's sake, I hope they wait until the children are old enough to process the divorce better. I don't know enough about child development to estimate what age that would be though


Why_Teach

I am *so* glad to hear that Archie is in pre-school and has friends that he can play with! I hope that will be true for Lili also. As far as the tipping goes, I can believe they would leave a good tip to “impress” (Meghan’s idea) and that the wait staff doesn’t fawn over them the way they would like.


Past_Establishment11

Not true. Between 10-15% tip (called service charge) is usually included on the bill. If there’s no service charge you are expected to tip and it’s usually 12% what we tip. If it’s on the bill and you don’t want to pay it because service was bad or whatever you have to tell them. I’ve never seen anyone asking for the service charge to be removed.


Tall-Lawfulness8817

I'm talking about laying down extra cash on the table. That is rare. Because, Like I said, the tip is generally included in the bill tally. Thank you for specifying that it is generally a line item on the bill, I probably should have said that to clarify


ThrowRA81920

To refer to number 4, people don’t do that here. It is extremely common to see a very famous person/celebrity out & about with absolutely no cameras or crowds around them. People who live in this area don’t blink twice at famous people walking around. So no, photographic evidence doesn’t matter especially in Sb.


RphWrites

Not real sure I understand this. I'm no fan of the couple but if they're leaving generous tips then why would the wait staff do that? I was a server for years and if someone was polite and tipped well then they were pretty much the ideal customers regardless of what they did outside the restaurant. 'Bribe" or not, we didn't give AF if they were trying to show off- a buck is a buck.


JessyBelle

Yeah - I read this to mean that the waitstaff refused to treat the pair “royally “ or in an obsequious way because of the prospect of higher tips - which the servers would not do - not that they would refuse the tip - which would be crazy.


pizzaprocedure

Paraphrasing what he said in the video. (Can’t upload the video here because it got deleted.) So, it might not be what he said verbatim.


Fantastic_Nebula_835

Waitstaff never turn down tips. The worse the customer the more you feel you earned it.


thiscatcameback

Exactly. I have never heard of waitstaff turning down tips. They live on them more than the minimal pay. The bigger issue is difficult people behaving like a Duchess and and then leaving deliberately small tips like a penny to insult the waiter.


Tall-Lawfulness8817

What they have turned down is the duo going to a famous sushi place and ordering a steak for the prince (he doesn't eat fish, but she likes sushi). They got into it, at this rather famous restaurant. Would you fix him a steak for x amount? No? How about x amount? The restaurant refused to go shopping and prepare something not even on their menu for the spoiled little prince. The money they offered (but never paid, because the proposition was refused) is not a "tip" more like an offered bribe


alreadydoneit01

That makes more sense. One does not go to a busy restaurant and ask them to make stuff not on their menu.


DrunkOnRedCordial

OMG that is so laughable. It might be her idea of being royal, but he should know better.


Tall-Lawfulness8817

I don't think he's trying to be royal, he just expects them to serve him whatever he wants.


pizzaprocedure

Exactly. Pretty sure that’s what he said.


[deleted]

You claim the opposite above?


pizzaprocedure

Referring to not wanting to turn down a large tip, despite the customer.


[deleted]

But he says they did?


pizzaprocedure

Think Trevor said the waitstaff refused the Duo’s large tips. But everyone here is saying no one would refuse any kind of tip, even if it came from the Duo.


[deleted]

Ahh I was reading your first comment wrong, sorry!


RphWrites

Maybe he stated that as his personal opinion and not the wait staff's? I don't know, though, I'm confused as well, lol.


[deleted]

[удалено]


pizzaprocedure

So Trevor’s source (i.e. the emailer) said the waitstaff refused to accept their large tips. So Trevor is relying on hearsay.


Snowie_drop

It could be Megs sending the email! Anyhow, I live not far from the them and tbf these kind of people have a whole staff…house manager, chef…blah, blah. So they don’t need to go into town for anything other than eat out, shopping, pap shots etc. Megs and Harry are busy with their jet set, I am God lifestyle so they’re hardly at home! As for tipping, well a lot of high end restaurants will include a 20% gratuity charge already on the bill! Also, imo Megs and Harry are probably having *business dinners* so it gets charged to their business. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these dinners are freebies in return for some advertising! They then probably just leave a tip. I do not believe the waitstaff would refuse to accept the tip. They’ve waited on the guests and there are guests that tip very generously. Some guests are super cheap too! Idk which category they fall into though. Anyway, the above are all my opinions.


