 Before making the career jump to journalism, I worked in the service industry for several years as a server - or waitress, depending on what generation you’re from. While I loved my job most of the time (great guests and cheap food whenever I wanted it), I quickly realized that some people didn’t quite understand the difference between server and servant. Like every server, I had my fair share of horror stories: a 25-cent tip on a $19 bill, men who felt it was socially appropriate to pinch me as I walked past and, of course, the customer who was never wrong (even if they sent their steak back more than twice). So while I adhered to the idea that the customer was always right, that didn’t give the customer free rein to act like a jerk. It appears that not everyone shares my opinion, though. After dining at an Applebee’s in St. Louis, Missouri, one customer not only left no tip, but also wrote a snarky comment on her bill. Chelsea Welch, another server in the restaurant, snapped a picture of the receipt and posted it to the social media-sharing website Reddit. The Consumerist later picked up the story, if only for Welch’s equally snarky picture title, “My mistake sir, I’m sure Jesus will pay for my rent and groceries.” UPDATED February 1, 10:30 a.m.: The picture shows a $34.93 receipt with an 18% gratuity added to it, which doesn’t seem out of the realm of (sane) reason. In the service industry, adding 18% gratuity to parties larger than six or eight is a common procedure - also known as an "autograt" - to ensure the server is paid his or her fair share. (And despite what you might think, we really do live off your tips.) Except instead of giving the server the 18% tip, the customer crossed off the tip, wrote “0” in its place, and then had the chutzpah to write on it “I give God 10% why do you get 18[?]” This sounds odd, until you see that the signature at the bottom is signed by none other than a pastor - later identified as 37-year-old pastor Alois Bell of Word Deliverance Ministries. Unsurprisingly, Bell didn’t find the post as funny as Reddit’s users did; she complained to the Applebee’s manager who ultimately fired Welch. The Consumerist followed up with the newly-unemployed Welch, who although posted the picture as a joke, expressed her frustration about the incident. “If this person wrote the note, obviously they wanted it seen by someone,” Welch told The Consumerist. “It’s strange to me that now that the audience is wider than just the server, the person is now ashamed.” In an email sent to The Huffington Post, though, Applebee's spokesperson Dan Smith said that guests’ personal information is private, and employees do not have the right to share that information publicly. “We value our Guests’ trust above all else,” Smith said. “Our franchisee has apologized to the Guest and has taken disciplinary action with the Team Member for violating their Guest’s right to privacy. This individual is no longer employed by the franchisee.” Pastor Bell later responded via The Smoking Gun, saying "My heart is really broken...I’ve brought embarrassment to my church and ministry.” Bell also claimed that although she crossed off the 18% gratuity, she not only left a $6 cash tip at the table, she was also still charged the 18% gratuity. But I have to wonder - if the 18% gratuity tip (which worked out to $6.29) was too much, why did the pastor leave $6 (28 cents less than the 18%) on the table? A petition is now circulating on the Internet for Applebee’s to rehire the server. So would you sign it? And if not, why not? Tell us in the comments below. Applebee's has posted a note and timeline of the incident on their Facebook page that reads in part:
Previously - Tipping point – family locked in restaurant for skimping on mandatory gratuity |
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People should be aware that Applebee's is a wholly-owned subsidiary of DineEquity, which is a public company listed on the NYSE. According to filings for 2012, their CEO, Julia Stewart, earned a rather handsome $3 million salary with a further $3.39 million in exercised options.
I would argue that if the rank-and-file workers at Applebee's are dissatisfied with their compensation, they should raise the matter with senior management rather than lambasting customers.
We all know the real reason she didn't tip.
Yes we do: she's a minister. They are the worst.
This is why everyone, including dogs and blind people loathe blacks.
Having waitressed before, I remember many Sunday nights where large church parties would come in for dessert. Desserts usually take the most time because it's not something the kitchen puts together (at least where I worked). Then, as the whole group gets up to pay their seperate checks, one tosses down a buck, and they all call it good. Wish they would have have the 18% rule back then.
We all know that you're expected to tip at a restaurant. Whether or not you like it, you know it's expected. No one is making you dine out; it's a privilege, a choice that is in your hands. I hold that the only time it's acceptable to withhold a tip is when the server has failed to perform the job for which you're tipping.
Shame on the pastor for her behavior, and for then making the choice to punish the server when her public post brought the pastor's poor behavior to light for all to see. Given her position, she should have been setting a more appropriate example. And shame on the server for sinking down to the pastor's level. She knew better, but chose to act emotionally rather than reasonably. Both parties were equally wrong, and both have served consequences.
When you go out to dinner, you should figure in the tip, or you shouldn't be going out to a place where someone is going to wait on you. If there is injustice, it should be known. We hold each other accountable. We correct those ideals in each other that make little sense.
Pastor, God only ASKED for a 10th! Do you actually give God his 10% or do you just drop a ten in the collection plate? That being said, an automatic gratuity is usually on large parties. How many people ate for $35? Two or three? And, the tip is calculated on the BEFORE TAX amount, NOT on the total. Many people look at the total and tip 15-20% on that. EVERYBODY was wrong.
Maybe I'm really old-fashioned but what really pi$$es me off about Applebees and all of these other restaurants is that the confiscate the servers' tips and use it as part of their pay package. I'm from the old school of thought that a tip is a personal gratuity to express appreciation for the person's individual service talents, not that of the establishment. This waitress' pay was $3.50/hour & Applebees usurped her tips to make up the rest of her pay package.
Congrats to this waitress. She may be someone of a "martyr" here for speaking out but losing her job. This has to be an absolute PR nightmare and a no-win situation for Applebees and the way they treat their employees. More employees should do this against selfish employers but try to be more anonymous (if they can) to protect themselves.
REVAMPED< SOMEONE ERASE THIS MESSAGE!!
This pastor is nothing short of stupid. She gets caught being as cheap as a meal at mcdonalds and yet she can't believe that a server who yes does make their living off of tips got frustrated and posted that picture. If you have the stones to go out to a restaurant with a large group of people and think that you can weasel your way out of tipping by splitting the bill then you see the autograt on your bill you talk with somebody and ask them to change it. You don't leave a stupid comment like that on the bottom of your check and demean the person who served you for that hour to hour and a half that you were in the restuarant. This world is full of cheap jerks and just cause this one got caught being a total jerk and then cried about it is hilarious to me. The pastor got what they deserved, as for the server because of this i will never again go to another applebees. Thats not how i as a chef and a former server would eant to be treated by an employer nor would i patronize a business that does that to their employees.
She may call herself a Pastor, but what she is is an impersonator! Where in the bible are the requirements to be elder/bishop or pastor? Which they must be before they can fulfill the role of pastor! And I believe it says, husband of one wife. She then would be on the wrong end of that, correct? But its not about being correct, its about being humble, which is what GOD requires all of us to be! Not selfish, rude, or bound down by the LAW! Let every man give as he so purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necissity, for GOD loves a cheerful giver! BOOYAH!!!!!
The fact she was a pastor was over-ridden by the fact she was black. Blacks tend not to tip very well. The exception would be a black man with a white woman.
You just HAD to make this a racial issue? Why? I've waited on many different types of folks. And in my experience, their race doesn't have a thing to do with their willingness to tip or the percentage of tip that they leave.
Broad, sweeping generalizations don't a wise poster make. With one statement, you relegated yourself to troll status.
Actually, I've researched who are the worst tippers, and while some back ppl are the worst, some backs are the best to the same waiters and waitresses. What I did notice is that church pp are the worst tippers along with foreigners. And for real, if you do want to make it a race thing, I've earned that Indians from India are the absolute worst tippers. Older white pp were among the worst as well.
What bothers me most of all about this whole thing is that this is a pastor. Someone that preaches and takes money for it. They claim all the time that God talks to them. Well what about when Jesus said "If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Matt." 5:41 What ever happened to the teaching of selflessness. And giving without bragging about it. Please Pastor go back and study your bible and ask God to forgive you. If Applebees doesn't rehire this person I personally will never eat there again. and neither will any of my family members.
This will most likely not be taken well, but I'm still going to say it. If that pastor actually studied the Bible as any pastor should have, she would not have become a pastor because the Bible speaks against any woman teaching a man. This is also in the New Testament. There is so much disconnection between the Bible and religion, and ppl pick and choose what they want to apply. On top of it all, you have a point about her being paid to preach. She also doesn't give 10% to God, that money ain't supernatural.
Here the deal she is better than god(s) she earned the 18%.
The Paster needs to figure this out (U-Pb) no god(s) required
Peace
"We value our Guests’ trust above all else"??? Apparently Applebee's values their guests trust above logic or law. The guest misbehaved in an Applebee's restaurant, a public venue (Applebee's pretensions to the contrary). Public behavior is subject to public censure. If the guest was embarrassed, she had only herself to blame. Applebee's management (and the guest) owe an apology to the server and Applebee's needs to offer her back her old job.
The fact that the guest is/was a pastor simply makess things worse. Any pastor who has so little empathy or consideration needs to find another line of work that does not involve telling others how to live their lives. Anyone who hasn't been living under a rock knows that the wait-staff make less than minimum wage and relies on tips to pay their rent and feed their family. Further, since the tip was added by the computer and not the waitress, the guest was Way out of line to take it out on her server.
She was not fired for standing up for herself. She was fired for displaying a customer private information on the internet. There are federal laws protecting our privacy. Just because someone is being a total horses rear, does not allow someone to infringe on that protection.
that being said, the pastor is a witch
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Was that in tips?
I worked as a server at a supper club, a nice one too, and was only paid 2.33 an hour. I was pregnant and it was the only job I could get. To think that some places put an automatic tip on there is fine for me. The place I worked didn't have one and I have been Jipped out of a tip by a table of ten on a bill over $100. I believe I was a good waitress, my co-workers and my boss said so them selves. So why do some people not tip. Because they think along the lines of the Pastor or other people. That we servers don't work hard. We have to remember a lot, we have to carry out heavy trays of food and watch out for people sticking out their feet (yes, it happened to me), and little children running to the bathroom. You may not think that we work hard, but I believe that we work harder than you at your desk job. But that's just my opinion.
Greedy losers that are stupid. GO GET A REAL JOB!!! " oh I need a tip, it's not fair that I do my job and don't get any extra money" Stupid greedy losers. I stopped going out to eat just so I wouldent have to look at you pathetic pan handlers, you might as well go outside and complain about how the world owes you and everyone that walks by you should give you a hand out. Work harder, move up the ladder and stop crying like a loser.
I'm sure they are sad to not see you any more.
You, sir, are a selfish S.O.B. Ever consider how much a waitress makes an hour? This isnt some minimum wage job like what you make in Mc Donalds. Waitresses make as little as $2.13. So if they give good service, you better know I tip.
you seem very angry. mom and dad must not have given you enough hugs.
Commander Cool? Anything but, you angry troll. Get a real job? Just because the nicest place you likely ever eat is a fast food joint where you give your order to a kid behind a counter, doesn't mean the rest of the civilized world doesn't eat at real restaurants where the wait staff is constantly moving, working probably far harder than you at your Walmart greeter's job.
....You are one SORRY EXCUSE for a person. Tipping for good service is EXPECTED by NORMAL AMERICANS, AND THE CIVILIZED AROUND THE GLOBE. So, therefore, you are either NOT HUMAN, or UNCIVILIZED.....................WHICH IS IT...?
Actually other CIVILIZED countries don't tip for service. So nice attempt to pass that off as fact (It's no wonder you wait tables). If you have had really engaged in conversation with Europeans, Australians, and other "civilized" people, you would have known that they laugh at the fact about this tipping business in America.
And where does T say he waits tables, Lol?
There is no shame in honest hard work, no matter what the job is.
I suggest you grow up, troll.
and in those countries wait staff makes a full wage, not a diminished one.
And the service stinks in every one of those countries. Tipping in the USA gives the customer the control and power to reward and thus we get WAY better service. But like anything else, getting power means not abusing it and those who dont tip abuse power and are actually sponging off the service standard paid for by the tips of others.
Wow, commander cool.....you are soooo bright
Ha, I've left comments several times before, under different names, but never got a reply. All I have to do is be a jerk and whammy, it's more fun this way. Anyway I still feel tipping should be a reward not a requirement and all restaurants should charge a little more so they can pay there employees proper. Then the truly good get the benefit of being exceptional.
@The Commander, you're not humorous nor entertaining. You're a cocky, self absorbed jerk. I dare you to get a job waiting tables & see how much (or little) that cheap, shitty attitude makes you.
as someone who has worked in the food service industry his entire adult life: 2.15 an hour is the federal minimum 'tip credit' that servers make. just enough to cover what ever taxes they take out of your 'paycheck'.
tell me, if all you made on your paycheck was enough to cover the taxes taken out of it, you'd be pretty upset when you were not tipped, too.
we work our backsides off, slaving in hot kitchens all over the U.S. for you, and we deserve your respect.
You sir, are a complete moron.
That was directed at the "Commander" idiot.
What a shining example of Xian kindness and neighborly love. Not. I suggest Ms Pastor Thang reread the New Testament and refrain from interacting with other humans until she's learned what she purports to believe.
These days, everybody has his or her hand out...palm up. From the woman who cuts my hair ($5 tip) to the woman who washes my hair before the stylist cuts it ($3 tip) to the skycap at the airport who takes my bags at the door ($1 per bag) to the doorman at my high-rise ($5 every time he holds the door open for me...in or out) to a friggin' go-cup at the Subway sandwich shop next to the cash register marked in big red letters "TIPS!" (the owner and his family are the only employees!!!). Everybody expects tips even without earning them.
The last time my party of four went into a restaurant where we had gone for several years and saw the new "18% gratuity added to your bill" on the menu, we politely got up, cancelled our orders, told the manager why and left. My friends and I don't mind leaving a decent tip...most of the time we add about 20% to the bill (less the tax, of course). But, I will not be intimidated nor required to pay a premium for service just because the employer pays his waitstaff starvation wages.
I see that in California, waiters are pushing for a mandatory 25% autograt. If that goes nationwide, looks like my friends and I will do more dining in than out.
When you go out to eat you are paying for food and drinks nothing more. the tip is what your paying a human being to be at your table to get those things through the restaurant's services , he/she is the middleman. I have heard a couple of times that if grat had not been added i would've gotten more. explaining that our computer adds 18% grat automatically on tables of 12 or more and that i had nothing to do with it but if she wants to still add more she is more than welcome to....but do they ever ...no. Just cheap ass's wanting an excuse to feel better about themselves. although like my story goes we only grat tables 12 or more adults... so this check didnt look like it had more than 2 people on it maybe 3 grat should not have been added.
I have found, when I was working in the food service industry, that when people mentioned they would have left more if it were not added on is a fallacy...if they had wanted to leave more, they most certainly would have.
Especially because it was my restaurant's policy to notify them, before they were seated by the host/ess, and by the server before the drink order was even taken.
The people who say nothing at all about the gratuity being added on usually did add to it.
I think you're right; the self-righteous indignation was purely them being cheap, and taking it out on the server.
A very common tactic.
Bull.
I'm sick of this expectation from self important servers that they somehow deserve a tip.
Don't think you are making enough? Talk to your boss. Otherwise just work and shut up.
You are not that important. Any clown can fill your positions. You take an order and you carry food. Occasionally some of you have the intelligence to be able to actually answer menu related questions but that is more and more rare.
You are incorrect in your psychological assumption that people would leave more. What you are encountering is a method of protest. It is designed to encourage wait staff to pressure the company into removing the automatic tip. Tips are EARNED, not guaranteed. If the server/waiter/waitress has a bad attitude, ignores customers, etc., the tip is usually adjusted. It is usually equally adjusted for great attitudes and better-than-expected service. The "autograt" tells the customer that they no longer have much say in whether the service provided was acceptable, unacceptable, or exceptional.
Unless we receive atrocious service, we always leave at least 20%, sometimes 25%, and rarely, more than 30%, depending almost exclusively on the behaviour, performance, and attitude of the person attending us. Like others you've encountered, in the few times my wife and I have been victimized by "autograts", I protested loudly to the wait staffer, the manager, and all within earshot and left no additional tip. Another time we refused to pay the "autograt" and left a cash tip for the server – yes, we made the manager remove it. Now we check, and if the business requires an automatic tip, we refuse to patron the place and go elsewhere.
To reiterate, your assertion is a fallacy that people who claim they'd leave more if there was no autograt are liars. Perhaps you'll overcome your anger one day to realize that there is more to human behaviour than you currently believe. If you believe I'm wrong, then you're just sticking your head in the sand.
This was my experience; while I realize that you may not have liked what I had to say, it remains my experience.
There is no psychological relevance to my assertion; YOU are the one equivicating it in such a manner.
You sound as if you are the type that would treat the wait staff as your own personal servants; if you dislike a restaurant's policy, eat elsewhere.
If you make a point of going up to your server and mentioning to them, as has happened to me, that you would have left more if there were no autograt, you are doing exactly as I described: those who protest the loudest are those who are usually the ones exhibiting the behavior.
Just ask any psychologist.
I don't agree. Unless the service is bad – I tip 20%. But I dislike it very much when a tip is automatically calculated for me and put on my bill as if I'm expected to pay it. And I won't tip anymore than what is calculated. I think it impacts the service you receive because there is an expectation that it be paid. Which is contrary to what the "tip" is supposed to represent in the first place.
I understand the position that wait staff are in if you are serving a large party and they don't tip the expected amount (that's wrong to do). They depend upon their tips for a living – so I get that. But looking at this bill – how many people could have possibly been in this party if the bill was only $34.93 (including tax)? Doesn't sound right to me.
I don't know why you seem to think you have to go out to eat. If you don't want to leave a tip then stay home, cut your own hair, and avoid services from others. I'm sure they weren't sorry to see you leave as another party took your place.
.....CORRECT....If you dont want to tip...........DONT GO OUT TO EAT OR GET SERVICES.............DO IT YOURSELF, DUMAZZ.....
So what you're saying is you came into a restaurant with a group of people, dirtied a table, wasted a servers time, wasted the kitchen's time, wasted all of those plates of food that you ordered and then cancelled, wasted the manager's time all because you wanted to make a point about tipping? That was classy. You couldn't just pay the 18% that one time and decide not to come back again because you disagree with the restaurant's policy? How about this- the restaurant can increase food prices by 18% so they can afford to pay the server at least minimum wage.
