If you ask Pastor Alois Bell, $0. Then you get the waitress fired. Long story short: Group of churchgoers goes out for dinner at Applebees, the pastor crosses out the computer added tip (being that they were in a party of greater than 8) writes a zero and adds "I give God 10%, why do you get 18?" Another waitress takes a picture and posts it on Reddit, and the thread blows up. Then the "pastor" calls Applebees and demands the entire staff of the restaurant be fired. Instead, just the waitress who posted the pic is sacked. The pastor then apologized for the snide remark (but not getting the waitress fired) and claimed she left a tip in cash. http://consumerist.com/2013/01/31/w...-receipt-from-pastor-customer-fired-from-job/ http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/tipping-pastor-apologizes-687234 Some questions: 1. What kind of person gives their life over to God and at the same time treats others like this? 2. In the social media age, what expectation of privacy should the pastor have had? 3. Was the waitress wrong for posting it? It appears she didn't redact the signature at first, because she thought it was illegible. When people started asking her questions, she went back and did it, but it was too late. 4. Seriously, why do people think it's okay to cheap out on tips?
Answers: 1. None. I call that a "false convert". That person is deluded if they think they are walking with Christ. 2. That's a question worthy of discussion. I don't have an answer. 3. 50/50. Posting it with a name and everything, yeah, that's wrong. Customer service is still customer service. 4. Good question. I always tip semi-well if the service is adequate, and VERY well if the service is better than adequate.
On the other hand, I absolutely despise places that include a gratuity in the bill. I don't care how large the party is, it's up to me to decide if I leave a tip or not, not the restaurant.
While it can certainly be seen as the "No True Scotsman" fallacy, I do agree with him on this point. Someone can say they're a Christian, but if their actions eschew the directives Christ gave them, and they do this willingly and with full knowledge, then they are not behaving as a Christian should. It's one thing to forget to tip, it's another to not only refuse to tip, but to also purposely cause grief to the person who has just served you, and this was perpetrated by a shepherd, no less. Something like that would have pissed Jesus off. This goes into the second part of the problem, in that if a person behaves this way often, then they haven't given themselves over to Christ, and instead have chosen to put new wine in old wine skins. They choose to say "Lord, Lord", but without the knowledge of the heart that goes along with it. They are good examples of the "clanging cymbals" of which Paul spoke.
I put it to you that neither you nor he have the remotest idea what way Jesus would feel about tipping.
1. All too often, a person who thinks him/herself endowed with righteousness. 2. It was inappropriate to post the pastor's information, no matter how dickish the pastor was being. 3. Yes, the waitress acted irresponsibly with customer information, which reflects on her employer. So, rightful termination even though she was the one first wronged. 4. Don't know why people are cheapskates when it comes to tipping. Lots of young people work as servers in restaurants and it's good experience for them to earn bigger tips by giving good service (and, conversely, to receive bad tips when they give poor service).
Actually, I would have quite a good idea how Jesus would feel about tipping. All it takes is a lot of reading and a fair amount of empathy.
No, I claim no special knowledge. Reading is essential. It also helps that I was a minister for the better part of a decade, and made the words and actions of Jesus my particular area of interest. Again, a fair dose of empathy also helps. When you can put yourself in someone else's shoes, and open your mind to the various questions and feelings they would have, it goes a long way to figuring out how someone lived, how they thought.
I'm not sorry or ashamed. I learned a great deal about people, and helped a great number of people. When I had my faith, it was a part of me, and even when I lost my faith, I kept the knowledge I had gained.
They're entitled to set their prices for service as they wish. That's not in contention. If their prices are too high, people (including me) will go elsewhere. What I'm talking about is an automatically-included gratuity - a tip. A tip is what the customer voluntarily gives or leaves for the person actually providing the service. It's to show appreciation for good work. It's paid directly to the "point of sale" as it were. The included gratuity very often goes to the business and the actual server never sees a dime of it. So fuck that. If service is crap, so is the tip. If service is great, so is the tip. But that's for me to say, not the business.
Exactly. A tip is a tip. A mandatory charge imposed by the restaurant is an expense, and is not a tip as it's not reliant upon customer service given. It might as well be listed underneath the steak dinner as such. If I have to give you a percentage, that's known as a fee, and in the case of the restaurant, that fee is free money.
I don't think it's unreasonable for restaurants to impose a mandatory service charge on large groups (like, 8 or more people). Large groups tie up a lot of their staff and, funnily enough, because people in large groups often split up the check among several payers, the tip is often "forgotten" or ridiculously small. If a small group shafts (fairly or unfairly) ONE waiter/waitress for a tip, that's a relatively minor thing; when 8 or 10 or 14 people do it, that's several servers and bussers who go short after doing a lot of work. And, even if you server wasn't particularly great, those other people are still dependent on tips for their part of the work. I can't say about everywhere, but here they always print a prominent notice in the menu that there will be a service charge applied for large groups. If you don't want to pay it, go somewhere else.
