A day after posting a 20-cent tip allegedly left by star Eagles running back LeSean McCoy, the owner of a popular Northern Liberties burger joint responded to the backlash.
On Monday Tommy Up, owner of PYT, posted a photo of a receipt which he claimed was billed to McCoy. The photo shows a $.20 tip on a $61.56 bill.
NBC10 spoke to Up as well as the waiter who claimed he received the tip, Rob Knelly.
“I just thought it was pretty callous and insensitive,” Up said. “Twenty cents isn’t an industry standard.”
Knelly told NBC10 McCoy and his friends were rude and indecisive about what they wanted as he tried to serve them. He also admitted however that he missed their appetizer.
“That was my fault,” Knelly said. “We were pretty busy at that point.”
Knelly also admitted that he didn't return to check on McCoy and his friends after serving their food because they were "rude."
After Up posted a photo of the receipt and called out McCoy, several people claimed the move was unprofessional while others questioned how good the service actually was. Some even claimed the picture was a hoax meant to generate publicity for PYT, which Up denied.
As for McCoy, while he did not directly respond to the photo, Les Bowen, a sports reporter for the Philadelphia Daily News tweeted that he spoke to him about the tip.
Since posting the photo, Up says both he and Knelly have received hate mail and considerable criticism. Up addressed the fallout on his Facebook page on Tuesday.
"For starters, I take total and complete responsibility for sharing this receipt," Up wrote. "It was not our server's decision. It was mine. I am to blame."
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Up still stood by his initial decision to post the photo however.
"While I'd like to apologize to Mr. McCoy, I cannot in good conscience do so," Up wrote. "I stand by my actions one hundred percent."
Up went into further detail, claiming McCoy and his friends were given "excellent" and "impeccable" service. He also accused McCoy of being "verbally abusive" to his staff and making "derogatory statements."
"At the end of the day, I did what I felt my heart told me to do," Up wrote. "And I don't want anything from Mr. McCoy, but..maybe an apology to his server who gave him excellent service would be cool."