I agree that it was a bad decision to post a copy of the receipt, I disagree that she should have been fired if she had not previously been instructed in proper procedures - there should be a contract in her personnel file indicating that she understood her responsibility and if not, then she should have been instructed, a reprimand put in her file and any future indiscretions then would be grounds for dismissal - but I am mostly appalled at the pastor who obviously does not practice what she preaches (i.e.- the many lessons of Jesus about giving, but mostly the one about being a cheerful giver.)
Probably a nutty BaBtist. Any bozo can be a preacher in their "church". (MC Hammer, Prince, etc)
Just like any bozo can carry food to a table.
hmmm, between the last comment and this one.... "bozo" I believe you have no knowledge of what if anything you are talking about. Seems reasonable... How many plates can you carry at once? Who gets served first... Order of rotation? Do you put all the silver out at once? Which gets served first coffee or dessert (easy one for ya)?, do both a fork and spoon go down after the main course? And how many tables at once can you handle? Bloody amateurs....
It's Baptist...guess everyone can't spell either...
“I’ve brought embarrassment to my church and ministry.” ... Embarrassment is what you feel when you make a simple mistake or get caught doing something you know you shouldn't. What you should feel is shame. Shame would mean that you truly feel remorseful or regretful of your actions. It is easy to be a Christian. Anyone can do it through faith. It is hard to be a good Christian. That can only be achieved by deeds. Jesus is ashamed of you.
Why god should even get 10% He definetly doesnt do shit for anybody all pray and no responce, at least the server did something for the pastor because god didnt brought the food to his table.
As a server (and Christian) I have to say that "Church Folk" bring a bad testimony with them when they go out to eat. Yes that pastor should be ashamed of using one of God's laws to justify being cheap. Yes, tithing was a law in which 10% was the minimum, but what about the woman who gave everything she had? I think it's strange that "church folk" get out of service on Sunday and treat their servers (who they presume are heathens) poorly. I remember that one "first lady" threatened to sue because a server accidentally spilled water on her white polyester suit. Every server there was turned off by her lack of patience and grace.
Another battle brought on "In the name of God".
If you consider that a server's tip is a sales commission, then this pastor stole from the server. Would she complain about a commission she had to pay to a car salesman or a Realtor? What about the "Avon Lady" or her hair dresser? They too work on commission.
This pastor has no idea what it is to actually "work" to "earn". I challenge her to work as a server in this Applebee's and see how difficult the job can be when parties like hers come to eat......
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I think that it is a sad state of affairs when a working American has to rely on "tips" to make a living , rather than being paid a living wage.
If you want to pay $24 for a burger at Applebee's instead of $8.95, then pay waiters a "living wage."
While I agree that the tipping system is far from ideal it is also a way to let those with no technical skills or education make a decent living. The server in America is holding one of the last positions where how hard you work and the attitude you bring to your job are accurately and honestly reflected in the amount of money you bring home at the end of the day.
I spent almost a full decade as a server. Everywhere from crappy soulless chain restaurants to 5 star establishments that wouldn't have let me in the door without my apron. In each and every one of them the real quality servers made 2 to 4 times what their bosses did while those expecting a handout or who felt entitles to their tips scraped by. If you eliminated the tipping system all servers would make minimum wage no matter how hard they worked. As the situation stands if I got fired today and could not find another job in my field I could walk into a Chili's, Applebee's, Olive Garden etc tomorrow, put on an apron and earn enough to keep a roof over my head, food on my kid's plate, and clothes on our backs. Not as easily as I do now, but it could be done. Without tips that same job wouldn't be enough for rent.
Craig,
I'm a server myself, trying to put myself through nursing school. You may have served for a decade, but it's different now. The amount that you are tipped is not in any way a reflection on the quality of service or even the amount purchased. A great attitude and great service is appreciated, yes, but that doesn't change the fact that people go out to eat in this economy on a budget. If you push for that upsell or drink or dessert, they might go along with it. When it comes time to settle the bill, they might have brought $40 cash with them. If the check is $36, guess how much you're getting. People think that $3 or $4 is a good tip regardless of what they buy or how demanding they are. They can ask you to run and fetch a dozen waters, dressings, napkins, bread baskets, whatever else is free, and they still only tip whatever pocket change they have left over. $2.13 an hour plus pocket change is not a livable wage. I promise you, if you went into Olive Garden and started waiting tables again, walk out with $40 in your pocket for an 8 hour shift, you will not be happy. And don't forget the mandatory tipping of your bartender and busser, regardless of whether or not they did anything for you!
Even the best waiters average 15-16% in tips. A mandatory 18% autograt on EVERYTHING served by tipped employees should be law. Also, servers never even see that $2.13 an hour because that goes to payroll and other taxes.
Adding a gratuity in a bill (especially 18% for a 2-3 person table) and then having the BALLS to add a "additional tip" line is RIDICULOUS. All these people do is bring food to your table. And all of this "they earn only 2 dlls an hour and must survive with tips" is pure crap. These people do sometimes 4-5 tables at a time, and they are practically requiring MINIMUM 18% for their very "hard work" (that's what you get for not having an education) bringing food to a table. My point being say each table is Required in the bill to tip them at least 18% times 5 tables an hour PLUS their salary....And you expect us to feel sorry for servers?? Especially when they are adding the tip to the bill. HELL NO. Bring me my food, EARN your tip and stop Freaking complaining. Losers.
As someone who waited tables for over 6 years I can honestly say that i NEVER, NOT ONCE, EVER received a tip from a black person. EVER. I am not being racist, I am stating a fact . It is not opinion that black people don't tip. i am stating the FACT that I never once received a tip from a black person.Maybe it was me, I am only stating my observation
It is just you, and yes you are being a racist.
Can so many black waiters be wrong about you? Perhaps it's time to look in the mirror!
Any time you mention race at all, some social justice whiner comes along to call you racist.
As also a waiter, I get tips form black people all the time. Maybe they detect your blatant racism and don't tip on those grounds because others don't have the same problem.
Well, I suppose it depends on your location but, I've been working 8 years and I have received my best tips and worst tips from Black patrons. It's not that Black people don't tip (many do as well as myself). It's just that when there is a crazy tip like 2cents or a walk outs it has always been a Black person for me.
Let me see if i can rebut that without resorting to personal attacks.
Are you a racist, yes sorry you are. To a degree that is. Do black tables have a tendency to tip less or not tip? Sadly the honest answer to that is also yes. But that is a tendency, not an absolute. If you never received a tip then that is because of you not them. This stereotype is hyper-prevalent among servers of all colors. I have heard it from Black servers just as often as white ones. It is a self fulfilling prophesy. You expect a crappy tip so you give crappy service and earn a crappy tip. My personal experience was that if I treated every table like I thought they were going to leave a huge tip i was stiffed much much less often. Will it still happen? Of course. Will it happen more often with black tables than white ones? Again I hate to admit it but yes.
This seems like BS to me. First off, how many people here have had a meal at Applebees with six or more people and paid less than 6 dollars each? The only thing on their menu under 6 bucks are soda's and iced tea.
Most likely the members of the party asked for separate checks, so the amount you see is only the pastor's part of the tab for that table. If it was a party of six people and they each had a separate check, that means six times as much work handling just the bills/credit cards. If Jesus had been a member of this party at Applebee's, I'm pretty sure he would have left at least the standard tip and would more likely have written "Have a nice day" instead of what that pastor wrote.
Everyone knows about authenticity, and for those few who don't it's printed on the menu in several places, also this pastor and fellow church members were regulars at that location so they had to know about the policy. policy If the pastor didn't like it he didn't have to eat there. there The very act of writing the note on the receipt tells you that he wanted his opinion to be known, but did have either the Grace or Courage to say it to the server or mgmt directly. SHAME ON THE PASTOR &SHAME ON APPLEBEE'S for not supporting their employees.
No tip is "automatically" earned. I am sure this waitress did "earn" a reasonable tip, and 18% is reasonable, IMO. However, I have been to restaurants where the waiter/waitress did nothing more than take my order and bring me a check. I never had a drink refilled, or even asked it I wanted a refill. Never came by to see if my food was cook correctly. Once the waiter didn't even bring me my food, someone else did. Other than taking my order, the only other time I saw the waiter was when he brought me the bill. How much of a tip (for added service) did this person really earn?
They earned nothing. A tip is a voluntary additional payment made for services rendered. Note the word voluntary. Forcing someone to tip means it's no longer a tip, but a charge.
If many regions, especially urban ones, restaurants really have to make the tip automatic to avoid having to make up the difference to minimum wage for their servers. If this is outlined in the menus, as it is at Applebee's, then it's not voluntary anymore. It's part of the charge of eating there, just like the steak the woman probably ate half of and wasted.
So, no, that's not right. Sorry.
If the menu says "a gratuity of X% is automatically added to parties of Y or more," as MOST menus do, then the policy is made clear up front and it is part of the price.
there are so many "mail order" pastors out there. I wouldn't put them in the same group. As was pointed out, a Christian who get's what Jesus was saying wouldn't do this. The bigger issue hear is the compensation system of restaurants. They artificially lower their prices by subsidizing employees pay through tips then try to mandate that amount. Servers are paid nothing by their employers and patrons are expected to provide a large proportion of their compensation via "tips". Restaurants should pay out of received revenue and have an incentive plan that promotes good service versus this artificial tip system.
I'm sure Jesus also "get's" punctuation, eh Bud?
And Applebee's never again. Back your employees. You get them for slave wages then make them dependent on the asses that come in there .I have a gift card I received as a present almost 6 months ago. I am giving to a homeless person. At least I can provide a mediocre meal to someone who needs it. I will never go there. Backed the wrong horse in this one. From what I see on the blogs the public is outraged. one site has 90K responses. Have the PR dept explain what that means for business.
Amen to that! That pastor should be beyond embarrassed for her ridiculous and self-righteous comment. If you don't want to show your @$$, don't put it in writing! While I agree that the server could have used discretion by omitting the customer's name, it does not excuse the woman making a total @$$ of herself like that. I will never visit "the Rotten Apple" again because of this. Any employer that won't look out for the good of their workers is nothing but a crooked sweatshop.
This isn't a new thing.
I used to wait tables, 15 years ago, and I HATED the Wed. night, Sunday morning shifts because of the pompous church crowds. I never got this particular note (a few of my fellow servers did), but I did get a lot of religious pamphlets designed to look like folded up bills instead of tips. You'd go to the table and see a folded up $10 and then when you picked it up it was a tract advertising the church, some of which were REALLY insulting (I got one that was a fake $20 that said "How good did it feel to think you got a $20 tip? That's nothing compared to the feeling of knowing the Lord." AND NOTHING ELSE. No actual tip, just a fake $20 trying to get me to be like them. Fat chance after that bit...
My favorite comeback to the "I only give god 10%, why should I give you 15?" comment was when the guy wrote it and got up with his family to leave and the waitress picked it up before he was out the door. She turned around and yelled over the entire restaurant the comment he wrote and then said "because god wasn't the one running his @** off to refill the ranch dressing you were guzzling down like it was going out of style and god won't be the one spitting in your food if you ever dare to show your face here again" and his name since he'd paid with a credit card and it was printed on the receipt. Everyone snickered and guy got mad, but he was clearly in the wrong and his REALLY embarrassed wife and kids basically ran out the door.
Like this?
http://mikeduran.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/20bucks2-1023×477.jpg
People that sell them promote dropping them in public so people think they've found a $20 bill rather than using them in lieu of tips at restaurants, but I'm sure the get used in that manner all the time.
I would just like to point out that some restaurants demand that all tips are collected into a jar and split EVENLY among the wait/delivery staff. Your waitress probably doesn't even get that whole 18% the restaurant puts onto the bill.
Thats good. Waitresses/waiters only do part of the work of the meal. The people in the back do 80% of it.
People in the back get paid $8.0 -$12.00 /hour. Wait staff gets $2.13- $3.75 /hour. The waitresses do not get 'paid' for their job fairly... unless you tip.
Pastor Bell is a sanctimonious , pretentious fool who was flaunting her religion in front of her lunch companions. I am sure she showed them the receipt. She is unhappy her behavior embarrassed her church. She stiffed a girl working for $2.31 an hour plus tips. She reported her to the manager and got her fired. She should be embarrassed about those actions.So much for Christian values. WWJD. He would have paid the bill and said Thank You. So her fellow church members now know she is a despicable, prideful ass. Where is all that Christian charity and value I hear so much
about? If her church had any ethics they would fire her.
Is the fact that the pastor was white and the server was black. Had the colors been reversed, I am sure Al Sharpton would already be rallying the troops.
And for the record, the woman's worst transgression of judgement was to even consider eating at Applebees. Really, who considers that place a restaurant?
make that pastor = black, server = white...
Stupid comment no matter which way you meant it.
It's not a tip if you HAVE to pay it. Requiring a tip is more rude then not tipping at all. I also fail to see why big crowds should pay more – doesn't it make it easier if everyone is at the same table, as opposed to the same number of people at different tables having courses at different times?
Well let's see, what do you think is easier....taking a tray of 8 drinks to a table, or taking a tray of 3 or 4 drinks to a table? How about taking 8 dishes to one table, or taking 3 or 4 dishes. How about trying to keep track of 8 seperate orders for a single table?
Actually, no.
As a waiter it is a LOT easier to wait on four tables of 4 with a space of 10 minutes between seating, ordering, getting their meals, etc, than one table of 16 wanting all the order to go in at once, all the food to come out at once, all the drinks brought at once, etc. Pacing is MUCH more a waiter's friend than all-at-once groups are.
Plus, the larger the group, the longer they generally tend to linger chatting, taking up your tables. And if you can't flip tables, you can't make money. If you have four tables of four that turn over to new customers every hour, you'll have twice as many customers than with a table of sixteen that only turns over every two hours. And twice as many customers means more chance for tips. If everyone tips 15%, but smaller tables statistically turn faster than large ones, you'll make more with 32 customers in 2 hours (4 tables x 4 people x 2 sets of customers) than with 16.
The extra work and fact it tends to take up a waiter's tables longer are why large groups get automatic, and often higher, gratuities added. Because you don't get it, don't assume there isn't a reason.
No, it isnt easier to do four tables with two people who all come in at different times, because you have timing on your side... you only have to get two drinks/salads/entrees per table and have them be on time as opposed to having everything for 8 people ready to go at the same time.
I think you meant "is" easier, right?
And as a waiter, I concur. I'd much rather have several smaller tables getting sat every 5-10 mins than one large party.
The places I go to usually don't get everything out at once for large groups, but I do understand what you mean about flipping tables. I almost always tip +20%, but if something were to go very wrong, I insist on the right to tip less.
@TauMyx
The other thing is that large parties tend to under tip when left to their own devices. Restaurant associations have done studies on this, which is why so many members of the associations have the same auto-gratuity policies.
When it's a 4 top, usually the bill is being paid by one person, maybe two. And they tend to split it up and tip much more equally. When you have a large party, if it's one bill or 10, you often get people who assume someone else is covering the tip or that their stinginess will just get lost in the noise so it's OK to save a buck or two by under-tipping. Or they won't split up the check right, telling everyone to throw in ten bucks, but some guy thinks that isn't fair because he only had a tea and a salad so he'll only put in seven or assume the ten includes the tip when it doesn't, etc. So, left to their own devices, with no automatic tip, waiters would often average much lower per person on a group table than a normal one, only getting maybe 10 or 12%, even for good (and more difficult service), compared to 15-18% on a normal family or double date table. And since, as others have said, large tables tend to take up more energy, are harder to serve and please, and usually take up table space longer, making less money for handling them is not in anyone's best interest.
All she had to do was just cross it off and leave it alone, but she had to rub it in for some weird reason.
The whole thing is ridiculous.
Pastors are to conduct themselves in an ethical Christian manner. They are held to a high moral standard. If you're going to preach the loving word of Christ, you should conduct yourself in a kind, loving manner that pleases the Lord. They make the decision to take the oath when ordained a minister to lead a life and be a witness for Christ. What kind of Pastor leaves a rude, arrogant, snide remark like this? Is that a remark that pleases God? What kind of witness is this? Is the Pastor's heart in the right place? Absolutely not. Oh, I understand the whole "tithe your 10%". It means, tithe 10% of your paycheck. That receipt was NOT Chelsea's main paycheck. It was one of many restaurant guest bills that adds up to a monthly paycheck. Really? You have a problem with giving a working class citizen $6 and some change for doing her job? At least she's working. These followers of Christ, teachers of his word, made a vow to lead others to serve Christ and to serve Him, NOT to verbally slam a waiter for a policy the restaurant put in place to cover the tip amount for tables serving parties of 6-8 or more. Individuals like this Pastor, who act in such a manner, cause a negative light to shine that ultimatley illuminates total disappointment and destroys the intergrity of those who work hard in their faith to uphold. It makes witnessing to others even harder when the very ones who are teaching the Christian princilpes....backslide. Way to go Pastor, good job. You've emabarassed yourself, your family / friends and disappointed the Father. I applaud Chelsea! She stood up for herself and her coworker by posting the receipt. Applebees, you just did Chelsea a huge favor. Pastor and Applebees, better lawyer-up. She has an incredible case.
Well said HDD. I like to think that a man or woman of God would do the right thing even if no one is looking. She apparantly thought no one would be looking and felt she had a right to demean someone who serves her. I'm glad it got posted. She should be ashamed and embarassed. She must have gotten her theological degree out of a box of Cracker Jacks.
This whole thing reminds me of the conversation in the film "Crash" about black people not tipping...
I think what a lot of non service industry individuals don't understand is that sometimes, but not tipping your server, you are actually costing them money to have spent an hour assisting you with your every mealtime need. Most servers have to tip out a percentage of sales to others within the restaurant such as the expo, bussers, bartenders, etc. If the pastor felt 18% was outrageously high, then he could have handled it in a much more respectful manner of crossing it out and reissuing a new amount. It is not the servers fault that the suggested amount is written in, and to bring in a religious comparison is completely out of context and uncalled for. Granted, the server should have just moved on and not handled the publicity in the same way. Neither party acted well in this situation, but the server did have a right to be frustrated.
I think BOTH parties should give it a rest.