Lanz, John; sorry but you are just plain ignorant on this. A tip is not extra, it is just part of the wage. The Federal Minimum Wage for tipable hours is a little over $2. Keep on mind that servers are also required to in turn tip out bus and bar and this is based on total sales, not % of tip. So zero tip is actually not zero tip, it is negative tip, you are taking away money from the server. Now, with a bunch of smaller tables, even if one is an asshat and stiffs the server, it generally comes out in wash and by the end of the shift the server walks with at least minimum wage. But if you have a large party, and they take up most of your tables for most of the night, run up a big tab and this fuck over the server b/c your an ignorant douchnozzle then you can fuck over their entire shift. Tipping is not extra. Its part of the fucking meal. If you can't grasp that, then stick to McDonald's, most likely the food quality is more on par with your intellect anyway. Now personally, I didn't grat (automatic gratuity), but that is up to the restaurant and the server. If policy allows it, then its not your fucking choice. It's part of the bill, you pay and then don't come back if you can't handle it.
Firstly, the intellect comment makes you look like an asshole. Dial it back. We're talking about tipping, not joining a cult. Secondly, as to your definition of automatic gratuity, I have to say No, sir. If it's a listed expense on the bill, it's not a tip. It's a service fee. A tip is commensurate with the level of service given by the server. If it's mandatory, then the service of the server doesn't matter. What you're telling me is that if I receive poor service, then I'm intellectually inferior for not leaving an 18% tip. Only a fool parts with his money in such a way. I tip generously, but I don't give money away just to do it. The percentage system is bullshit anyway. If I give $5 as a tip, on a $45 meal between two people, I'm considered cheap, because it's less than the 15% standard. Just for the record, I am not ignorant on this. I have been a waiter. I've been a busboy, a cook, and a dishwasher in various restaurants. When I was a server, there was no percentage of automatic gratuity. Sometimes I served 40 person tables, loaded down with messy children, and loud, cantankerous adults, and was left nothing at the end of the night (mostly church groups and Amway), and sometimes I would get someone like a little old couple who would leave me a $10 tip, and all I had to do was keep their drink glasses filled. That's the chance you take as a server. If you can't risk it, don't be a server. The truth is, most servers wouldn't trade the tipping system for a minimum wage, because they make more money than the minimum when all is said and done. So no, I'm not falling for it. I know better. Yes, in some places it can be difficult to get a good tip, but that falls more on both the individual server and the restauranteur (mandatory tip sharing for example), than it does the obligation of the customer to make up the difference for the restaurant's decision to underpay their employees. Most servers work hard, and I like to reward that good service, but I will not reward poor service.
Answering my own questions: 1. What kind of person gives their life over to God and at the same time treats others like this? A person who is hypocritical and has no business preaching to anyone. It's a much smaller version of the mentality that lets people kill in the name of their religion or god. The 15 parishioners at her church should run screaming from this person. 2. In the social media age, what expectation of privacy should the pastor have had? Very little. And that goes for anyone taking advantage of others, especially if the person you're doing it to is young and technology savvy. If I'm in public and I make an ass of myself, I would expect it to show up in social media somewhere. 3. Was the waitress wrong for posting it? I don't think she was wrong for posting it, but I think she should have redacted the name. She gets a good vent out of it, and nobody needs to be the wiser. HOWEVER, I think it's karmic justice that the "pastor" was named and shamed. She should be ashamed of herself, and not just for the lack of tip. 4. Seriously, why do people think it's okay to cheap out on tips? Because people think they're entitled to something for nothing. If you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to dine out.
Actually, if a server does not make the minimum wage established at the federal level, or the state level they are still entitled to the minimum wage. The establishment is then required to pay the difference between the tipped earnings, in addition to the ~$2 paid as the wage. So the only party (aside from the guests) that comes out at a negative amount is the establishment. Tipping is not something that is part of the meal, it is something that the guest adds in as a voluntary amount for the level of service they received. If tipping is part of the meal, then include the cost of the service into the meal. The food can be amazing, but if the service is shit, then the experience of the meal is shitty. If the food is mediocre, and the service is a amazing then the meal experience can great. If I get shit service, I give a shit tip. If I get good service I give a good tip. I do not feel obligated to give a tip, partial tip, or an expected amount if the server is a shit server.
Again, the "if you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to dine out" line of thinking is absurd. If I can afford a $12 dinner at an Applebees for myself, and a $12 plate for my significant other, you're saying I shouldn't be able to enjoy a night out because I might not be carrying enough money to the server's satisfaction. Here's an idea: If you can't afford to be a server, don't be a server. There are lots of jobs that pay minimum wage or better. Demanding that I shell out more money because you overestimate the value of your service is not my problem, and just to clarify again, because I'm sure it has been drowned out in the noise, I am a generous tipper, I love to tip well. I have been a server, and I've been stiffed by large parties, and generously compensated by quiet couples. I knew what I was getting into when I accepted the position. I took the risk because the chance of a greater payoff is worth it. If it's not, don't take the risk. It's not my fault if you don't like how much money I'm carrying. If you don't have much choice, and are a server because there are no other opportunities, then just do your best. Yes, you will get stiffed once in a while, but if your service is good, people will tip well. Most people love to tip, especially if they're on a date. It makes them look good.
Also, in Oregon, servers get paid minimum wage, which is $8.80. It's also illegal for the establishments to demand tips to be turned in, so any tips made is icing on the base wage. It is common practice for tips to be collected in a tip jar then divided amongst the crew (in cafés, for example), but as far as sit down restaurants, tips are paid to the server.