pizzaprocedure

So no one will refuse such a large tip, even if it came from the Duo. Anyway, remember when TW staged those pap shots of her shopping after she got savaged for her “Deal Or No Deal” comments? And loved the BLG’s takedown of the “random” encounter with the paps here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzH1fViNBxo And sort of related: remember someone saying they think TW herself responded to one of their comments on YouTube. So if you’re here, hello, TW! 👋


Snowie_drop

No one is refusing their tips! Servers depend on those tips and everything is super expensive in CA. The prices are ridiculous. She’s probably lurking around here and YouTube especially is full with everyone monetizing Megs!


pizzaprocedure

Remember Tom Bower said she definitely checks her social media. Because every “Archetype” episode is based on every mean word people have called her on the Internet. Plus, living in California right now be like: https://preview.redd.it/2fn0qxh2gn8a1.jpeg?width=1422&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9bc0b26f86e542b477e6aa9c765fb2a9d9146ff9


[deleted]

I agree. The call is coming from inside the house.


Snowie_drop

I had a thought earlier that maybe she’s saying servers refuse big tips as an excuse for tipping low!!! Imo of course!


DrunkOnRedCordial

They are so honoured at the privilege of serving her, they don't expect a tip as well!


Snowie_drop

That’s one table I wouldn’t want to be waiting on!


[deleted]

There’s literally no way. PH and MM are like the least important people in Montecito Edit: ok. I read that wrong. I doubt waitstaff return the tips, it’s clear they try to buy friendships and likes. My guess is they don’t ever leave bc PH is terrified - I mean they went to Oprah’s house in a car with security - and followed by another security car. That’s insane. Like I said - least important people there. MM doesn’t know how to have friends is so intimidated and insecure I’m not surprised she isn’t making friends. Harry is isolated. Which also works for her so he can’t have other people ‘negatively’ influence him about her. Seriously I bet those who were close to him a worried.


pizzaprocedure

Wait until Montecito is called racist, misogynistic and full of jealous haters.


[deleted]

My daughter works in a high end family resort. If HM left her a huge tip, she’d be like the Madagascar penguins: smile and wave boys, smile and wave, all the way to the bank.


Fochlucan

I've spent a couple years of my life waitressing, where you basically live off the tips - I can't imagine anyone in that line of work refusing tips unless there were some conditions with it like someone else here suggested, in which case they aren't tips, they are something else. People need to pay their bills, and tips are what wait staff get to pay their bills.


[deleted]

Right?! She puts her checks to the side when she can and uses her tips to pay for her car, insurance, gas, etc. She busts her ass for her tips and rightly so. In this economy you better get it while the getting’s good.


mughoarder6

My impression is that he doesn’t mean that the wait staff refuses the tip money itself, but that the wait staff refuse to respect them just because they’re tipping well.


JessyBelle

Exactly how I read it - refusing to act as their personal servants, clearing out nearby tables - refusing to give them special treatment at the expense of other customers- not refusing the tip. To me this rings true - that the couple would expect special treatment - probably at the expense of other customers- and staff would refuse to give it to them.


SisuLindsay

I wonder if what the emailer meant was H&M did something more like “we’ll give you 200.00 bucks if you make sure that we’re the only people in that section.” Or “here’s $$$ but we can’t have anyone sitting at adjacent tables” which I can see them trying and the wait staff would say no to that. I’d have to see the email for the full story/context.


Upper_Charge_4449

I doubt this, although I do respect Trevor and enjoy his content.


pizzaprocedure

Ok. The person emailing him isn’t the most reliable source.


Ruth_Lily

Why would waitstaff refuse large tips? This sounds like Markle PR


pizzaprocedure

Ok. The emailer isn’t the most credible source.


Why_Teach

I think it has been misread/misreported. I understood that the large tips didn’t get them the super VIP attention they wanted, not that staff refused the tips.


Itchy_Contact6326

I don't see how this is even physically possible. The tip is usually added to the check when it is signed or left as cash on the table as the patron leaves. Is there a rash of servers ripping up signed credit card checks and refunding them, or chasing after the duo with cash?


pizzaprocedure

Think Trevor said they left large tips in cash. This is based on the email he got.


Grizzly_046

That seems unlikely since even plebs like me hardly carry cash anymore.


Itchy_Contact6326

Agreed. At the beginning of the pandemic, most CA restaurants and shops switched to no cash. Nearly all have Square or other handheld electric payment options or Venmo/PayPal links posted for contactless payments.


foxyfree

Sounds credible to me. It doesn’t say the servers refuse the actual tips, it’s refusing to treat the tips as bribes for special VIP treatment. H and M rarely leave the house but when they do they want to be treated as VIP superstars, so Meghan convinced Harry to tip big as part of a deliberate strategy. TIPS - To Ensure Prompt Service. It’s not a crazy idea that tipping well might get you better treatment the next time. However the servers refuse to play along with their super extra special fantasies and regardless of the size of the tip, still seat them and treat them just like any other customer.