NO! The pastor shouldn't be acting like such an idiot. No one should have to put up with such idiocy, especially someone who makes sub-minimum wage. The pastor deserved to be outed as the piece of garbage that she is; unnacceptable!!!
Of course nobody has to leave a tip, ad I pesonally consider not doing so to be obnoxious, except where there are issues of really poor service involved. But to use one's personal miserliness to make a statement of religious faith? That's just outrageous.
This woman does not deserve to be a pastor. Pastors are suppose to show empathy to all people no matter what. Even after she made a complete fool of her self she decided to respond with I want everyone in that restaurant fired that doesnt sound to christian like to me. It's not just African American People who leave bad tips. some of the comments people make are just dumb and ignornant.
This Woman is a Minister for a 15 member church run out of a store front. She works only part time as a minister and has a full time job elsewhere. This is NOT a Real member of the Clergy people! It's a Scam perputated by people to get Tax Free Status on purchases, housing credits and breaks from the government. Look her information up and you will quickly see this woman is in no way a member of the cloth! Pathetic how some people will use anything to game the system!!!!!
^This.
Wow, what a rotten way to treat her server. If you can't afford to tip or you don't want to tip, don't go out to eat.. Why is it always the ones that feel the need to announce their religion that treat others the worst? I'm gald she got publically called out on it, she deserved it. I wish we could do away with tipping all together and pay a little more for our food so that servers could make a decent wage but until changes are made you do not stiff your waiters.
Who's money was the pastor using in the first place? If I was the server I would go to her church, sit in the front row and lock eyes on her. And when the collection plate passes by me she would receive the same type note I received, if not harsher. What a hypocrit!
I am proud to be living in the most generous tipping cities in America, San Francisco. Locals are aware there are many who earn six and seven digit incomes per year and others who barely get by. Those who are wealthier appreciate the hard work of a struggling college student or a young single mother trying to survive. All of you Non tippers please stop and think, especially if you are a table of eight. This server is busting her tail for minimum or less per hour at an Appleby's no less the least you could do is show your appreciation. Restaurants should not have to require patrons to tip. Patrons should have more respect for the people who kiss their butts.
Ridiculous to add a tip without the customers permission. If that establishment wanted to force tipping (which I believe is still voluntary and America), they should post that at the front of the restaurant, so everyone is aware. My spa, for instance, NEVER adds a tip to my bill but SUGGESTS between 10%-20%, I choose what to give, voluntarily AND based on service.
Many restaurants add a forced tip for large parties, and state it on the menus. If you take such a large party to a restaurant, expect it.
This would be fine if (some) people weren't such cheap tightwads. If everyone did the right thing and treated others with kindness and respect, we wouldn't even be having this discussion.
HA. Now we are supposed to be jerks because we don't tip? Corporate America pays them peanuts and expects up to pay the server plus the cost of a meal? I say never tip again.
Get a better paying job.
I really hope they spit in your food.
you are absolutely vile.
You are an @$$. God forbid you ever step foot into a restaurant and expect to be waited on with any form of quality or dignity. I recently visited an Applebee's, and the auto-grat policy for parties of 8 or more is clearly written on the menu, so there should be no surprise to the guest that the tip was included in the cost of their meal that. It's to make sure that hard working servers earn what they rightfully work for and protect them from stingy ingrates like you. The next time you step foot into any restaurant, just remember that the server is the last person to see your food before it hits the table. I have never personally tampered with anyone's food, but I have seen it done by others I worked with. Then again, should you decide to go out to eat, consider Taco Bell or McDonald's.
Oh I get it. You want to pay $30 for a burger so the restaurant can afford to pay the server. Brilliant, Einstein
I see wrong on both sides BUT........ I don't believe the Pastor reacted with "love" (the foundation of Christianity) in mind regardless if the message was left for the waitress or the company. If the message was for Applebees then she should have had a conversation with the manager. If nothing else the Pastor certainly didn't think this through and has hopefully learned a lesson about humility and "service" especially when sigining your name along with your title (Pastor). The waitress should not have been fired and both parties should apologize and simply move forward. We are all human and deserve forgiveness.
What's missing from the story is the fact that the pastor called the restaurant when this went viral and demanded THE WHOLE STAFF be fired.
I saw this the other day and could only shake my head. This is a pastor writing what equates to be a nasty and snarky remark to her server then demands to have the employee fired. This is the polar opposite of Christian behavior.
Agreed!
GOD should have second thoughts about this so called pastor. He made a written statement and should not have expected it to remain secret. He obviously meant it to be seen. Fire him not her!
The Pastor is an African American Female.
Why do we have to tip a percentage based on the cost of the meal? I hate tipping. It doesn't mean I don't do it. But I don't think it's my responsibility to make up the difference in someone's pay because restaurants get away with not having to pay minimum wage. And I don't believe that because I order a $15 plate at one restaurant and a $25 plate at another, that the service I receive will be any different. Tipping from me is flat rate.
The cost of your meal does not currently include a minimum wage for the servers. If you dislike paying a tip you should pay them while advocating for minimum wage laws to apply to servers and others in the hospitality industry. You likely are unaware that a server pays the buser, the bartender, and the food runner out of his or her tips.
Servers DO NOT make minimum wage!!! They make a measly $2-$3 per hour, which is TAXED. Additionally, the tips that servers receive are ALSO declared and TAXED, so a server is lucky to ever receive a paycheck because that measly "wage" they get is consumed by the taxes they have to pay on tips. For a server, a week's worth of tips IS their paycheck. Moreover, at nicer restaurants, servers have to tip out a percentage of what they earn to bussers, bartenders, and even food runners. So basically, a server is lucky to leave work with 80% of what they earned in tips. The customary tip is 15-20% of the bill, and that is only if good service is received. If your server keeps your drink filled and provides you with everything you need to enjoy your meal, be a decent human being and give him/her a decent gratuity.
I didn't say I didn't leave a decent tip. But I don't believe that it should be based on the cost of my food.
Yes, it should be. The 15-20% guideline is more than appropriate and should be commensurate with what you spend. Granted if bad service is received, then the server is by no means entitled to that percentage at all, but when you only leave $1 or $2 on a $25 tab, you are actually costing that server money and cheating them out of the time they have served you. By shortchanging servers, you are actually hurting them financially and tax-wise.
Seriously? You are paying for the convience of not having to cook your own food; if you are going to begrudge the server a tip because you are too cheap to give a person who makes $2.13 and hour a decent thank-you, stay the fuck home.
Better yet, get a job in the service industry and see how hard it is to serve self-righteous dolts like you who treat wait staff as their own personal slaves.
Fortunately, you are the exception rather than the norm. Pay the tip or stay the hell home.
I will stay away from eating out just because you say so. I didn't say I didn't tip. Read again. My problem is with the tip being based on the price of my meal. Service received for one meal isn't any different for a meal at a lower or higher price. And I'm not talking about eating at an expensive restaurant. This is for restaurants comparable to Applebees.
I am not self-righteous, and I don't treat wait staff like my personal slaves. Perhaps if you ever dined out with me, you would know that. This does make me an exception to the norm. You are very right, and you should be happy about that.
Oh I get it. You'd rather pay $30 for a burger so your server can earn a decent wage than tip $3 on a $15 check. You're really stupid and obviously don't how percentages work.
The server who waited on that table is absolutely entitled to a copy of that charge slip as it is a record of her compensation and therefore a tax document. The girl that posted it is not entitled to a copy. If Alois Bell is a "pastor' then I'm a Brigadier General....
I think 18% is a little high I don't know who picked that number. (Probably the waiters). 10% is plenty maybe 15% for really good service. Heck even the waiters at the buffet expect a big tip and all they do is refill drinks and take away dirty plates if you can get their attention.
I waited tables when I was young so I have seen all kinds of good and bad customers. I once got stiffed on a $200 meal because I was a male waiter and the redneck diners said "We don't tip men". Ignorant A**holes.
18% is absolutely a fair tip for 8 or more people. Large groups take much longer than a 2 or 4-top; having been a former waiter, you should know that.
You realize servers make $2.13 an hour and don't get their whole tip, right? The server is required not only to tip the busser, food runner, and bar but they also get taxed on their tips. So if you pay a 10% tip the server is only getting 5 or 6 percent if that.
I feel so sad for the waitress and the pastor. I hate the waitress was fired and I hate the pastor felt the need to envoke God into something that wasn't necessarily pretaining to who He is. Pastor Bell is suppose to be light that illuminate darkness. I think her messaging on the receipt has drawn bad attention for herself and for the waitress, who has lost her job behind the Pastor's un-necessary comments. I pray that the waitress find a greater job, peace and prosperity; and I know God will forgive Pastor Bell...and expect her to turn from being haughty and be a bit more humble.
There is wrong on both sides here. The pastor should take the higher ground and not leave the comment. The server should not post the receipt online. However, the bigger wrong was the pastor.
Two additional points. I resent restaurants that add the 18% and just assume the service will warrant a tip. I normally tip at least 20% for good service. However, if a restaurant automatically adds in the tip I do not pay a penny more.
In other words, by assuming you just lost at least 2% – 5%.
My second point. Sundays are big lunch day for restaurants due to the church crowd. I find it fascinating that religious folks demand everyone be in church and condemn all sorts of activities on Sunday. Why is it that the church folks go en masse to restaurants on Sundays? "Please go to church, unless of course you are cooking or serving my food at the restaurant."
But no matter what, it is still not the server's fault that the restaurant has the 18% policy, so why penalize the server?
You're assuming the comment was directed at the server; I think it was more likely directed at the restaurant, or the pastor would not have left a tip anyway.
I get that this person doesn't like the automatic tip doled out by the restaurant, but it's not the restaurant that gets the tip, it's the server.
The gratuity is added on certain tickets due to the amount of people that get stiffed on a large ticket. Not everyone tips like you and I. Also, a lot of people assume that a $400 ticket deserves the same amount of tip as a $20 when obviously much more work is involved.
If you dislike paying the 18% gratuity on a large group you should ask to speak with a manager. If the server provides exceptional service there is no reason to punish the server by paying less tip when a large group gratuity is included. It isn't the server's choice. In many restaurants servers "tip out" the bartender, the buser, and sometimes food runners. This means that the server is told what his or her sales are for the night and a percentage of the total sales is paid out by the server. The server has no choice. When a server is not tipped the server still has to pay out to the others. It is harsh to take restaurant policies out on the servers.
Let this be a lesson to all of us dinning out in restaurants. Now that we have cell phones with camera's that are linked to social media websites. Poor tippers will be called out in the social media circus. I am not at all concerned, I always over tip. My minimum is always 20%, I have tipped 100% more times then I can count...
Ever been in a bar where its 5 people deep, and you are waiting forever? Then some random guy who is behind you all of 2 minutes and suddenly his drinks are made in the blink of a eye! I am that guy. Why? Cause the first round of drinks I ordered was $40.00 my tip was $20.00
You're not doing the establishments you patronize any favors. If it's 5 deep and I'm waiting forever and some jerk gets special treatment, I'm never going there again. You epitomize crass behavior – your role model must be Rodney Dangerfield's character in Caddy Shack. As far as your last comment, that shouldn't really surprise anyone – I don't think you can count very high.
Please. "Establishments" dont want you then, cause you dont get it. It's not kindergarten recess – it's a bar. Grown up rules apply. I bet when its your turn at the bar, when its five deep, you wont know what you want and will ask for a listing of wines and then order a complicated drink with special instructions....
@UZuck I am guessing you, A) Don't go out often. B) Have never been to a Michelin start restaurant. C) Have never valeted your car, D) Employed a car service, taken a taxi. E) Picked up the dinner check for 20. F) Dinning at Apple Bee's is a upscale dinning experience. G) Tipped the maid who picked up all your wet towels off the bathroom floor... H) Bought a homeless person a meal. I) Gave the local HS charity car wash all the cash in your wallet.. So do us all a favor in helping the local establishments in your town, by staying home. That way they can focus on the rest of us. But don;t be upset when that one time of year you're waiting for the table you reserved two weeks ago, and one of "us" breezes in with out a reservation and gets sat before you...
Thank You! You get what you pay for. If you are such a tight wad then you should stick to a fast food restaurant or simply stay home. If you want good service and a good experience you should probably show your apprecation to the ones hard at work taking care of you.
I don't know where to begin here... you ALWAYS overtip? Why? Are you a moron? Just askin'. They say a fool and his money are soon parted, but apparently not soon enough. Please let folks looking for food service jobs know where you live because the opportunities just got a lot more attractive in that neck of the woods.
I always overtip too. Why? Because the service industry sucks, because they work hard, because they usually need the money, because I like making someone's day by being generous and because I can. There is nothing wrong with that. Money isn't everything, but placing a high value on another human being is.
@ MK. Exactly! No one has ever been hurt by either of us being over generous. The huge tip we left them could mean the difference in paying for food for a child, or paying their electric bill, paying for a college book, filling their gas tank...
@MK, well put! I couldn't have said it better myself. Why people insist on clinging to that measly $2 or $3. Cheapskates, all of them! If I die tomorrow, I can't take it with me, so the difference I make in a hard working server's life by giving it to them in gratitude for good service is huge. That pastor truly showed her @$$ and made one of herself. Embarrassed ain't the word for it. She oughta be downright ASAHMED of herself and climb under the slimiest rock for her self-important and obnoxious behavior. I will NEVER step foot in a "Rotten Apple" for this.
Neither a fool, or a moron. Just generous. I worked as a server many years ago, I have friends, nieces and nephews who have done the same during their college years. It's hard work, not always the greatest pay, and far from rewarding. No benefits, no retirement plan.... The upside to my generosity is, I never wait for a table, a cocktail, no special request asked of the kitchen is ever denied.
I dont consider it overtipping, I call it 'pre-tipping'...I too never wait for a table or need a reservation, bartenders know who I am and what I want and I can order over a crowd with a eye contact and fingers held up indicating how many...I know I will be back, which is why I calculate the true cost of my evening which includes tips and parking etc...it makes my experience seamless and hassle free, I consider it money well spent .... sorta like 'good time insurance'....
@Joe800 Party insurance! That's a great term. The Parking attendants are treated the same way. Give them a minimum of 20 when you turn over your car to them and ask them nicely to keep it close. It's always there when its time to leave! No waiting! So this might be over the top, but it reminded me of something I have been doing for a very long while. As someone who entertains large groups at home. IE: raise money for the local library, animal shelter, birthday party.. At my parties its always open bar, but I put out a nice vase and plant seed money, so my guest (hopefully) instinctively know to tip for that free drink. Doing this and handing out envelopes to all the onsite catering/restaurant staff always insures that my parties are a success, and I am free to mingle and enjoy the evening. However, my counter parts who also entertain never have it so easy.... But then they get what they pay for, and so do their guests...
Who the hell does a pastor tithe to? I mean, who does he give the money to? Does Jesus stop by on Friday's for the cash drop or what?
Umm...herself?
The pastor is tithing to herself. She is a disgrace to society. A storefront church of 15 members is a device to shelter income.
I hope she is ashamed for her unchristian acts.
My wife was badly treated at an Applebee's some years ago and I will never eat at one again. I have a rule about not eating at places that irritate me, like Chick-Fil-A or Clownburger, because it gives me indigestion. That said, you can just feel the love of Jesus oozing out of that whacky pastor woman, who was, of course, showing off for her dinner guests when she wrote that stuff.
Before you all start siding with the waitress, how do you know it was a party of 5 or more? A 35 dollar bill doesn't particularly imply that many people eating there... Also to consider here is the quality of service. How do you know the waitress did a good job? I am not exactly supporting the customer but just pointing out that this article is incomplete and just a biased opinion. The author didn't particularly care to share relevant facts and just chose to bash the customer.
"Before you all start siding with the waitress, how do you know it was a party of 5 or more? A 35 dollar bill doesn't particularly imply that many people eating there... Also to consider here is the quality of service. How do you know the waitress did a good job?"
Because if you would have actually read the whole story (not just the latest article), you'd know this was a pastor that brought in a youth group (consisting of more than 8 people) and requested individual checks for everyone. Also, regarding quality of service, other articles had pointed out that the pastor had commented to the server about how great everything was. I understand you want to play devil's advocate here and feel like you're contributing something meaningful to this discussion, but you're doing it wrong.
Thank you for the (rare) meaningful reply! I haven't read anything other than this article, so those were the questions that came to my mind. If what you say is true (about the number of people and the customer's comment about the service), I personally feel the customer is in the wrong here. The waitress deserves to be (and should be) tipped that much.
That pastor should be embarrassed. She embarrassed herself and her church. She lost the right to privacy when she signed her name to the bill. What this story tells me that she is cheap, she used God as the reason, and instead of learning from the situation, she sought revenge. Real Christian of her. My question for her would be, What if everyone of your parishoners put a note in the offering plate that they gave their 10% directly to God and bypassed her? What this woman fails to realize is that the waitress cannot support herself on the pastor's little notes. Did the pastor REALLY leave $6? If she did, what was the purpose of the note? Was she just being a b*itch? The manager of Appleby's needs to rehire the waitress and just tell his staff, no more posting. Funny, when a patron of a restaurant leave a huge tip ($10,000 for example), restaurants have no problem advertising the fact and getting a little free publicity at the expense of the customer's 'privacy'.
She probably had too much wine and started showing off. What a horrible role model, and what denomination considers dinner at Applebee's a religious service anyway?
Good points...
It's simple: the server gets 18% because its just 18% of the CHECK, not his salary. God gets 10% of the pastor's SALARY not the check. The pastor is an idiot and I'm sure he's too cheap to even give God 10%. There goes his congregation!
In the south eastern part of the United States and also in Florida which is unique because of its population makeup, church groups are the worst people for a server to wait on. A few years back some of the churches that did go out to eat started making sure that the server received an appropriate tip, I know ours did; and church groups use to work a server to death by not being able to be satisfied and leaving a mess with no tip. When our church goes out to eat, we make sure that our server gets their tip and more because we realize that we have what is essentially a party, not just everyone winding up at the same place to eat. We also adjusted the stingy people who did not want to leave a tip but could afford it, attitude, we told them not to come and if someone was a griper who could not be satisfied, we refused them to go with us. There are religious people out there, I know there are in the South who walk into a restaurant with an attitude of royalty because they are Christians and a church and think they have to right to not tipped appropriately and to conduct themselves like bratty children who cannot be satisfied. I have never been a server, but I have always advocated for everyone in these situations to be treated to a great meal, have a great time and be able to come back to that restaurant and the servers want to see us coming. This has nothing to do with a religion or denomination, it has everything to do with common courtesy and respect for everyone involved.
