Mohammed Siraj Stole $91,000 In Tips From Todd English's Olives

Waiter At Todd English Restaurant Busted For Stealing $91,000 In Tips

It's been a rough month for Todd English.

Boston, the celebrity restauranteur's hometown, said they want nothing do with him-- he was deposed in New York for failing to pay $80,000 in rent on his Nolita apartment-- he's partially to blame for closing The Plaza's legendary Oak Room-- and he gets no love at all from fellow chefs.

And now, a waiter at English's Union Square restaurant, Olives, has been arrested for giving himself a very, very big tip.

The New York Post reports that server Mohammad Siraj has been charged with grand larceny for stealing over $91,000 in bogus gratuities. The two-year scam involved adding extra tip money onto his checks in the restaurant's computer system. A source tells the Post Siraj's profit came from the restaurant and not the customers.

Olive's bookkeeper reported the racket to the NYPD after noticing "fraudulent charges...in the form of gratuities" the report says.

Waiters at Olives are paid an hourly wage plus tips, which apparently wasn't enough for the 31 year-old Bronx man. Maybe he was tired all of New York's bad tippers? (He should've started a blog instead.)

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