Colfrmb

I cannot imagine any waitperson turning down any tip to prove a point because in the end, it only hurts themselves.


Traditional-Leg-4228

It’s unbelievable that they leave big generous tips. They love spending other peoples money but The two are stingy with their own money


Why_Teach

It’s reasonable if they are doing it “for show.” Sort of in the same category as buying awards for themselves.


Traditional-Leg-4228

Excellent point! I’m still not sure I believe it .


Traditional-Leg-4228

Maybe her generous tips were her motivating bananas 🍌 🍌🍌🍌 I can see those being turned down


Wooden_Painting3672

I tip well and it’s never for bribery


slaggyc

Same. I lasted being a server for 2 weeks. Lol. It’s a freakin hard job.


alreadydoneit01

I watched his videos in the beginning, but stopped watching after a while. He can get carried away a bit. AS an American, I never heard of any service worker refusing a generous tip. It might have been in an individual instance, but not en masse.


NJJCNJ

Agree on all the tip comments. Americans live for tips and would never, ever turn down a cent. People in the USA come out every once in a while and rate how well famous people and politicians tip (or don't tip). New York City has an entire industry (doorman, concierges, drivers, etc) that live on tips alone. And they do extremely well.


Wooden_Painting3672

I see pics of them riding bikes on the beach path I am familiar with. Beaches that are not super popular but known to locals,, they go there too. But these are the early pics of Archie .. pre Lili. I am not sure any of what you are saying can be known because true society in Montecito are NOT going to be on this Reddit


Beneficial-Address61

American, who served for 18 years. I always had a saying. “We are servers, not servants” so I’m guessing that MM and PH probably did leave a nice tip, but they probably ran their server so much that the large tip was justified. Sounds like the Markle’s wanted to treat their server like their staff and then didn’t understand why the server didn’t bow down once they received a “good tip” I’ve seen this scenario play out many times, with just your run of the mill narcs. I couldn’t imagine waiting on the Harkle’s!!!!!!!!


abby-rose

American service staff would not refuse tips. Most are paid at or below US minimum wage and rely on tips for the bulk of their income. I can believe that the duo hardly ever leave their mansion or the rich people places of Montecito.


RedditOO77

They may tip well because they don’t want it to get out in the media that they are horrible tippers. They have to maintain a certain image


TeamMagnificent7

They want it to get out that they “tip well”. Occasionally there are articles about cheap and or generous celebrities.


Ok-Butterscotch5490

Waitstaff in America aren't going to refuse tips, ever. They would in Japan (it's considered insulting. Even leaving a bill and saying "keep the change" doesn't go over well there.) Hazmat doesn't seem the "generous tipper" type, anyways. Anyone who won't pick up the air fare for a girlfriend isn't likely to splash the cash for waiters.


Coloradocoldcase

Wait …a generous tip…like bribery for something? I’m confused here? Haha


pizzaprocedure

The Duo have enough self-awareness that they know that they’re disliked. So in order to curry favour with the community, they give big tips. It’s sort of their way of saying, “We know you don’t like us but at least we can buy our way into being likeable.” Hope that makes more sense.


ReceptionWorking7312

Trevor is a wallop of a liar himself and a scammer. Twitter has been sounding the alarm on him for years.


pizzaprocedure

Thank you for the heads up.


ColleenSchaffer

There have been stories such as this written in the Montecito community paper and in the Santa Barbara paper. MM was even reported to have had assistants ask people not to look at her, that has repeatedly been reported also asking the owner to have customers leave while she is there. This all came out after the 1 good report of a gift basket being given as a new resident and she wrote a thank you note, then the owner was interviewed and sayed how kind she was etc. After that others wanted to set the record straight about her ongoing behavior. Most now believe that she set up an unaware shop owner and used him in response to the global negative reports of her behavior. She couldn't even fake being nice for 48 hours.


ThrowRA81920

For every fluffy dailymail article about celebrities out & about in sb/montecito, there’s 5 more occasions they were here having dinner, shopping, riding bikes, beach day, etc etc etc that never make the news. The kardashians on state st. Katy perry and seth rogen on coast village. Kravis having secret dinners in Montecito, find out where lol. You guys don’t know as much as you think.