My first thought when I saw this was, "I wonder how this would fly if she wrote it on her taxes?" The interesting thing here is that, in the Bible, tithing is something Jesus actually criticized the Pharisees on. They religiously gave their 10%, but had no love or grace for their fellow man. This woman sounds quite Pharisaical in her thinking and it is just one more example of those who give Christians a bad name. My family tithes, but we also generously tip our servers because we know how much they depend on it. Plus, what kind of example would we be if they saw us praying before our meal, but being stingy with our thanks to the hands that brought us our meal?
We need affirmative action tipping. Extra tips for LGBT, black and atheists. by law.
What a ridiculous comment.
@empresstrudy- Wtf is that even supposed to mean?
I have never had service or food at an Applebee's that deserved 18% gratuity, although I paid it each time. They really don't do 18% service there. That is why even if I go with a larger group I state I am alone and pay the tip I think is deserved, or the standard 15%.
If you have never received good service at Appleby's, why do you continue to go there? Why haven't you said something to the manager? That's just silly.
And there it is folks! What YOU think they deserve! I have a sneaking suspicion that not one of your servers anywhere ever receives their full and deserved gratuity.
If you are sitting with a large group of people, you are clearly not alone and even if you get a separate check, you should still have to pay the 18%...if I were your server, and you pulled that on me, you would be sitting alone, with management's full co-operation. The place I worked at had zero compunction about doing that to people who pulled that cheap stunt. People like you are disgusting.
What always amuses me is that by default I start at a 20% tip (25% for place i frequent), and the service has to lose points. So when the charge 18%, well that is all they get.
I believe servers should be paid at least minimum wage in addition to any tips they may receive. They do not make enough from tips, most have children-daycare to pay, no insurance, no pay when they don't work. They're the ones in the forefornt who have to endure complaining customers and improper groping.
I don't believe the server should have beenfired over this. I think it was a knee jerk reaction by her employers. I'm not a fan of Applebees but I truly think they overreacted to the situation. As a minister I find the pastors comment to be unjustified. Nobody is forcing you to give God 10% of your income. Contrary to popular belief the tithe is not a mandate its a choice. We are to give to the church yes but mandating that it be 10% on top of other offerings is unscriptural. Just saying.
Applebees is a bar masquerading as a restaurant. Their food is horrible, in my opinion, as a result. Firing the employee as a "discipline" measure was grossly out of proportion to the offense.
Tip purely for perceived service quality as it is a mechanism to ensure that equal time is spent amongst the waiter's customers at that time NOT to pay the waiter's salary. That should come entirely out of the restaurant's pocket and hence directly from the price of the food.
Applebee's pretty much sucks anyway, that's why so many of them have gone out of business. Anyone with any common decency should boycott this particular location and drive it out of business also. I'll never eat there again.
Why, you only heard one side of the story, how do you know the waitress didn't do something to offend the pastor? Also, if they really did leave that 6 dollar tip on top of the FORCED tip, then what is the big deal. It was between her and the pastor and like a fool she posted it for EVERYONE to see. She deserves to get fired, and never hired by anyone where personal information is provided.
It seems to me the pastor was just making a point, and the fact that she left close to the same tip anyway is further evidence of this. Why should she be forced to leave 18%? What if the service was awful? There's a reason it's called a gratuity. It's one thing for restaurants to do this for large parties, but that clearly wasn't the situation with a $35 bill.
What point was she making, that she's cheap and hypocritical? I don't believe she actually left the same tip, but if she did, why would she...why not just pay what is on the bill? Why should she leave the 18%? Because it was the policy of the restaurant and it was her choice to eat there with that policy clearly stated on the menu. If the service is awful, she should have informed the manager, not left a nasty note about giving to god...that's just unnecessary. What does giving to a god have to do with a server's tip??
To those who think a $35 bill couldn't have been for a party of 6 or more have obviously never gone out with friends and split the check.
its simple. if you dont want to pay gratuity (tip) dont eat at a restaurant. Just eat at home.
@Dan: Did you read the article? It wasn't about not wanting to leave a tip; she did leave one.
@Steve: Having read some more comments here I understand now that the bill was split. I don't go out with large parties often so this hadn't occurred to me.
@MK: No, the point was that the gratuity should be determined by the customer based on the quality of the service. Why do you say the policy was clearly stated? Usually it's in fine print somewhere. I agree that what one gives to one's deity (still not sure exactly how that transaction takes place) has nothing to do with it but if one received bad service and was then charged a high fee for the presumption of good service, one might be forgiven for a little snarkiness.
It is not the fault of the server that the restaurant has this policy and it is stated on the menu, whether it's in fine print or not. If you want to know if a restaurant has this policy and you can't read, you can always ask.
Don't you get it? Servers don't care about ones "tithing" opinion, birth control stance, political affiliation, gun control beliefs etc., etc., etc. How cowardly to leave a note written on the receipt. I've seen this kind of weakness before. People seem to think that the dinner receipt is some kind of forum for cheap diners to get away with venting their opinions on a myriad of subjects, that some how turn into the amount that server is going to receive. Stunning! especially coming from someone who begs their congregation for "tips" every Sunday! If you have a problem, stop eating immediately and talk to the manager.TRUST ME. YOUR SERVER DOES NOT CARE ABOUT YOUR OPINION OR RIGHTS TO FREE SPEECH AND PRIVACY. There is a good bit of our population that needs to stay home or just eat out at drive throughs.
Dude, research! the pastor took a large group to the restaurant and asked for separate tickets to try and avoid the 18% in the first place. She paid all of the tickets herself. Why separate them if you are paying all of them? Then she tried to not pay the 18% that was clearly stated on the menu for groups over 8, as you can clearly see from her scratching it off of the ticket and writing the original total before gratuity on the total line.
"...the people who actually do some hard and important work."
Servers don't work hard?? If they weren't working hard, you would know it.
It's because we de-value people who work in these service positions that they get such a pittance to begin with. Doctors, etc. are usually paid well.
(This was a reply to jeanne.)
This is the sort of thing that makes me see red. "Pastors" are a lazy bunch of ne'er to wells who add nothing to this nation in terms of economic activity, live off other people's income or use the title as a tax dodge, then this one has the unmitigated gall to try to cheat someone who does work for their hard earned, and work hard. The arrogance of some who claim to be men of god never fails to astound me.
And Doctors are some of the worst tippers out there!
Maybe waiters, bellhops, and airport porters should make more so they don't have to depend on tips.
Yeah! What's the matter with those dopes, making so little?
Render unto your server what is your server's, and render unto God what is God's. Or something like that.
Another example of taking God out of the resturant business
Personally I'm sick of businesses that try to force their customers to pay their employees rather then doing it themselves. I've seen more bad service then good over the last few years and everyone has a sense of entitlement thinking they deserve all this money over and above their paycheck just for taking the job regardless of how they act.
If restaurants want to make their customers pay their staff they should add it into the price of the food and not even tell anyone. If people choose to eat there then fine.
I've noticed that when you treat the server nicely, with respect, they treat you well and are very friendly. If they aren't acting very friendly, I usually say something like, uh oh, having a bad day? And sure enough, they will say, yeah, I'm sorry, blah blah blah, and then everything is cool. People expecting to be treated like kinds and queens when they go out are the real problem.
Another "christian." And this pastor gets a free ride on our tax dollars will spewing her archaic drivel and superstitious nonsense.
I'm not sure why the pastor is so apologetic. It's not like we didn't already know religious zealots are hypocrits.
Just wanted to say, I've been serving for over 25 years and have derved in muliple states. I'm not a racist, in fact my wife is African Amer. And she agrees with me. When i heard the story, I knew the customer was African Am. The African Amer community,not all but @ 90%, for some reason dont tip good at all. The tip usually is @8%, and after the sever tips out the busser and bartender, he ends up w/about 4-5%. Dont understand why this is, just know that iot is the truth and I'm sure many agree. I'm proud of Chelsea for outing the pastor, God Bless Chelsea!
Why would we think you're a racist just because you paint an entire race with a broad brush based on the actions of a few?
Well lets be clear about something Pastor Bell does NOT give 10% to God. Pastor Bell gives 10% to her own church. The 10% Pastor Bell gives supports the upkeep of the church, and activities for the congregation. Not a single cent is given to God. It is exactly that hubris that has driven me into the growing 20% that is not religiously affiliated.
Pastor Bell's church is NOT GOD. Any money donated to Pastor Bell church does not go to God it goes to people. God doesn't spend money, people spend money in a manner which they think God will approve.
This gives Christians a bad name.Christians should be the most generous because we have have so much to be thankful for. The lady( pastor ?) is wrong and she knows it.
Yes, Christians should be especially thankful because they are God's special people, so precious and better than anybody else and as we all know they have the monopoly on "Christian values".
The pastor's actions should leave her embarrassed! I guess she now knows what many of us know... What you put in writing doesn't go away so be careful! As for Applebees... You fired her? Ridiculous. Guests privacy? The pastor wrote her name on. It. If she wanted it to be private she shouldn't have done that. I would say give the server back her job but who wants to work for a company who does this? I won't be eating there again.
The waitress that posted the receipt porobably wouldn't have lost her job if the picture wouldn't have included the persons name. While it would be nice to think that the pastor really does feel bad the truth more than likely is that she feels bad because she got called out for leaving something like that.
I know not this Alois Bell, she does not work for me.
10% tithe is traditionally based on total income. I have a hard time believing that 18% on a dinner bill is anywhere near the expected 10% on total income that churches hope to collect.
Huh? "Confused" indeed.
Thank you, Confused. You're the first person I've seen make this connection. I'm sure the waitress would gladly have taken 8% or 9% of the pastor's total income, rather than 18% of this small bill. That way, God would still get more.
Well I wont be eating in my local Applebee's again for a long time
Stupid "Pastor".
You could have left the name off, the comment already identifies you as a real d-head.
I have a question, how does God collect his 10%?
SO when you read your menu and you get to the part that says "A gratuity will be added to your bill".....if you disagree, that is your chance to bail.....not after you eat. Pastor is a cheapee and every one now knows it!
an 18% tip is added to parties of 6 or 8, depending on policy. How do 6 people get out of Applebee's for $35? That seems a little hard, only had soda? 6 coffees? Were there even 6 people in the party, or was the Pastor's bill artificially inflated?
I understand that the restaurant split up the bills for the large party. A large party that splits bills is still charged the gratuity for large parties. If they disagree with paying the larger gratuity they should eat elsewhere or discuss with a manager.
I live just a few miles from where this happened. The bill was split up.
The first thing that is wrong with this story is the notion women can be pastors...lol. Can't find that in the Bible. As for the other matter, what a snotty way to try and get you point across. This Alois Bell is a silly woman and the waitress shouldn't have posted the receipt. Both were wrong.
How do you manage to connect to the Internet from the 16th century?
Becky- your a moron. When you go out to eat do you not expect to pay gratuity? Waiters and waitress make $2.62 an hour!!! Those tips are desperately needed. Obviously, people don't care. Shame on all of you, and thank you Pastor for once again sharing how Christians and All other religions are scumbags. Ef religion, its why were losing this War!!!!
The pastor did not skip out without leaving a tiip – it is clearly(18%) on the receipt and if she didn't want to leave an additional tip that is her business. So she scratched it out – that did not stop the whole( including the 18% tip) amount from being charged. If the sever had made a great impression she might have gotten an additional tip,sometimes when you don't leave a tip or an additional tip it is becuase you had BAD service. Another thought – If the server knows there is an auto tip on the check they might decide to slack off since they are getting the tip anyway. Just because they are a server does not mean they are a "GOOD" server.
how could a party of 6 or more have a meal that only came to $35!! Let me know where that applebees is and I am there!
Serioulsy, I have never understood why a party of 6 or more should be expected to pay more, as someone who worked as a server, manager and kitchen staff in restaurants I always found larger table less work.
But its a gratuity and is (or should be) voluntary. If I have received good service I am happy to leave a tip, but it should be MY choice. Most chain restaurants I have visited are at best hit and miss in terms of service, so dont force me to pay 'extra' when its not deserved, either that or add 18% to your prices and pay your servers a decent wage.
It's in St. Louis, MO. Off Kingshighway and Chippewa. The receipt was her portion of the bill. It was split up.
One word: Typical
As a Christian pastor and a former server, I hate to say it but the after church crowd or Sunday lunch crew was always the worst. They ran you to death, were hard to please, and tipped the least. I used to request the smoking section just to have nice people to wait on every Sunday.
When it comes to how much to tip, I always say Jesus set the gold standard. He gave 100% all the time and that's a very hard act to follow but that's our standard – not an old 10% rule.
Well said!
Your right...following Jesus is a hard act to follow, but then religion requires you only have faith. Let go back to Jesus….I believe he did exist, but died a criminal for treason against the state… Much like David Koresh. It is in the Bible…..he was crucified. Funny thing though the Jewish belief was the messiah was going to be a great warrior to free the Jews from the Romans. No were in the TORAH does it or did it ever SAY the messiah was going to be a criminal.
Stephen F Roberts: “I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.”
I swear, if you don't want the gratuity put on your check then ASK for separate checks. Oh and by the way im sure your preacher appreciates that 10 percent, as 8 percent of it goes in his pocket!! I mean seriously, have you seen the rides some of these so called "Men of God" roll around in?!? We had one pull up to the DMV yesterday in a freekin Maybach 62.... that's a 400,000 dollar car. Man looked like an old school pimp, had huge gold rings on each finger, and a personal driver. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! But don't worry, he is looking forward to seeing you and your 10 percent in church every weekend.
If the pastor didn't want to pay the 18%, she shouldn't have eaten there.
It kills me when someone says they give "god" 10%. How does "god" get the money??
According to Oral Roberts, via his Swiss bank account!
The facts:
Most restaurants charge a mandatory gratuity for parties of 6 or more. This is so the wait staff is not deprived of salary for their service. There ARE those who by principle only tip 5% no matter how the service was, but because they make less than a third of minimum wage it is supposed to be made up BY the tips. Unfortunately some don't agree.
A tip if for service, not food. If your server was attentive and pays attention, their tip should reflect it, just as someone who doesn't should.
Serving a large table takes other tables away from a server, so they will miss out on the other tips they could have received for them. Often times large tables stay longer so the tips are diminished even more.
Having said this, and while I don't entirely agree with the patron (the fact she is a pastor is irrelevent) I understand the rule about "mandatuities". If a restaurant has this and one does not agree with it, don't patronize it or sit in parties of five or less. The comment made was not the best way to express her concerns and taking it up with the manager would have been better, but what she did is no different than what many others do.
HOWEVER...
The server (whom didn't even have the patron as a client) stuck her nose in someone else's business and posted personal information on the internet. This is bad enough, but she made a snarky, insult-laidened video to accompany it. She violated restaurant policy by posting this information in a public forum and even though the altered the receipt and re-posted it later, she still violated this patron's privacy.
That she was fired was a correct action. In this age where instant media makes people into (let's face it) arrogant reporters, many do not think before they post. Did she think there would be no blow-back from this? Did she think no one would say anything about this? And worst of all, she felt right in posting the video with her venom against someone with whom she was not involved?
I support Appleby's and their actions. And if I ever find a restaurant that Chelsea Welch works I will not support that establishment. What she did was flat ouot wrong. She should have 1) kept her big nose out of it, and 2) if she wanted to take action she should have followed chain of command and discussed it with the shift manager.
To Pastor Bell, if you don't agree with the policy, discuss it with the manager (many times they will waive it) or don't go to those establishments.
To Chelsea, you are neither an internet sensation nor a hero. You are a rude, obnoxious little girl with a LOT of growing up to do, and you deserved what you got (not the job offers and petiotions demanding your being rehired).
And to those who disagree, you are entitled to, but having worked for years as a server myself I know from where I speak.
I AM The One Who Knows.
Well written!
I disagree with your position. We live in an age where people should expect that what they do can be made public. Applebee's was in the wrong to fire the server. If they had a policy about privacy of patrons, and I don't know that such a policy should extend to notes scribbled on a receipt, perhaps the server should have been reprimanded or not given shifts for a few days. The pastor was wrong in every way. Her reaction to having been outed for her meaness is disgusting as a person who works as a Pastor.
sounds like someone is hypocrite... looks like you are an "arrogant reporter". just because you worked as a server, you know everything? I only agree with you when saying they were both wrong... but i guarantee that you would have been the first to complain if the same thing happened to you... only difference is, today you can complain in social media and more people can hear you
I disagree. If you write a note to me, I'm free to post it wherever I like. The pastor didn't have to sign her name but she obviously felt her name carried some weight. If she had no problem and felt right in writing it, she shouldn't have a problem sharing it with the world.
The note was the property of Applebees since it was their establishment and their receipt. It was not the server's to post online or do anything else with other than turn it in.
Other than your presumptuous screen name, I fully agree with your post.
Funny thing about "The One Who Knows", with all your wisdom you still cannot not find it within yourself to find the spell check. The word is spelled O-U-T. Fact is this, like most pontificating evangelists, the pastor attempted to use her "celebrity" to skirt a justifiable tip which is noted on the menu. Waitress was fired because Applebees bowed down to religious and/or racial repercussions. Now, their employment policies suck just as much as their food. Applebees cowers to a cheap ass phony "representative" of God! Much like The One Who Knows, you both disgust me!
The server was fired because she violated Applebees' policy which has nothing to do with race or religion.
Only in America does a restaurant worker depend on the welfare offered by its customers. It is time the food industry is given a swift boot and pay its employees what they deserve. Tips are supposed to be a gratuity. Instead, tips are a hidden food tax.
Applebees is an obvious corporation that makes much of its profits from not having to pay its wait staff.
BOOOO Applebees. The place is owned by pig and only pigs go there, just ask the little piggy pastor. If he really did leave a tip like his liar lips said, this would be a none issue now, wouldn't it. A man of the cloth, pashaw, a man of rancid toilet paper is more like it.
