A pastor made headlines last week when she left a note on her Applebee’s receipt claiming that she gives God 10%, why does her Applebee’s waitress deserve a 18% tip?
“I give God 10%, why do you get 18[%],” her handwritten note scribbled across the top of her receipt asked.
News of the comment spread quickly after fellow waitress Chelsea Welch snapped a photo of the receipt and posted it online at Reddit, so much so that the since, the identified St. Louis pastor, Alois Bell was shamed into offering an apology:
“My heart is really broken. I’ve brought embarrassment to my church and ministry,” Pastor Bell told the Smoking Gun website.
But the feelings of embarrassment apparently didn’t stop the pastor from calling Applebee’s and complaining about the posted receipt. As a result, Ms. Welch was fired by the restaurant chain for violating Bell’s “right to privacy.”
“Our Guests’ personal information — including their meal check — is private, and neither Applebee’s nor its franchisees have a right to share this information publicly. We value our Guests’ trust above all else,” Applebee’s said in a released statement.
Tips are vital to a waiter’s or waitress’s financial well-being. A good motto to follow is that if you can’t afford to tip, you can’t afford to eat out. While consumers might be frustrated with higher food bills, they should realize that a waitperson could earn as little as $3.00 an hour. The rest of their income comes from tips (If the waitperson’s hourly salary plus tips is less than minimum wage, the restaurant is required to make up the difference).
“We make $3.50 an hour. Most of my paychecks are less than pocket change because I have to pay taxes on the tips I make. After sharing my tips with hosts, bussers, and bartenders, I make less than $9/hr on average, before taxes,” Ms. Welch explained to the Consumerist website.
The question that should be asked is why are consumers, in fact, subsidizing the restaurant’s bottom line, in essence paying a large percentage of the establishment’s labor costs? The added pressure to leave a significant tip can be an annoyance for some. And when restaurants add a “mandatory” gratuity for parties over a certain size, it may be enough to push some patrons over the edge.
Perhaps this was the case with Pastor Bell. Her large party ran up more than $200 worth of food and was subjected to the restaurant chain’s 18% mandatory gratuity fee. Even so, one has to think that there are more polite ways to voice your objection than leaving a sarcastic comment to the person who works so hard to serve you.
BMWK — What do you think? Do you feel pressured to leave a good tip when you eat out? Should you have to subsidize a restaurant’s labor costs with your tips? How do you feel about those mandatory gratuity charges for large dining parties?
ms M says
The pastor should be ashamed of herself and the others in the party as well, they could have all chipped in and left a decent tip. The pastor’s embarrassment also was the reason why she called the restaurant and had the lady fired. Shame on you Ms Bell, you are a leader and should have set a better example. Since saved and unsaved folk will read this article, your actions says a lot about you and your lack of compassion for a servant. the back lash is not over
Brandi says
Forget subsidizing — technically, customers fund a restaurant’s bottom line COMPLETELY (business grants/loans notwithstanding). It’s either the current tipping system or they raise their food prices 10-20% to be able to pay staff minimum wage or better, so I agree that if you can’t afford to tip, you can’t afford to eat out The restaurant business is a saturated market in which it’s difficult for most who enter it to maintain and survive past the first few years. Eliminate the images of the cheap, Scrooge-like boss who refuses to pay his employees and the “entitled” servers who demand more than they deserve, because the vast majority of bosses and servers aren’t like that.
Alexandra says
Everyone makes mistakes. Lets pray that the Pastor has learn from this. No one is perfect. Not excusing her actions but taking on the attitude of Christ. If it was me I would have not acted as the pastor but it’s human to error
T Ann says
That pastor’s comment was lacking any kind of common sense and compassion. You give God 10% of your income… that is in no way comparable to the couple dollars you may rack up in waitstaff tips. If you don’t like tipping, then go home and cook… it’s that simple. Its cheaper to eat at home anyway, and the waiters don’t have to deal with your snooty attitude.
Beautifulone71 says
I always tip. The better the service the better the tip. If its an extra special dinner, you get an extra special tip. Doesn’t the bible say pay Caesar what is his? Well that means tips. Its part of the bill for large groups. No doubt the pastor and her parishioners expected excellent service but wanted to give less than their best for that service. When you have larger groups everyone still expects to get their appetizers and meals within the same time frame and LAWD please don’t let someone’s drink get low, cause that’s a problem. Tip, if you cant afford the bill, cook. You will save the wait staff a headache and save your pocket. So much for being a Sheppard of the church, she got the girl fired. I don’t see the problem with her posting a pic of the receipt, she didn’t put a name on it. Shame the devil.
Real Talk says
I think that young lady (the waitress) should sue that pastor for lost wages and suffering (not being able to pay bills). I think their are a lot of people in the ministry that do things that they shouldn’t do and hiding behind the Lord is their cover. I had one break in my home before, so I speak from experience.
Anonymous says
If service is good, I tip above the 15% but if crappy service, only 10% or less if waiter/waitress has attitude or is drama. I feel a tip is to show you appreciate good service, doesn’t give the waitress the right to act up just because they feel they deserve a tip and some do this. I had a friend who shared the pastor’s beliefs, to each his/her own but that is not something I would write to someone on a note or do. Just sayin……
Rosemary / romanticmarriage.org says
I have withheld the tip only twice in my life and in both cases it was because the server was not just incompetent but rude. Otherwise, I tip between 10% and 20% depending on the service (usually leaning toward the more generous side). Restaurants add a mandatory service charge to large parties because of the extra workload large parties inevitably create for the server, and because, sadly, when people are splitting a large check they often “forget” to include an adequate tip. Also note that at many restaurants the servers also share their tips with other workers, such as the busboys, who also face a huge added workload with large parties. You may not like the tipping system, but it is the system that these people have to work under and punishing the server who has worked hard to please you is not the right way to deal with it.
snoopy says
Do we “tip” ( i.e. tithe) God 10% ONLY if we get good service and blessings from Him ? If we get less than this, do we tip less ? Doesn’t that pastor realize his
living expenses come from our tithes ? I would like to see the average salaries
of pastors vs. those of waitresses…especially the salaries of the well-to-do
TV evangelists. I’ve never heard of a “rich” waitress.
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