Vampire Penguin Aiken — Restaurant in Aiken County

I've been here a couple of times and although a little pricey it's worth it because everything I've had is good and it supports a small business.

Why 1 star? Multiple past employees have made it known that the owners keep all credit/debit card tips. We're under the impression we're tipping staff and it should state otherwise if that's the case. I'm pretty sure that's a form of wage theft:

Department of Labors website states: "An employer cannot keep employees’ tips under any circumstances; managers and supervisors also may not keep tips received by employees, including through tip pools; an employer that pays the full minimum wage and takes no tip credit may allow employees who are not tipped employees (for example, cooks and dishwashers) to participate in the tip pool;

An employer that collects tips to facilitate a mandatory tip pool generally must fully redistribute the tips within the pay period; and, employers that do not take a tip credit, but collect employees’ tips to operate a mandatory tip pool, must maintain and preserve payroll or other records containing information on each employee who receive tips and the weekly or monthly amount reported by the employee, to the employer, of tips received.

At the very least it's stingy...

We've been in twice. The first time, over a year ago, we enjoyed delectable treats. The young woman at the counter talked with us, giving the back story of the company. She took our order after making some suggestions. We tipped her for taking such great care of us. Today, after making the long drive, my son and I eagerly entered the shop. We looked at the menu while a young man finished up with a customer. Then, as the woman stepped away from the counter, he left. He wiped down a couple tables. We understood. Then he stepped back behind the counter, looked at us and the line forming behind us, and left the area again. We shared a bemused look with the couple behind us. Then he walked into the back. All of this was a good five minutes. When he came out from the back, he was picking his nose on the way to the counter. We walked out. We'll try Vampire Penguin again in the future. But it will be a while. I hope they're...

Past employees have told me to bring cash tips, because the owner redirects any of the card reader tips to their pockets and the employees are understaffed, underpaid and overworked. I do not appreciate tipping people because they were nice to me only to discover they didn't get my money but an entirely different person did that had nothing to do with the positive interaction whatsoever. The quality of the food and the vibes are great. The employees are great people, but the owner's personality is so bad she could probably have been remembered as some sort of mythological evil if she were born in ancient times.

Listen, if she needs the tip money for herself/her business so bad, she should raise the base prices. She shouldn't scam customers like me into trying to giving money to someone and then stealing it for herself midway. False...