@The One Who Knows, you clearly don't know chit. Perhaps Chelsea may have violated the stingy pastor's privacy to a degree, but that self-important Pastor made that credit card slip public when she decided to show her @$$ and write a nasty comment on it, so in my view, what was once a credit card slip turned into a snarky note, so privacy was null and void at that point. In response to your other point, while I agree that the server should have been reprimanded for posting the slip showing the guest's signature (I would have cut the guest's name off & still posted it), I think firing her was jumping the gun a bit. Personally I applaud Chelsea for blowing the whistle on these self righteous bible beaters who leave Jesus at the front door when they eat out. I think Chelsea was looking out for her co-worker, for which I find no fault. We need more advocates like her when it comes to pointing out wrongdoing and bad behavior. And shame on Pastor Bell. If the $6.29 was such a problem as an auto-grat, then why would she be so stupid to leave a $6 cash tip? I call BS on that. Pastor Bell had no intention of leaving that server anything. What a hypocrite she is. Moreover, if she claims to give God 10%, how does he collect? She is a self absorbed cheapskate bitch who deserves every bit of humiliation she gets from the media & everywhere else for her stupid and careless actions.
I remember an incident with a jerk customer from when I cleaned tables in a restaurant 30 years ago. There I am cleaning up when I find a wallet under the table as I checked there (you wouldn't believe what people throw under a table so we always had to check when cleaning). I never opened it and turned it in to the manager. He called in the asst manager and had us both watch as he opened the wallet (he said something about it was important to have witnesses just in case ... which at the time I thought was weird). He found the persons information, located them in the phone book, and called them. Later that evening I found out why he wanted witnesses. The jerk arrives to get his wallet, and promptly claims it's missing a large amount of cash. Not only that, but when the manager wouldn't give him that amount, he called in the police. So they arrive and asked some questions. While the witnesses with the manager protected him, I was the weak link as I had no one see me find the wallet or take it to the manager. But lucky for me the man had been drinking a bit as well. The police decided he had a bit to much, so they escorted him away rather than let him get back in his vehicle (different times), and I never heard about this again. I've never known if this guy was delusional on the money due to drinking, or simply trying to shake the place down for money ... but from that point on I saw most customers as being jerks.
Hi Ken, what an ungrateful jerk you had to deal with. No gratitude for being honest and turning in his wallet? What garbage! I had a similar scenario unfold with me not long ago. I waited tables at a Red Lobster when a young couple sat down in my section and ordered alcohol. When I asked to see their ID's, the guy copped an attitude saying he left it in the truck. I was very polite and told him that once he provided me with his ID that I'd be more than happy to serve him. The girl was a total beotch & snapped "just get me a tea". I served the table like I would any other table. The tab was $38. The guy left cash in the check presenter and walked out. I saw two $20 bills, so oh well, a $2 tip, so be it. However, when I folded the money to put in my pocket, I noticed each $20 had another $20 stuck to it (new money), so I actually got $42 on a $38 tab. I am usually not dishonest, but hey, this guy LEFT the money and LEFT the restaurant, so as far as I was concerned, it was considered "abandoned", and as long as the restaurant was paid for the tab, there wasn't much else to do but keep the money, so I did. About two hours after he left, he had the gall to show back up & tell me that he thinks he may have left more money than he intended. Needless to say I played the typical blonde & pled pure ignorance. Ahh, the price for being a jerk; priceless!
They were both right and both wrong. Much is known about the labor ills in the restaurant business. I found this article because it was picked up on the website reddit on the GLOBAL Internet. And how did this petty argument between a server and a customer get here. Applebees was totally justified in doing what they did. Enough said. I worked in a customer seervice industry for many years and my employer would have done the same to me if I had brought such unwanted attention to them.
Applebee is not justified for their actions. They violated an individuals freedom of speech and rights to privacy. They are scum for their violation of human rights. They remind me of the Chinese Communist government. Makes me want to spit in their face.
We live in the USA...if you opt to eat in a restaurant that has a waitstaff, you knowingly accept the implied responsibility of tipping your server. THAT is the only reason these corporations can get away with paying them such menial sums. If you get bad service, you don't like something that happens or if your server is truly inept, you should take that up, while still there, with restaurant management...If you disagree with tipping, then you have plenty of choices where you never have to tip to eat...McDonald's, Hardee's, Burger KIng are just a few...
To become one of God's servants requires a 100% commitment and not just the 10% this pastor has chosen to brag about.
Ultimately, the losers in this situation are those in his congregation because they have heard a call to come forward, therefore they deserve better than what their pastor has so far shown what he is made of.
This pastor needs to learn how to hear from God. Hopefully that will begin to happen in the not to future.
After all, God can change anybody.
OK, I’m game, what was your gods name? RA, ZEUS, maybe AN? OH almost forgot how many gods do the Christian believe in? 1, 3, 30 . If you think I’m joking then you need to read about early Christianity before you answers and what group won…quick answer was the group that had 3…you refer to them as the holy trinity. The plot thickens.
Stephen F Roberts: “I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.”
To start off – I'm not "religious"...
but if your attempting to insult someone, maybe you should know a little more when insulting someone because you just came off as an idiot. Christians believe in ONE god. The three gods you speak of "the holy trinity" is a holy trinity because the "father, son, and holy spirit (ghost)" are all ONE – hence why its holy. How can this be? No clue, but that's how they explain it. I guess its the same way a virgin had a baby – Faith.
"His" congregation? The pastor is a woman.
Regardless on “who” is was, failure to pay a tip, when a tip was expected, is just bad manners. The standard (accepted practice) is to leave just a quarter (25 cents) to express to the waiter that the service was bad, but the tip was not forgotten. Invoking a mythical being is just plain foolishness.
The standard is most definitely NOT to leave a 25 cent tip. Servers do not earn minimum wage for each hour worked. The cost of your meal is kept artifically low so that consumers pay for the service of the server, bartender, and busers. If you are receiving poor service your responsibility is to speak with the server, then the manager. That is how adults handle themselves. Servers have bills to pay too. Can you imagine not being paid for your work? Even on days when you do a bad job or slack off or take too long a break, you get paid. Even if you suck as an employee you are getting paid. Servers need to be paid. You have an option with regard to bad food (don't go back) or lack of response from the management (don't go back) but you should never punish a server.
grl....the 25 is to show displeasure for the sevice, however the standard tip is 20-25% for good to excellent.
The recourse for poor service is to speak with a manager while the poor service occurs. You can often be moved to another section. The server may be having a bad day and this may be the wake up call needed. I am reminded of the story of the man who after a long and hard day at work gets on the subway only to have a father and 2 boys near him. The boys are bouncing off the seat, being loud, and otherwise being obnoxious kids. The father says nothing. The man has had enough and has decided to give the father a piece of his mind for being such a bad parent. After reprimanding the father he says to the man how sorry he was for being inattentive, that he has a lot on his mind as they just came from the hospital where his wife died. The man feels like a heel. It is a reminder that you never know what is going on in a person's life and to try not to make assumptions. This is not to say that there aren't bad servers, but those situations should be discussed with management. If you feel like giving less than 15%, you should talk with the manager. If you get no response or a poor response for the manager you should eat someone different next time.
Why would they add an 18% tip on what is obviously a bill for one or two people? Applebees is the worst of the worst for that class restaurant anyway.
Agreed, but it's their choice. Your choice as a consumer is to not go there if you don't like that policy. Going and then refusing to follow their payment policy is NOT one of your choices.
Although the Bill was for 1 or 2 people, the group that ate in clearly exceeded the standard (~8 guests) minimum before they automatically include the gratuity on the check.
According to another source, it was a large party that asked to have the bill split up into multiple checks.
If you watch the video, it was a party of 10. Yes, an automatic 18% tip is not only commonplace for larger groups, it is more than reasonable.
This was apparently a large party (18 + people) and it appears only that the bills were split up for payment. That is still a large party for which a larger gratuity is expected.
can't you read, it was a party of 8...obviously they had their bills separated at the end hoping to negate the automatic gratuity. The fact that it was charged anyway is probably the reason for the smarmy message...The waitress got her tip (18%) Pastor Bell la Douche, just wanted to show her unChristian character by adding the note about additional tip....
If you can't afford the tip you shouldn't be eating in the restaurant.
And if you're going to be embarrassed when you're outed for not tipping and being rude to your server, maybe you should leave a tip and be nice.
God is always watching
Although it has been over 30 years since I last waited tables, I still remember well the feelings of frustration and helplessness regarding tipping. Unlike other employees, servers are not guaranteed minimum wage. Even when service is exceptional, some people claim they can't "afford" to tip, which in essence means they can only afford to go out to eat if the server is paid less than minimum wage. We need to raise the prices sufficiently to cover that wage for all servers, and then let customers add tips based on the quality of the service. Until that happens, however, people who refuse to tip are essentially condoning slave labor.
True. I'm sure these people who can't "afford" to tip also eat out every day.
If you can't afford to treat other people like human beings and offer them something other than a pittance, stay home.
Typical Christian a$shole, spewing sacrifice for the poor out of one side of their mouth and penny pinching and moaning about a few extra bucks for a tip on the other.
Exactly. I would like to give the picture snapping server a high five. All she did was expose a typical elitist holier than thou jerk.
Is it any wonder that Church Membership is dropping by droves ? Venal butt-heads like this 'Minister' give churches a bad name, and more and more people are seeing it. "Render unto Chelsea what is Chelsea's, and unto God what is God's" ! (OK... I paraphrased a bit...)
If you listen carefully to the customer on the video, she states that she left 6 dollars on the table.
She's lying. IF she had left $6, that is almost 18%, they wouldn't have charged her card the 18% anyway. Just trying to save face.
which is interesting considering that her first response was that she had a momentary lack of judgment and had acted out of character and was embarrased for how she behaved. Only now does she claim she left money on the table. I don't buy this new version and see it as revisionist history. This pastor gives Christians a bad name.
Ok first of all this pastor was a jerk to begin with being that it is common knowledge that servers are paid hourly wages much lower than minimum wage and are expected to depend on tips, and also because noone has a right to go around shoving religion in other people's faces. But how self-important do you have to get to have made the comment about embarassing your church?? Who's fault is that? It is her fault because regardless of if it were shared with the world or not her actions themself were crass and embarassing. Not to mention, her first concern is embarassment? How about the woman who just lost her job because of her?? Shouldn't a good Christian care if someone lost their job because of actions they took? If this pastor is such a God loving person why isn't she standing up and saying "You know what, I don't have the right to treat any human being like this and I want this woman to have her job back." People are self-absorbed hypocrites that is what is wrong with this world and it isn't getting any better.
My heart goes out to the servers in this situation and to people in service industry everywhere who are treated like crap by jerks like that pastor.
not much of a journalist are you? there was an "automatic" tip added, it was 18% of that total you can see...Ms. Bell had left the note to be sure the waitress knew there was no ADDITIONAL tip....I surmise from the angry bird that the entire party of 8 didn't like the fact that the "auto tip" came into play even though they had their bills "separated" at the end of the meal.....That server KNEW before seeing that quip that there would be NO additional tip forthcoming and was probably just GRATEFUL that in this case there was an automatic tip added or else she would have been stiffed by all of them!!! just the way I see it!!!
interesting view except that the receipt clearly shows that the amount attributed to the 18% gratuity was scratched through.The pastor intended to screw and chew.
Well, no. The pastor was trying to be cheap and was definitely being rude.
Christina,
This had nothing to do with an 'additional' tip. The 18% of the pastor's fraction of the bill was the same as the other 7 people. Whether the bill was paid individually or lumped together, the 18% sum given to the server would be the same. If this pastor thought the tip was already covered by the other 7, then she lack common sense and perhaps math skills. She should have simply paid the bill as it was and moved on.
This is a silly story. A server isn't a real job. I worked as one for awhile, and I dealt with it all. Some nights I made $200+ in tips and others I barely made $50. It is all part of the job when dealing with the public. Get use to it or advance yourself with education/another job. Plus, some servers aren't even worth a tip at all, but they think they deserve it just for bringing you food and drink.
Ha, that's funny, because I was just thinking how being a Pastor isn't a real job. Also, I think you should make your convictions known to the next waiter you encounter.
Being a server isn't a real job? Says who? The IRS sure thinks so. The millions of people who work as servers think so. The hospitality industry sure thinks so. I suppose you think being a maid isn't a real job, or a doorman, or a concierge, or a bartender, a line cook.
You are lying through your teeth when you claimed to have been in the service industry. Lying to make your point is as ridiculous as your comment. Grow up, and stay home.
Wow..This post is sad for so many reasons. WWJD. The bible says do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing and reindeer what isCaesar to Caesar. On the bottom of most menu it clearly let's you know that gratuity will be charged to large parties. She's ""heart broken...because she brought embarrassment to her church and ministry.” What about Christ. God the creator of heaven and earth? That was a wonderful time to ask for forgiveness for the way she handled the situation. Instead she's upset because she embarrasses the church. What about this soul. What about the many souls that's reading this mess. This is why some people don't want to go to church. Instead of BLESSING the waiter she choose to belittlement instead of a better reward and now the waiter is fired. I wonder how the congregation of this church would characterize her?
Really, Rjay? "Reindeer" unto Caesar? I'm hoping that comment was spell check gone wrong and not what you think it said.
reindeer what isCaesar to Caesar....makes perfect sense. I hate when I don't check over my dumb@$$ post.
Oh it's quite simple Rjay. christians only "bless" people when they have an audience not when no one's looking. This is a classic case of how they behave in private being made public. I would bet more than 18% of my next dining out meal that this pastor see's waitresses (among many others) as beneath her righteous behind.
The amount of the tip I leave depends on the service – the better the service I get, the bigger the tip. I left 2 cents to a waitress who offered my table mate a drink refill 5 times on a dinner I paid for but never once offered me one (he was drinking coke, me water). In my opinion, Applebee's was wrong to fire the waitress because if they don't expect comments about tips, they should pay enough that servers don't need tips to live off of.
The server was in the right. The gratuity was added because it was a party of 20. They tried to split tickets in order to get out of the gratuity then this hack crossed out the tip amount when that didn't work.
It was a party of 10, not 20! Unless you were there you have no idea what happened. Calling the pastor a hack is rude.
The pastor did not embarrass her community; she embarrassed herself, and shame on her to complain! I hope the company hires back the waitress. She wasn't the one who disclosed the pastor's identity, was she? She was just venting with an anonymous receipt. If so, what's the fuss about over her actions? (PS: Let's do away with this tip system and get to one that pays waitstaff real salaries!)
Okay, I just read that the waitress (who was not the waitress receiving the non-tip) included the signature in her original post. That was definitely wrong (even if she cropped it out later), and she should be punished for that. But she also says, "We make $3.50 an hour." There's something DEEPLY wrong with that!
It's amazing how CNN always find a way to try and discredit and dishonor anyone who profess Christ who not going all over th world killing people in the name of Jesus Christ but will not say anything negative about islam who are going all over the world killing people in the name of allah. The reason is because they do not have any fear of us because of the point already made!!!! CNN = Cowards News Network!!!
@Carlton,
Neither beliefs are true, just ask a Christian. However I do find it funny at times when Christians profess Jesus Christ, not having full understanding that he was crucified as a state criminal. Maybe you need to start praying at the State prison for your next savior.
Stephen F Roberts: “I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.”
Well, when somebody finds a Muslim who stiffs someone on a tip in the name of Allah, I sure hope someone posts it!!
CNN doesn't need to try and make Christians look bad. The minister did it with her behavior and you did it with a post of lies. This could have been a rabbi, a cleric, or an atheist but it was a christian pastor who didn't want to pay a server because she gives 10% of her money to the church. If you don't want to pay a server to bring your food and drink to you then your best option is a drive-thru window. Pastor needs to learn to think first, but Carlton needs to learn to think.
This is NOT a story about Christianity. This is NOT a story about religion. This is not even a story about the church where the customer is a pastor. This is about how 1 person stiffed a server and how Applebee's punished another server for posting a pic of the receipt. This story does illustrate how this pastor (not all pastors) does not seem to "get" what it means to be Christ-like. Not that CNN needs to be defended by me, but your comments on this are off base.
And by the way – the Applebee's gift card I got for Christmas will be given away. I will not set another foot in their door as long as they are in business.
The first step is to stop the tip scam. The cost to pay the server a proper wage should be included in the cost of my food. It's not fair to me, nor is it fair to the server, to add in these costs outside my normal bill especially when plenty of people don't want to pay. The only people who benefit are the people running the restaurant and cheapskates.
A tip should be extra money I leave for someone who does an exemplary job. I always leave a tip, even for a mediocre server, because I know that they make less than minimum wage and my tips are expected so that they can make a fair wage. I always tip 20% for good service, which seems a bit silly when I'm leaving $20 for what is at most 1 hour of a person's time and I wasn't their only table. So I'm sure I'm making up for the cheapskates. Plus that was just me, and a group of us have left tips in excess of $80 total for a single table at a nice place.
If mandatory tips are going to stay around (which they shouldn't) we need to devise something other than a percentage of the food cost. It doesn't make sense for me to tip a server a dollar on my cheap meal at the diner, nor does it make sense to tip someone $20 at a nicer restaurant when in reality they didn't do much more work. The expectations may be higher, but I've met plenty of people serving food in diners who I liked better than my server at a $75+/plate restaurant.
Interesting comments Bob. You live pretty good if you're eating a hundred dollar meal all by yourself in order to leave a twenty dollar tip. About those cheaper places where you like the servers more – leave them a twenty dollar tip!! There's no cap on what you can leave someone. Think how nive they'd be to you then! I do agree with you that it's pure crap that customers have to pay what the employers don't want to pay, which is a reasonable hourly pay. These are the first people screaming about minimum wage increases, yet also the first to hire the illegals coming into the country – without questions.
In all but a couple of states servers are paid a ridiculous low amount – way below minimum wage. We have Herman Cain to thank for this. He lobbied Congress not to include servers in the minimim wage laws. Many people do not realize that servers "tip out" the bartender, the food runner, and the busers. All diners should expect to pay about 15% tip. It seems fair since the cost of the server, bartender, and buser are not included in the cost of the food. If a customer has a problem with the food or service they should politely ask for help from a manager.
Another great response!
