i highly doubt that it is legal. its kinda mean too.

In some restaurants it is corporate policy, sad but true. Normally you do not pay the whole thing the first time it happens, maybe half. But if it occurs again, you will probably written up and have to pay the whole thing. Then if it occurs more than that, you can be terminated.

You DO NOT have to pay for it. Restaurant owners who tell you that are pure B.S.

I think if they actually force you to do that, it's time to get a job serving somewhere else. Where they have your back. Here's an article with a few ideas about managing stress when you're a server... How to Survive Waitressing : Relieve Food Service Stress in Five Simple Steps http://hubpages.com/hub/How-To-Survive-Waitressing

It is legal, and it is enforceable. And it stinks. I've known tons of people, bartenders too, who have been 'victims' of this policy.

It is brazenly illegal. See http://www.9news.com/news/investigative/article.aspx?storyid=70947 This article concerns parking lot attendants in CO who were forced to pay for drawer shortages as a condition to getting their paychecks. The news station quotes a CO state official who says that charging the employee to cover the shortage, as well as charging a waiter for stiffed dinner checks and dish breakage, is against state and Federal law. Such shortages, stiffed bills, and broken dishes are considered part of the cost of doing business. From the above cited URL: "The practice violates state and federal law, according to Mike McArdle, the Director of Colorado's Division of Labor. "They shouldn't be doing this," McArdle said. "This is just a normal cost of doing business when you're in the parking lot industry and you can't deduct for it." McArdle said that's tantamount to making a waiter pay for a meal after a diner leaves without paying or making a waiter pay for broken dishes." Futhermore, the Colorado Wage Act specifically states in Section 8-4-105 that the only legal deductions an employer can make from the wages or compensation of an employee are: 1-deductions required by state, local, or federal law, 2-deductions for loans, advances, goods, services, equipment or property provided to the employee under written agreement (uniforms, for example), 3-deduction to cover the cost of theft, 4-deductions authorized by the employee that the employee can revoke at will (health insurance, for example), 5-deduction for money or value of property assigned to the employee but not returned to the employer upon termination (keeping the company car, for example). Nothing there saying that the company can dock you for breakage or customers running away with the merchandise.

To DisEnchanted: I do not offer opinion in this instance. I offer FACT, which you have not provided: the Colorado Wage Act specifically states in Section 8-4-105 that the only legal deductions an employer can make from the wages or compensation of an employee are: 1-deductions required by state, local, or federal law, 2-deductions for loans, advances, goods, services, equipment or property provided to the employee under written agreement (uniforms, for example), 3-deduction to cover the cost of theft, 4-deductions authorized by the employee that the employee can revoke at will (health insurance, for example), 5-deduction for money or value of property assigned to the employee but not returned to the employer upon termination (keeping the company car, for example). Nothing there saying that the company can dock you for breakage or customers running away with the merchandise. Hope you can get a refund for that law degree... Good luck making a trolling charge on me stick.

What about in the state of Texas? This happened to a co-worker at the restaurant I work at. If it happens to me, you better believe I'm going to blow the whistle on this place.

And if they don't have the money (many waitpersons are young poor boys and girls, imagine an entire soccer team arrives by bus)? Stupid rule, what's the next: Employers forcing bank staff to pay with own money when bank robbers arrive and rob the bank?

I did not see an answer? I really need to know.

hell yeah you should pay, if it was you who had the food and did the running, if not well no, thats so wrong, as somebody said above would bank teller be expected to pay up if a bank was robbed. anyway companies of all types have their own insurance against theifs, they just charge a little extra than they should for their products. what did they have to eat anyway, im starving now :)