The pastor was BEYOND tacky. You don't want the world to see your hypocritical ways, then save your jokes for the God you serve. This is just one of many reasons – behavior like this – I have nothing to do with ANY Christian Church or sect. You are not a better person for money or religion!! This woman deserves to have her job back and the pastor needs to pray about the actions chosen. Whiner, loser, judgmental, hypocrite, double standard, and the list goes on. Shame on you, Pastor!
I totally agree with you. I am a Christian and I tell you I would have never stooped so low. The Bible says render unto Ceasar that which is Ceasars and unto God that which is God. That pastor need to check her ways. The TITHE belong to God and a good tip belongs to a good server. One has nothing to do with the other. Thanks for your comment.
I believe in the freedom of religion, but why force your religion or beliefs on someone else. Sounds just like what a jihadist would do.
The answer is simple – we need to do away with the tip system altogether. The restaurant should figure out a decent wage to pay the server, and the amount should be figured into the price of the meal.
Christains: helping the rest of the world understand the meaning of the word "Hippocrite" since the 1st century...
Where is the petition to fire the pastor?
The self-anointed pastor leads a congregation of 10, most of whom are her family members. Gotta love Christians...
The pastor should read her Bible a little more closely. God appears to be fine with His 10% and would never begrudge a server his or her rightful tip. Crack open the Good Book, "pastor," and re-read these lines: "Jesus said to them, 'Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.' " While that passage originally applied to taxes, the sentiment is the same. Also, "pastor," since when are we Christians supposed to brag about tithing 10%?? Better go back to church and listen to the sermon about what happens to hypocrites and liars.
Not much reason to go to Applebee's (never been) ... or to church (only when forced to as a kid). I try to tip generously in the restaurants I go to because servers' pay comes in part from tips. But servers can be obnoxious too. So it's good to have the option of giving a low tip in those rare cases. Applebee's should rehire the server though I would think that circulating a photo of a receipt is bad form; probably no risk of credit-card information being leaked but who knows. OTOH, I like hypocrisy being exposed, especially in the sanctimonious.
Seriously $35.00 bill for 6-8 people? What did they eat for such a low bill and how any trips did the server have to make? She deserves the gratuity.
Given that the lady left a (nearly) 18% tip in cash, I would have just ignored the note assuming that it was a well-intended but poorly executed way of injecting the idea of God into the server's day. I really do believe that our beliefs are up to each of us, but this was a Christian pastor who's responsibility is to spread the word. Cut her a little slack here. Besides, I often leave a cash tip instead of including it in the credit card total just so that I know that the server will get the cash right then without having it taxed or having to share it. Perhaps the pastor had a similar thought, but then added her silly comment tryng to be funny.
I don't know; our society sure could use some of the tolerance that Jesus taught of when he said things like "let he who is without sin cast the first stone" while defending a prostitute from an irate crowd about to stone her. We are all just human; we don't need to gang up on each other every time one of us makes an error. Forget about all the magic in the bible. Forget about heaven and hell. Live and let live. Forgive others. Love all. Do these things and you will be living in heaven right here and now. That is what Jesus taught.
Since when did it become acceptable for employees to blackmail customers on the internet to paying a "mandatory tip"? And why does it matter that the victim was a pastor (I am an atheist, fwiw)?
If you are going to tip, tip your doctor, teacher, police, you know the people who actually do some hard and important work... Those count as bribe you say? Well, what do you call having to tip your waitress so that they don't spit in your food or publish your personal info on the internet? Bribe? Blackmail? Extortion?
Food industry has to decide whether they should pay their waiters based on their own internal performance evaluations, like every other employer does, or give the customers the full discretion to pay or not pay them tips. "Mandatory tip" is an oxymoron, a nonsense.
I'm a Pastor, was a "tither" and then some to my congregation, and always tip waiters and waitresses 30%. Knowing the crap that I see and observe from people out to eat, these folks deserve more than the customary. And if the waitress/waiter is above board 40% plus. I make sure, even when eating out with guests that the table staff doesn't get stiffed, stiffed meaning 10-20%, that might be the rule but its not right. The pastor in question should be embarrassed. Again, an example of not grasping the "way" of the master, "if someone asks you for your coat, give them two, if they ask you to go 1 mile go two . . ." Jesus came to break the back of this kind of religious "bulls**t" espoused by so many in the name of Christ?! Not!
You just put the pastor (who is human) in her place. She should know what Jesus would have done. Sadly...she didn't know. Poor representation of the kingdom and saints.
Black people usually suck at tipping. We called 'em canadians when I worked at applebee's
... Side bar... Applebee's food stinks! IMHO of course!
Applebee's has the right to hire & fire whomever it chooses, so I won't sign. If she IS rehired, imagine the tension she'll be under – unless corporate, having knuckled under the pressure of the pet!tion and the press, and puts her in a different location.
No one behaved well here. Both parties were equally wrong, but the server was an employee, therefore a representative, of the establishment. It was management's decision to shame their customers or support their employee. They decided instead to support their customer and fire their employee. That's life.
I can't blame the pastor here. While I always leave a tip, I get annoyed that the tip percentage keeps increasing over the years. Almost 20% of the cost of my meal to carry my food to my table? This is more of the entitlement culture rearing its head
Entitlement culture. For 20%. Don't be so freaking cheap. 15% for average service is acceptable. But like any other job, if the service is above average, they deserve more. Conversely, if the service is below average, they deserve more. I'm not sure how you brought the republican BS into this and turned this political, but that is the nature of the beast today.
The tip isn't entitlement. It is used in place of a full hourly wage to pay the servers. If the servers were paid a comparable hourly wage, your dinner would be just as expensive; everything on the menu would just get 20% more expensive. For the restaurants it is a tactic that allows them to keep the menu prices low and give the servers an incentive to do well (some people increase the tip for good service).
OMG Charles!!! How old must you be. I've been in sales for 35 years and the tip has always hovered around 20%. I have to wonder how many cups of coffee, and glasses of water this server had to bring to a table of eight people whose avergae tab was seven bucks!! At Applebees that's not even a sandwich or a salad!! Don't hide you're cheapness behnd your faith in God. Besides, what does God do on Sunday to get ten percent of my salary anyway??
Don't know what service you worked in but in my opinion it has always been 15%. Over the years it HAS creeped up across the industry and I would expect someone in the industry to make your claims. I do not agree with the pastor but tips should strictly be based on service experience and nothing more. It is not my job to pay your rent. It is my job to reward your job performance. No difference than getting a bonus in a mainstream job. My issue is with the fact you people think you can automatically charge these gratuities. It may be restaraunt policy to apply it but it is against the law to charge it when the customer refuses. She crossed it out, then wrote the total in to confirm the amount she was paying and they still charged her. So my question is why did they fire this girl when they illegally took it anyways. Auto-grat is not enforcible by law. So their actions are no better than hers! The pastor should have contacted her CC company and refuted the payment but should also keep her comments to herself if she payed the tip in cash anyways.
waitresses and waiters in this country are the last legal second class citizens left. most are payee less then minimum wage to start with! but when the boss is the one who bump's up the bill yet its the underpaid servers who get slammed, that's really sick. No wonder the kids of today don't believe in the bad joke adults call God! I don't need a petition for me to never eat at an Applebee’s again! blame the worker ya right, Applebee’s your fired!!!
The pastor is a nutcase...She should go home a cook if she doe not want to pay the bill
She paid the bill, it was the optional part of the bill she didn't want to pay.
It wasn't an optional part of the bill. It is clearly stated on their menu that parties of 8 or more are automatically charged a gratuity. If they didn't want to pay that tip they never should have ordered their food. By ordering as a table on one ticket they agreed to pay that 18% tip.
Not true, not enforcable by law. All you have to do is tell them you refuse to pay it, clearly mark the receipt like this lady did and walk away. If you are smart you actually keep your copy and write the same information on it. This way when the dumbasses charge you anyways you can simply dispute it with the CC company. In my experience restaraunts who auto chrage gratuity provide the WORST service as staff knows they will get their tip no matter what.
She did pay the bill. She was objecting to being told how much to tip!! I object to being told this as well..A tip is suppose to be for waiters or waitresses who give good service. It should be left to the customer just how much they want to give. If you're job doesn't pay you enough without tips maybe you should get more education and go into a Different field. The bottom line is customers should not have to pay the wages of employees, the restaurants should do that! In Japan it is an insult to tip. In their society good service is expected period. We could learn a few lessons from the Japanese..
It's an AUTOMATIC GRATUITY. That makes it part of the bill. Want to get taken to jail for theft of services? Try and walk out without paying it, because some places WILL call the police on you.
If it's an insult in Japan to tip, they'd have to be making a living wage or there wouldn't be any servers. Here in the United States it's not unheard of for them to be making $2.00 an hour and all the rest of their income is from tipping.
Not true, not enforcable by law. All you have to do is tell them you refuse to pay it, clearly mark the receipt like this lady did and walk away. If you are smart you actually keep your copy and write the same information on it. This way when the dumbasses charge you anyways you can simply dispute it with the CC company.
Being educated has nothing to do with it. A good amount of servers are working in order to go to school. That comment is plain ignorance and that is whats wrong today with our society. I've served for many years and now have two degrees. When it comes to big parties, I've have been screwed countless times because people leave it up to others at the table to tip. When you have big parties they require a lot more work, organization, and finess to make everyone have a great experience. Also when you have such big parties they take away from you getting other tables and also sit there way longer making you loose more money because your tables aren't turning. I see both sides but education has nothing to do with it Sherron.
Then shut up & go back to Japan if you don't like how tipping customs work in America! You clearly have never waited tables in your life. All large parties need an autograt. When people don't tip, they are actually costing the company more money (not just the server), resulting in rising food costs, that get passed on to the consumer. It is true that poor service does not warrant a tip; however, most servers WILL work hard and give good service to ensure a decent tip. If you visit a restaurant and monopolize your server's time, then you absolutely should be decent and compensate him/her accordingly.
another evil phony religious hypocrite.
You're damn right!
The Applebee's managers' thoughts would be great about now. But let's pretend what their response would be.
The Sunday Brunch crowd is a reliable revenue stream, but the waitstaff aren't being treated fairly by the large crush of patrons. I'm surprised anyone would work those hours.
So, why not bump the waitstaff's salary for only those shifts, and pay them from the reliable profit stream? You don't need to make them 100%, just enough to motivate them whenever they get an incredibly substandard tip.
This pastor is a prime example of why I no longer attend church. The churches are filled with hypocrites! She should be ashamed! Next time, if it's the least bit important to you, ask yourself, what would Jesus do?
The word "chutzpah" used in the article is revealing. What a clever, subtle way to get another dig in.
The pastor represents her church when she is in public, whether she wants to or not. And biblically, she is an "ambassador" for God. Her little note is tacky and unChristian. Many restaurants (as has been noted here) automatically add a tip for large parties, and this is noted in the menu. She should have been prepared for her bill.
As a Christian, I am angry that this pastor gives more evidence to those who already think Christians are ignorant and obnoxious. What kind of leadership and discipleship is she providing her parishioners if she can't even handle a lunch out like a grown-up?
Agreed – this pastor behaved badly
World Deliverance Ministries? ... Another fake church with a fake pastor set up to bilk naive people out of their money.
This church and pastor are both frauds.
I saw this on Reddit yesterday. I went straight to Applebee's website and told them I would never be back. Too many times, the asshole makes all the noise and gets someone fired or gets their way. The rest of us think it's wrong but do nothing. Applebee's should hear from their customers. This is not just about the pastor. Applebee's could have showed how they were a great company to work for and stood up for their employee. They failed miserably.
God had nothing to do with her not tipping. I guarantee that if you check her Credit Cards she never tips!
‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
The woman who left that tip should be ashamed. Not only was she insulting to begin with but her actions intentionally resulted in that waitress being fired. And I am as certain as the words she scribbled on that receipt that that woman wanted her fired. Her actions as an individual should draw in to question her ethics and morality.
This fake christian pastor certainly isn't a follower of Christ. She weeps over her own embarrassment as she worships her Mammon.
The pastor had nothing to do with this woman being fired. The waitress brought it on herself by posting it on the net thereby violating the pastors right to privacy as well as Appleby policy. No one should be forced to leave a tip at a restaurant or anywhere else. Personally I cross out those autotips and do my own. Sometimes more, sometimes less. When it's less it is usally 1 cent because that is how I view the service.
And this post and your one-cent tip are why you are a d-bag.
The Pastor, before posting the note, should have asked herself, "What would Jesus do?" I am sure Jesus would not left the note. It was really in bad taste.
The Waitress was equally wrong putting it on the net.
Both parties lost big time. God will forgive the pastor and Applebees should forgive the waitress.
That last line was a nice touch but perhaps Applebee's hand was forced by legalities. It is the Pastor who should forgiving of the waitress and if she had not pressed this I am certain this woman would have had her job.
Another religious LOW LIFE.
I don't like to be forced to pay a tip or "autograt," but what a charlatan this pastor (??) is! She must have her own version of the New Testament, or a very personal interpretation of the life and times of Jesus. You see, unlike the waitress trying o make a buck, Jesus doesn't need the money...in fact, he took the first vow of poverty!! By the way, Applebees an blow their horn about "guest privacy" all they want to, but it's the last place we'll eat in the future!
Did you ever stop to consider that perhaps this waitress didn't deserve this tip or any tip for that matter. While I wouldn't have left that note, it does make me wonder if the service itself was any good.
How many of you out there would appreciate your wages changing on a daily basis depending on 1) your performance and 2) how others perceive your performance.
"Sorry Bob, but we got a few complaints today that you're in a bad mood. That's gonna cost you 1/3 of your pay."
Show of hands?
Amen!!
Uh oh. Please don't do that at my office. I can't aford it.
The note the pastor left complained about the tip – not the service.
I seriously doubt she left any cash. That's just her "un-traceable way" of making herself not look so stupid.
Don't look at it as being forced to pay 18% – I'm sure they would accept 20% or 25% as well. The 18% means you (as the host at the table) will work to make the dining experience as enjoyable for your guests and will indicate your level of satisfaction to your server, or your dissatisfaction to the manager. The manager will replace your server quickly, and with the highest caliber of server too. But the manager cannot replace a host whose sole intent is to bring about a poor experience, even if it means stiffing a server and thusly souring the following patrons' meals.
I hope this hits the pastor where it hurts most; the purse. I hope she is shamed and seriously humiliated by not paying a gratuity. Uppity, high and mighty people like this piece of trash should get her comeuppance for being so haughty and not giving a proper tip for a meal. Since Applebee's violated the server's Constitutional rights, I will make sure I never patronize that establishment again. Not that I would eat there with their cruddy, high fat food, but at least I can pass this story around so more people know about what this excuse for a Christian did and how Applebee's responded to the frustration of having your pay taken from you by a "pastor" who broke the law by not paying an automatic gratuity, printed on the menu as standard procedure. She's a thief.
She's not ashamed since the only thing she said she would do differently next time was not write a note on a receipt. You can bet she'll do the same thing again.
I guess the pastor got a reminder of the down side of not following Luke 6:38.
I worked for the service industry for well over 1 decade. If you "live" off your TIPS, then you are simply gambling, rolling the dice, per se. Those in the service industry, Applebee's not excluded, typically pay more than required for staff that receive gratuity. Personally, I loved knowing when people were truly appreciating my services...and was frustrated when many left nothing or "chump change" as their gratuity... simply because I thought I deserved more. However, gratuity should *always* be optional. It is your job to serve your allotted areas, and you are compensated for it directly. If you don't make at least minimum wage, then your employer is responsible for making up the difference (assuming you claim your TIPS). The entire point of TIPS is for patrons to demonstrate the degree to which they appreciate your service. To force gratuity simply because of the size in a party is ludicrous, IMO. This should be done away with. Some people are just tightwads that don't appreciate anything. Some servers/waiters aren't deserving. It just happens.
As to the "pastor"...that was abhorrently rude of you in multiple ways::
1) How does your *tithe* (10% first-fruits of what you believe God has given you) have ANYTHING to do with the degree you can appreciate a fellow human being? It doesn't. You are hear to show people God's Love...how does this reflect ANY of that? It doesn't. You completely failed to glorify God. Nobody is perfect, but this was blatantly stupid.
2) Above all, you had the audacity to contact the employer and seek punishment for the employee that posted what you wrote. GOT NEWS FOR YA', this is a form of accountability. As a "pastor" you are not entitled any more than the rest of us "Christians" to freely sin whenever we like, and then throw the book at someone else for calling us out on it. Suck it up, buttercup. The restaurant is open to the public. It is a public place. There is NO expectation of privacy in a public place. You left a smart-@$$ comment laying around, WITH YOUR NAME ON IT, in a place where ANYONE could read it. This is YOUR fault, GROW UP!
As a Christian and an Elder of a small church, I apologize to anyone offended by the actions of this "pastor". Regardless of our positions we hold in our churches, we are still sinful and human beings. I believe this sort of behavior is unacceptable for anyone to display, especially one who esteems the Bible and the life of Jesus Christ as the very foundation from upon which they build their lives.
We should always appreciate those that serve us, even if they fail to meet lofty expectations. As a fellow "flawed" human, I would encourage everyone to remember that, while the service may not always be perfect, neither is the person *being* served.
Well put!
You are one that is worthy of speaking. The world is watching and waiting for the opportunity to mock who we are. This pastor lost her opportunity to do well. The peace maker, the giver, being kind to one another, good ambassader, my goodness...Pastor failed a lot of test with her haughy remarks. From the heart flows the issues of life. She must be miserable.
NightOps –
thank you for the toughtful level headed view. It's nice to read a post that isn't just made up of word bombs...
i am so sick of these fake "tip" hoax storys.
every single one has so far been found to be a hoax.
i guess this trend will contintue until the lame stream media starts to refuse to take these fake tip storys
It wasn't fake ding-a-ling. The Pastor actually came forward crying like the mammon-worshiper she really is...
adding an "s" to a noun does "NOT" automatically make it plural.
Johnny told a story. (singular)
Jimmy is always telling stories.(plural)
It's 3rd grade grammar.
Okay, go back and read. The Pastor said she did it. I'm tired of these purposeless comments by conspiracy theorists who believe that life is a hoax.
Guess what? The Pastor could have been confronted by police in the parking lot for intentionally not paying their full bill... after scratching out the tip and admitting in a snide comment that she wouldn't PAY the full bill. This person broke the law, and if anything, Applebee's allowed the customer/criminal to leave without calling the police. A whole lot more complicated than you think. Lawyers will love this. – EFS Jr.
B-S! You can't force a person to leave a tip. It is suppose to be a reward for good service.
Any restaurant has a large group policy and that is what they do – so you are WRONG. Do you live in a cave?? Try doing this kind of work – it is humbling because people are such jerks simply because you are serving them food. The pastor should be embarrased – she is important in her own mind.
Not true, not enforcable by law. All you have to do is tell them you refuse to pay it, clearly mark the receipt like this lady did and walk away. If you are smart you actually keep your copy and write the same information on it. This way when the dumbasses charge you anyways you can simply dispute it with the CC company. Restaraunts have no legal standing to just "take" a tip regardless of what their local policy is. You would need to sign a contract agreeing to the gratuity for them to forcibly take it. Here's a decent article of many many out there on the net: http://business.time.com/2011/10/20/are-mandatory-tips-at-restaurants-legal/
Very good. I did not think of that. If Applebees was forced by law to fire the waitress than it is quite natural to say the police should have been called when woman refused to pay.
I was thinking the same thing... when you have a big party you can't just change the bill and walk out because you don't want to pay 18%... if you don't want to pay then stay home...
Not saying posting it was OK, but that's the age we live in. Somebody farts and it goes viral. Let this be a lesson to us all, SOMEONE is watching and can't wait to be the next person to make a splash on the internet.
Best to be excellent to each other...let that go viral!
(is there someone watching me type this?)
no waitstaff sure be assured of an 18% tip. The consumer has the right to tip for bad service. 18% is obnoxious.
a 5 cent tip is what I leave for bad service. I don't want the person to think I forgot.
Based only on your opinion. Jerk.
I think you need to try waiting on a table of 20 people... put yourself in the place of a server; on your feet, carrying heavey hot plates, running around trying to figure out if you have enough time to even go to the bathroom...
I'm surprised no one brought up the fact that most tithes are given at church, and the pastor who claims that she gives to 10% to God benefits directly from that tithe. I doubt that she takes the time to go out of her way to another church to give that tithe and support someone other than herself. If she does, well hey I'm wrong. But is it not ironic that she went out of her way to stiff a hard working waitress who was serving her food and yet made a big deal about essentially paying her own salary? Hmmm....as I understand it, the salaries of pastors come directly from tithes collected during the service. Sure there are other sources of cashflow, charitable gifts/donations etc, but the vast majority I believe comes from that 10% tithe from the congregation. So when she tithes 10%, shes putting that check in the offering plate and then taking it the next day and putting it back in her bank account. Classy!
While I don't personally agree with the "autograt" concept 100% of the time, I think that it's a fair system. As someone that worked in the food industry for a mercifully short time, but who dated someone who worked in it, I saw all too often how people failed to tip or grossly under-tipped their servers, whether or not the customer was a needy patron.
I agree completely with the way the server justified her posting it. Why is it okay to be snarky and rude to a stranger in private, but when it goes public suddenly you (the prick) are the victim? Someone who claims to be a woman of god should know something about eye-for-eye and reaping what you sow.
Good on the serve, and the pastor can go to hell.
that thing is a disgusting ... creature.
There is no "right to privacy" when you write a letter to a person. If that person wants to share your words with the world then that is up to them. And the grammar indicates the pastor was writing to the server, not Apple-bees.
If they didn't like looking like an a.ss then they should not have *been* an as.s
Especially not when you leave said note on a table in a busy restaurant. What if it had a customer that snapped this photo instead of a server?
Problem number one – a pastor that doesn't believe the Bible or she wouldn't be a pastor. She's messed up in far more ways than her bad attitude toward a server.
Customers are not ALWAYS right. It's just a cop out for poor management that want to deal in absolutes. Effective managing is never black and white and you will benefit from gaining the loyalty and respect of your employees (who are there 5-6 days week in and week out), then the random customer that dines there 3-4 times a year. Trust me, I own a restaurant that brings in over 2 million a year.
If I were one of your usual customers and I discovered that one of your waitresses did something like this you'd either lose me as a customer or fire her. What she did was totally inexcusable. Perhaps you don't think your customers deserve to have their privacy in your restaurant. What next posting their orders and names onlline?
Lee, from reading all your previous post on this subject I am sure most places you eat would rather you not come back. You appear to look for reasons not to tip, if you have bad service you will assume it is the waitresses fault when it may have been the cooks or other problems that the waitrss couldn't help. If the menu says they will add 18% then it is part of the price for eating at that establishment, it you don't agree with that policy move on and let someone civil have the table.
The restaurant added the amount in – not the server. However, the pastor chose to write on a slip of paper that was left on the damn table for all to see. Her choice and its her behavior that stinks. Jerk.
How very Christian of that "pastor". Really.
This church should have its tax exempt status reviewed to make sure this "pastor" hasn't been involving herself in political discourse. I am sure she has plenty of other opinions. Let her answer to the IRS and karma will have come full circle.
Going to have to agree with the waitress, that note was intended to be seen by SOMEONE, and indeed, it was seen. If this Pastor believes G-d sees everything, then what is the problem with Him and everyone else seeing it? If this Pastor truly believes, "what is done in secret will be made widely known" should apply..... or then G-d is not real, His justice is not poetic.....
It was intended to be seen by the waitress, I thought that was quite obvious from the 'you" in the note. Merely because she was a pastor doesn't reduce her right to privacy or her right to make a comment, perhaps a comment on the service she recieved.
For crying out loud! Fellow Christians, this is simple. If you go out to each "after church," if you pray publicly before your meal, be extra sure to treat your servers kindly and tip generously. Don't give the faith a black eye. Live it out. The world is watching.
It seems obvious that Bell's note was intended as a joke. Otherwise why would s/he leave a cash tip essentially equal to the 18%? Many diners leave cash in the expectation that it is more likely to reach the server without being skimmed, would be received sooner and would be of more actual value (some servers don't report all their tips to the IRS - I know, it's hard to believe). Since the waitress was not actually stiffed, it was unkind of the employee to post the note on the internet without redacting the customer's name. I imagine she wasn't hired for her extraordinary intelligence. I would have sacked her too without fear that it would be too difficult to find am equally smart replacement.
Wow jackwad, you really believe she left a $6 cash tip on the table? Fat chance bro! As a server in multiple restaurants for 5+ years I have experienced this thievery many a time. Snarky notes are not uncommon either. People are pompous, entitled, and treat waiters like dogs more than you would ever believe. Sure I had plenty of great, generous customers too; Yet somehow I seem to remember the jerks best. I wonder why that is? You're also going to insult her intelligence? Applebee's is the wrong here, their spokesmen clearly stated it is their policy to value guest trust above all else, yet when a guest writes something positive on the receipt they feel they are entitled to share that on facebook? That is the definition of hypocrisy. They are in the business of making themselves look good, and selling subpar food to people who should know better than to eat there.
10% of your income is maybe a bit different than 18% of a tiny restaurant bill. Bottom line... this guy's given a whole lot more money to "God" than $6.29.
That said... a tip is paid as a thank you for good service, and there is no guarantee of good service. A forced tip is wrong, no matter how small or large the party.
If the pastor left a cash tip what's the problem.
i have been a waitress for several years. yes i depended on tips. but i have also had that horrible 18% added to my bill for horrible service. perhaps the waitress didn't deserve 18%. This is the problem with just giving the money-auto grat...the waitress can do a lackluster performance and still receive a great tip. Or perhaps the pastor did not want the tip added on to her credit card and just wanted to pay cash. no harm in that.
and the pastor merely asked a question....and could have perhaps lead the waitress to think about why she thought she earned 18%. perhaps the pastor did not do it cruelly...maybe it was just a thought provoking question. why must everything be spun in to something?
I seriously doubt she did!
If you don't like the 18% auto-tip, don't eat there. It's not the servers fault that the institution enforces this rule.
You are good at injecting yourself into a situation, but perhaps the pastor went with a group and sat at individual tables with several waitresses who thought it would be ok to charge a group tip to get more money, while the group disagreed and felt that tipping for individual service like any other customer was warrented.
Maybe one of them had a brother who had blonde hair and was sitting at a cafe down the block. Come on, read the story and stop making up a story line.
ps. i own a small local bar. i would have backed my employee when dealing with a blatantly disrespectful customer
The problem is with the restaurant industry, which allows employers to sidestep paying their employees a living wage AND allows servers in many cases to avoid paying taxes on part of their income. How is this ethical? The servers should be paid fully via hourly wages or a salary and the cost should be built into the price of the food, just as the cost of the cooks and chefs and restaurant real estate already are. Problem solved!
With a bill that low, I'd guess that coupons and/or coupons were involved that don't always show on the bill. Like Jesus, give till it hurts, pastor.
the pastor was a jerk about it. the server shouldnt have been fired for venting her feelings and was given insult to injury
applebees lost my business over it. end of story
Wow, I bet they go out of business without your pennies.
all pennies add up, dear.
The waitress who posted the photo was wrong to do it. But the Pastor who left the comment was terribly wrong in writing that comment. The Pastor could have paid the bill without a tip and that would be "cheap" but OK. Or the Pastor could have left a note explaining how the waitress provided poor or marginal service. The waitress could then use the input as a guide to improving her duty performance. But commenting with a rhetorical question connecting no tip to what the Pastor "gives" to God? Very poor manners and an embarrassment to fellow Christians. I recall a passage in the Bible about a worker being deserving of his/her pay. The tip was pay for the waitress. Tithing is mentioned in the Bible, but there is no "10%" spelled out. There IS a connection to Joseph's advice to the Pharoah to store ten percent of the crops during the fat years to mitigate impacts of the following ten years. Tips, or gratuities, are a commonly accepted act to indicate thanks for service. Those servers who rely on those tips in lieu of a salary need those tips. The waitress who posted the photos showed serious lack of common sense and propriety. She brought the wrath on her head by butting into someone else's business. The fact the Pastor was discourteous and immature wasn't her business. The only person "wronged" was the one who didn't poop onto the floor and step in it. The restaurant was right in firing the employee to protect privacy of their customers, but only added fuel to a senseless situation. That chain has more pressing issues than customer privacy! Tchuss!
Every once in awhile a story catches your attention and you just have to know more. I have been closely following this story. And the more I find out, the more I am outraged.
Alois Bell is a pastor, who once in her life was homeless. My hat is off to her for getting where she is today. Chelsea Welch is young, in the food service industry and wants to advance into management. My hat is off to her as well.
I read that for larger parties at Applebee's this is an auto-gratuity situation. The pastor, Alois Bell, was part of a 20 person group. They asked for separate checks hoping to get out of the auto-gratuity. Then on each separate check crossed out the auto-gratuity amount wrote in 0.00. Then Alois Bell gets her check and she writes her infamous note. One worker shows another worker the note, that worker takes a picture of it cause it is funny. It is posted on the internet. Someone tells Alois it has went viral. Alois calls Applebee's and wants all the worker on shift at the time this happened, fired. Applebee's fired Chelsea Welch...
Alois Bell was wrong to write what she did on her receipt and she was wrong to cross out the auto-gratuity and write in 0.00 when it is posted. She did this to all the separate receipts, by the way... Alois said she left cash tip, but witnesses say she didn't. Others of her party did leave tips according to the witnesses. So the actual tip amount is unknown. In case you don't know the groups combined bill exceeded $200.00 Now, when she found out about it going viral, did she stop and think, maybe she was wrong and had to own a BIG part of this, no. She calls up Applebee's and wants EVER workers on shift fired- talk about an over the top reaction. Applebee's fires Chelsea, for posting the picture of the receipt. There went Chelsea management dreams. Maybe Alois Bell can give her advice on which homeless shelter to go too. I really can't blame Chelsea too much, if this had happened to my co-worker, I might have done something like this when I was young.
But, the pastor... She wanted an entire shift of workers fired for this, something she started by writing on a receipt. Don't you remember where you came from, Pastor? You actively put someone on a path you have experience with, homelessness. Just about every person is 1-2 paychecks away from homelessness. And you wanted an entire shift of people fired. You wanted to put all those people on that path? For something you started, how are they responsible for your action of writing on that receipt?
You know I am not alone in feeling this way... Alois is older and should have known better. It is my opinion that she is just upset about being outed. Her hypocrisy exposed for the world to see. Your suppose to be a role model, teaching the next generation by example. Own what you did! Make it right.
We, here behind our keyboards are modeling for you what should be done. People around the world are outraged! You didn't just go viral, you went Global! They are calling for a boycott of Applebee's if they don't hire Chelsea back. The Applebee's web server crashed. After the web server crashed, you couldn't get through on their customer service line... Woman up. Own what you did and make things right. Help get the girl you got fired, her job back. Hire her yourself. Don't let her go down that homeless path.
Your description makes it sound like the group was seated at different stations with different waiters, perhaps the judgement of the individuals that were ACTUALLY thereis better than yours. They may have seen an unjustified tip and slow service. You are being judgemental too.
How about NO. The lesson that Pastor should have learned was "don't be a douche"–instead, she's decided that the lesson really was "don't be writin' no notes on no receipts", WHICH WAS NOT THE FRELLING POINT.
If she really was a Christian, she'd be working harder on not being a self-important douche than on being all cooler-than-thou with restaurant staff.
I too have worked many more years than I would have liked in the food service industry.... and there is something peculiar about "church people" and how they behave when they go out to eat after worship. I was a manager at a middle class "sit down fast food" place, and the Sunday crowd was dreaded far worse than the drunk crowd, football crowd, or any other. They tended to be the rudest and most manipulative. They often came in in large groups with a honest-to-god game plan to confuse the server in an attempt to score free eats and outsmart added gratuity standards; i.e. moving their own tables to lessen each check into 4-5 people, then splitting the check at the end. I certainly know how this girl felt.
Sandra, shut up! You talk way too much,.
which in no way excuses your rudeness, Andy...
You pretend to tell the story, but you sneak in unfounded remarks like this as if they are facts:
"They asked for separate checks hoping to get out of the auto-gratuity"
How do you know that was their motive, and how do you explain the individual tips left? It's not uncommon for a group of people, or for even two people, to ask for separate bills. Dining together with someone doesn't automatically mean I want to pay the entire bill myself, or that we enjoy an arithmetic session after the meal.
Auto-gratuity is at best a probabilitic, risk-aversion argument, in that the establishment doesn't want to risk losing what would amount to 5-6 tips on one decision. But separate bills avert that risk already, and on average, the tips will even out to expected value. The restaurant was wrong to tack on "mandatory tip" (oxymoron of a term) to separate bills. At least they were right in firing the blackmailer.
Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's.
Right on! When I want to contribute to a religious organization I throw all my money in the air and God takes as much as he wants.
I never tip because it is not my job to provide adequate compensation to the server. It is responsibility of the person that owns the restaurant. The total cost of the food should be included in the price of the food. In many states if the server does not make minimum wage in compensation and tips the employer is required to make up the difference. Serving is a menial job and people that work as servers should not expect to make a permanent living off it. I have seen people in McDonalda work harder and they just make minimum wage.
Where do you work? I would love for you to have to serve a person like yourself.
Why would have I serve food? I am a HR manager in GE. Servers think just because they bring food to your table they are entitled to excessive compensation. Servers should not make more than $10 an hour.
Of course you work in HR.....
"Excessive compensation"? So $2-$3 an hour is excessive??
You are a bloody liar, and I truly hope that you receive the service you tip for, you smug, arrogant, pompous, self-righteous asshole-on-a-power trip.
Oh please just shut up. You are an ass for saying something so shitty. Waiting tables is an honest living and there's no shame in it as you seem to portray in your ignorant answer. I seriously hope your next restaurant server spits in your food.
Most " Tyrone's " never tip
Aren't Tyrones usually the baby daddies of Shanequas?
Not mines...my baby daddies be the gubmint
Tyrone you are a cheapskate!! You shouldn't be eating in restaurants you should be limited to take out only!
whatever Tyrone you probably don't even pay your child support so we can defiantly forget about you paying a tip
Tyrone – the point of the "tip" is that the server WORKED FOR YOU and you are compensating them for that service. They restaurant pays them some wage, typically less than miminum, to cover work they do for the restaurant whlie NOT WORKING FOR YOU. Since the server is WORKING FOR YOU, it behooves them to provide the best service they can. This is why the amount of the "gratuity" is left up to you, to pay according to how well you thought they did WORKING FOR YOU. 15-20% is a guideline. This is no different than a sales person getting commission when they WORK FOR YOU.
Having worked in the service industry, I think it's ludicrous to *force* a tip...it completely destroys the point. The point of TIPS/gratuity is for the customer to show appreciation for the service they were rendered. When waiting, I was never considered under the employ of a customer, I was simply serving them. I do not recall any of my colleagues ever feeling that they were employed temporarily by the customer either.
All things said, the "pastor" was still way out of line to:
1) Leave sn outlandish comment. You might do that when you are a young pup, but a "pastor" should know better.
2) Get all huffed and puffed when they get called out for doing something in public.
BTW, it is a *federal* law that, if the employee's total compensation for the night fails to meet minimum wage, it *is* the responsibility of the employer to pay them the difference. All this is assuming that the waiter reports all gratuity. If not, then the employer is not in the same predicament.
Having been a manager of restaurant that is exactly what the concept is. Servers are being compensated for the work they are doing for the customer through the tips. Since the time was split working for the restaurant and the customer the cost is shared.
So this is a one sided article born from an athiesm blot and CNN is again using its power of persuasion to attack a church over a six dollar matter when its likely the church and pastor perform thousands of service hours in it,s community for Free, thanks CNNfor showing that you would rather embarrass a Christian over a small matter being inappropritely posted to the Internet than show thededicatkon or generosity done by millions in churches every day.
I think the hypocrisy of the pastor spoke for itself. This wasn't a conspiracy to attack Christians.
Despite the millions of good deeds done by the religious daily, Cnn goes out of its way daily to show negative articles about religion. Not conspiracy. Social agenda of a network.
So wait. Christianity is the victim here? Get over it!!!
The problem in general is that there is a double standard. The media and the entertainment industry can paint the Christian faith in a negative light all day long but most other religions are nigh untouchable without a wicked amount of backlash.
In the case of this article though, like it or not, the woman was representing the faith when she went out of her way to let her official position as pastor be known. The consequences are unfortunate but not unexpected.
The only one who mention God was the person who wrote her "opinion" on the receipt. Also, if my memory serves me correct, by law, one is "notified" in regards to the "autograt" on the menue prior to ordering, so the customer should have been aware of the upcoming charge at the time she ordered. She was just being "cheap", she tried to get cute,
and it came back to bite her in the butt. I suspect many will consider her a hippocrit when she climbs up on her pulpit and preaches generosity to your fellow human, I believe she also realizes that.
I'm a proud Portlander too, and I have to say, I agree w/you, Dave. Every menu (at least in Portland, and every other place I've been, which is the ENTIRE U.S. save for 7 states) says at the bottom that 18% gratuity will be added for (usually 6) x parties or more. Don't like it? DON'T EAT THERE. It's ridiculous. Servers BUST ASS to take care of large parties (I've never been a server but have friends who have been/are) and the larger tops are the MOST demanding. The server deserves AT LEAST 18%. Again... if someone doesn't like it, THEN DON'T FREAKIN' DINE OUT, DUMB A$$!
The only one who mentioned God was the person who wrote her "opinion" on the receipt. Also, if my memory serves me correct, by law, one is "notified" in regards to the "autograt" on the menu prior to ordering, so the customer should have been aware of the upcoming charge at the time she ordered. She was just being "cheap", she tried to get cute,
and it came back to bite her in the butt. I suspect many will consider her a hippocrit when she climbs up on her pulpit and preaches generosity to your fellow human, I believe she also realizes that.
Oh you poor little VICTIM. Get off your 'I'm a Christian and the world is against me' pitty potty and look at the story for what it is. This is not a CNN story, look around – there are many many different outlets carrying this story. I would think you would be embarassed at the pastor's PRIDEFUL demanding that everyone involved be fired. PRDIE is still one of the biggie sins, isn't it? Stop playing the VICTIM and if you don't like what CNN prints go someplace else for news!
They're not attacking the church, they are attacking the hypocritical cheap pastor.
This has nothing to do with CNN, fool, it's all over the internet. Get a clue. I hear it's clue mating season?
I have started a Change.org petition to get this server's job back and to have to pastor fired! Please sign it and share it!
http://www.change.org/petitions/applebee-s-and-truth-in-the-word-deliverance-ministries-give-chelsea-welch-her-job-back-and-fire-pastor-alois-bell
Guest privacy huh?
The Pastor is a
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Wow talk about showing your ignorance and hatreds.......
Why the hell does GOD need money? That's the question the pastor needs to be asking.
Thank you TheBob.
What does God need with a starship?
Because stealing is wrong.
No one is entitled to a tip. Servers are guaranteed minimum wage. And no, you don't get a bigger tip if I pay by credit and that tip is recorded, and you have to claim it as taxable income.
That said, if you tip horribly without reason (and if you have reason, you should be talking to management), there are a lot of not nice words for you. As much as I dislike the practice, it is a social norm here.
Servers aren't guaranteed minimum wage. I know of some places that only pay them $2.00 an hour. It should be illegal, but it's not.
Why is this pastor giving 10% to something that doesn't exist? At least the server can use the money. Admittedly, 18% is far too high. Perhaps the owners of Applebees could give up a little of their millions so their employees can make a better living. Anyway, where's the petition? I'll sign!
jack -
thank you for sharing YOUR ignorance. the note the PASTOR WROTE was displayed for the public to see, much like bad checks are fully displayed behind some registers. so this ignorant non-Christan woman defamed herself?
It does not have to be written in a public format. If someone sends you an email or a private message that would be embarasing for them and you post it online then there is no defamation and you have every right to post it. The only way you are blocked from posting is if it is a company/government email/messaging system or you sign an NDA before recieving the email/message. Company email/mesage only the company has any rights, an NDA gives the sender the right to sue you. Yeah defamation law protects both parties.
@Jack "The first amendment does NOT include defamation." I implore you to look up defamation because you are using it wrong here. Fact the pastor wrote it, Thus it is not defamation. There is no slander or libel involved so If the pastor is embarassed by what she wrote then she should not have wrote it in the first place. The waitress should have photoshoped the restaraunt name and anything else that could tie it to the restaraunt before posting it online. Applebees overreacted by firing her rather than suspension or other disciplanary action.
Chances of a 34 dollar reciept being for a party of six or more is not good. I have had very slow service before and not left a tip, that is what the tip is for, to indicate and insure good service. I also have given large tips for exceptional service. This story seems trivial until you realize that despite the thousands of churches and millions of service hours performed for free by church members CNN only chooses to run stories it can use to discredit religion.
Because religion is infallible? Guess we should all just goosestep into line huh?
Actually, isn't a low tip (below 10%) considered adequate enough for poor service, and 0% signals nothing other than an abusive patron? Managers want to present a splendid dining experience, but they can't motivate their waitstaff whenever group(s) skip out on 18% of the cheque. If you are having a poor experience with the waitstaff, or if all the food is not to your liking, don't be shy and bring your complaint to the manager!
I think the additional 18% tax on top of the 8-10% tax we pay is excessive. I serve people all day in my occupation and I am not allowed tips. I think the service industry demanding a tax on top of the tax is getting ridiculous.
Does your boss pay you $4 an hour to do your job? I didn't think so. And if you did away with tipping, restaurants would have to pay servers well over minimum wage, and they'd have to raise prices accordingly. This means that your $15 entree at Friday's would now cost you $25. Would that make you happy?
If you hate tipping a server, there are plenty of ways to purchase food that don't involve leaving a gratuity. Check 'em out.
Oh the wonders of public information!!! :-) What do you say we call or send letters and return the favor!!!
Deliverance, Holy Spirit, Sound Doctrine
2600 N. Florrisant
St Louis MO 63106
View Map
Pastor: Alois Bell
Denomination: Non-Denominational Church
Ministries: Bible Study, Church on the Go
Attendance: 1 to 49
Phone: 314-703-1238
This is cyberbullying, you do not know both sides and should not bully the church over a private matter.
Last time I checked public information was free to the public. Stop trying to hide behind a religion.
Great idea – I will be happy to do so.
By projecting the financial and spiritual arrangement of God, the Congregation Member, and the Tithe onto a Restaurant Tip obligation, the Pastor is either overbearing, or over-'cute'. This is a human foible, not a transgression, unless it involves someone elses well-being, or liberty...and it doesn't. No matter what he wrote, he hadt to, and did pay the obligatory gratuity. Non Issue.
By getting upset and making a personal complaint, while voicing that this reflected on his congregation, the Pastor became a hypocrite. He could be pretty sure that his complaint might lead to disciplinary action or dismissal. What happened to 'Turning the other Cheek' ?
Lost Opportunity:
If the Pastor feels shame than he brought it onto himself.
As for his Congregation, He can use himself as an example in a sermon he may deliver on the subject.
Pastors are not perfect, and they are obliged to abandon their ego in favor of serving (in this case educating) their flock.
The Pastor should thank the poster for pointing out the 'Rafter in his own eye'.
As for the poster, the receipt is the property of the Restaurant, but the message on it IS meant for someone. However it is, in my judgment, most likely for the Restaurant Manager. If it is for the Manager, then it is proprietary of the Restaruant. If it was for the Server, then it is a personal communication and could be copied and posted...not a lawyer, but think that is sound...If she posted without permission of the Manager, then she deserves discipline.
However, since there is room for a shadow of a doubt, she deserves something less than dismissal.
In this case the black eye goes to the Restaurant that didn't have the guts to stand up to a Pastor.
The question didn't include the opportunity to say the Restaurant was wrong....
but yeah...Nobody is nice in this one.
I am sure Pastor Bell would LOVE to receive these comments via mail or by phone. Feel free to reach out:
Truth in the Word Deliverance Ministries
2600 N. Florrisant
St Louis MO 63106
Pastor: Alois Bell
Phone: 314-703-1238
Wait, so this lady gives 'god' 10%? 10% of what, exactly? Her money? Time? Did god serve her table at the last restaurant she went to? Don't go out to eat if you're going to nitpick about the tip; if you're wanting to save money in the first place, EAT AT HOME.
Also, the majority of fat black women are outrageously horrible guests to wait on, and are tip misers. Anyone who's waited on them knows what i'm talking about.
In the words of God...Amen!!!
You be right!
Church members are supposed to tithe - contribute 10% of their gross income to the church.
What a great example you present to the world Ms Bell. Not only do you make the snide comment on the receipt, but then you make matters worse by having an employee get fired because you're embarrassed. Have fun trying to explain that one to God at the pearly white gates. Maybe your paychecks should come with snarky little comments also. I'm guessing you get paid by a church partially funded by the generosity of its members. Oh the irony.
I disagree with the restaurant that the waitress violated the guest's privacy. She didn't tell anyone who left the reciept, just posted the reciept itself. One of the pastor's own friends recognized her writing and "outed" her.
And the receipt itself was not a private document of the pastor - once she made that comment and gave it to a restaurant employee, it was not hers any more. This was not a private note, it was a restaurant form, which she could reasonable expect would be seen by anyone working at that restaurant. That it was seen by more people than that does not change the fact that she had no expectation of privacy once she wrote her note for whoever worked in the restaurant to see.
I like this logic the best.
If you don't want to tip eat at home. Oh, and I am pretty sure God does not need your money, why don't you give it to people who actually do.
there is no such thing as a woman paster in the bible so the customer is wrong for passing herself off as a "man of GOD". also where was her charitable heart?
Ironically, the pastor's salary probably comes from those who tithe to the church. Her money *is* the 10% given to god.
I'd like to see where the money goes when she gives her 10%, because it should be going to those who are less fortunate – and waitstaff are typically among those who have to work the hardest in our particular economy.
Typical ignorant Christian who doesn't even read the Bible and still manages to be a pastor. Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's. Are you even trying? Or have we just given up and admitted to charlatanry, sucking money out of the most gullible (congregations) because you know they'll give it to you? How very rude of her. I'm not surprised the waitress got fired, but I hope she can get back on her feet.
Tipping is not a requirement. The commenter "Elle" before me said that the waitress being fired is an insult to the 1st Amendment. The 1st Amendment does NOT give anyone the right to do what the waitress did. That's defamation. The Pastor was a jerk but the waitress was wrong. She was NOT within her rights and should NOT be hired back because she brought her employer into the mess, embarrassing them and causing possible harm to future business due to customer mistrust. She violated the company's Code of Ethics. She was on the clock and did NOT have the right to act the way SHE wanted. She was a representative of the company. The lame excuse that the pastor wanted "someone to see the note" is ridiculous. He wanted only the waitress to see it. It's not like customers flocked to his table to read his receipt. His actions were embarrassing and rude, but everyone has the right to be a jerk if they choose to.
Then again, how many people leave mean notes? That's being needless and deliberately rude, not to mention wildly ignorant. How many customers, exactly, are going to change their dining habits because of this? Heck, how many are rooting for the waitress even though she was guilty like you said? How many people feel that it is now unsafe to dine at Applebee's for fear that their ability to leave crude notes and insulting tips has been jeopardized and that they must find a more "ethical" eatery?
You're thinking with your emotions, not the facts. The fact is, SOME people WILL have a negative view of the restaurant because of this. Valid or not, they will. But, facts are what matter. The customer was a rude jerk, there's no disputing that. It will hurt her church and her credibility. She's not getting off scott free either. But, the fact remains, the waitress was NOT within her rights to act the way she did. She was a representative of the company and no matter how rude the customer was, she did NOT reflect well on the company. If she were YOUR employee at YOUR company and she brought this kind of attention and publicity to YOUR source of income, I highly doubt that you would keep her employed. And that's the issue.
Hey Jack, are you a plant from Applebee's? You seem to be very familiar with the company's code of ethics. Keep up the defense, I think the market share is dropping and the share holders are getting restless.
Yes, Applebees can fire her but of course they will wish they did not. This is a waitress making less than minimum wage who had a right to the service charge that was company policy. It was not a gratuity by the fact that it was required. She was denied payment for her labor and then fired because basically she brought negative attention to Applebees.
Of course the waitress can easily sue Applebees for wrongful termination because evidently she broke no company policy.
The reason Applebees will wish they have not fired her is that the negative publicity will cost Applebees a fortune in brand popularity.
If there had been good manager or regional manager at the restaurant they would have made sure the waiter was made whole for the $6 and made a comment about how they stood behind their employees. It would have been good press everywhere.
Waiters and waitresses get paid less than minimum wage because they are paid in tips. The government ASSUMES they receive a certain percentage and charges them income tax for it. The reason restaurant prices are low is because the restaurants use this setup to pay extremely low wages. The system is horrible and stupid, but it is what we have.
The best way to change it is to tell your government representatives to change the laws to disallow employers to pay "presumed tipped" workers less than minimum wage and to stop the IRS from assuming tips.
In the meantime, when you stiff that $2.30/hour waiter or waitress, you are not fixing the larger problem, you are just messing up someone who worked to feed you.
Jack, dear.. there is this little tidbit they teach us in law school. "The truth is an absolute defense against defamation"
The pastor wrote it... admitted she wrote it... this is in no way defamation.
The right to free public speech, but to also have the right to have that speech kept private? Shouldn't the pastor have not done it because she thinks god is watching?
I suppose you're right, but I would make a point of attending the fake pastor's church service and leave a note in the collection plate that she already gave to God so she didn't need to give any more.
The customer is a cheap b1tch- and an obnoxiously arrogant, self-important one at that- but when the word gets out that she can't even tip properly, suddenly she's contrite? B1tch please! You're only apologizing because you got caught- you sure as hell didn't have a problem with revenge in demanding everyone involved be fired!
The attitude and tone of your post speaks volumes. It negates any credibility you might have had.
I spent years waiting tables–and have also always attended the sort of church Pastor Bell leads. So, my sympathies should be equally divided here. However, any time I had to work a Sunday shift I ended it with a church-crowd migraine. Groups of pre-or post-church patrons would always come in, run me off my feet for coffee and sweet rolls, give me a lot of crap, and then leave a tip much lower than would be warranted given how hard I had to dance for them. Mind you, I saw it as a spiritual exercise to treat my customers/brethren courteously and work well, but I often ended up squelching the urge to kill. The stories I could share wouldn't fit here, but one stands out: a colleague had worked her heinie off for a cranky, self-important pastor and wife, then was left with no tip, but a tract instead (brochure of spiritual information) telling her how she could get to heaven. When I saw that happen, I actually followed that bone-head out of the restaurant and told him if he was too cheap to leave his server a tip, he sure as HELL shouldn't damage God's rep in the process.
You'll be better off if you spend more time waiting tables and less time going to church. You'll be better educated for it.
You'd do better to actually read Kathleen's well worded comment. If you have trouble with the hard words, you can look them up in a dictionary.
Good for you!
Why would she want to be rehired by a crap-outfit like Applebee's anyways?? Aim higher... much higher! This attitude by the "holier than thou" crowd needs to be exposed...
The issue is that so-called "tipped employees" like waiters can be paid a sub-minimum wage, often as low as $2/hr, as long as the restaurant guarantees to make up the difference if their tips amount to less than minimum wage. So the tip really isn't a gift to the employee, it essentially partly goes to the restaurant in the form of not having to pay the employee a living wage.
By the way, go to Japan or Hong Kong or Singapore, where employees are paid a normal wage and tipping is not part of the culture. Service is generally better than here in the U.S.
She's not entitled to a tip but she sure is entitled to a minimum wage like everyone else in America.
How waitstaff are somehow not getting state Minimum is beyond me.
Well as long as the church doesn't feel "entitled" that people put money in the collection plate. Just give that 10% to God. (By the way, why doesn't a pastor give more than 10%?)
The waitress wan't "entitled" to the money, BUT neither was she "entitled" to be the whipping boy for her EMPLOYER'S adding the 18% tip. That said, what the customer wrote was both deliberate and deliberately provocative. If the customer has the legal right to leave a snarky note (where anyopne at the restaurant could read it...meaning it wasn't private), then the person she wrote the note to ALSO had every right to speak her mind. Firing her is a an insult to the first Amendment.
This wasn't a standard tip. If the restaurant has a stated policy of adding an 18% gratuity to large parties, then yes, she was certainly entitled to that money. Don't like the policy, don't eat there.
I think you're wrong on both counts. This wasn't a standard tip – the restaurant's stated policy was that a gratuity of 18% is automatically added. The server was entitled to it. If you don't agree to that, don't eat there. And the restaurant certainly has the right to demand that its employees not embarrass customers, that's one of the job qualifications. Would you swear at your boss or your customers and expect to keep your job? I don't think so. There's no first amendment issue here.
No, incorrect. If that was my business and a waitress or waiter did what that girl did here I would have fired her on the spot. That is not to say the pastor is also wrong because lemme tell ya something, been there and done that. I waited tables to but, the golden rule in customer service is and always will be absolute: "The customer is always right". Besides in that line of work I always realize that not everyone is nice nor pleasant and not every one tips. Call it a job hazard. You know that before you even wait tables. Believe me I've had really good nights and so awful bad nights doing that work. Anyone who has done this kind of work for any amount of time knows that. The waiter/waitress must always remain above the fray. So call that being strong during adversity. Both parties were wrong but, only one neglected what there job entails.
The first amendment does NOT include defamation. The pastors comment IS included in the first amendment. The only embarrassment is your lack of thought process.
The pastor was not defamed by anyone, except possibly herself. Defamation occurs when someone's reputation is falsely or unjustly injured. This is not the case here because A) there was nothing false or unjust about what the waitress posted, the pastor wrote it herself and B) the waitress could not have injured the pastor's character because she never identified the writer of the note. The pastor was identified by one of her own congregation who recognized the circumstances and handwriting.
Actually, defamation law is limited by the First Amendment. See N.Y. Times v. Sullivan and its progeny.
You're an idiot. The 1st Amendment covers POLITICAL speech from the predations of the GOVERNMENT. It does not protect douchebaggery from being called out by PRIVATE CITIZENS.
Lrn2Constitution, jackass.
" The pastors comment IS included in the first amendment. " No, not really. No one is preventing anyone from speaking here. Theoretically, you can't slam someone who isn't a public figure without some consequences. That didn't help Sandra Fluke when a public figure decided to attack her. The issue is more like 'did the pastor suffer damage?"