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Tips are not optional, they are how waiters get paid in America
The Manchester Guardian ^ | February 1, 2013 | Chelsea Welch, former waitress

Posted on 02/02/2013 6:16:20 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

An Applebee's diner refused to leave a tip for religious reasons. The waitress who exposed it wonders if Jesus will pay her bills.

I was a waitress at Applebee's restaurant in Saint Louis. I was fired Wednesday for posting a picture on Reddit.com of a note a customer left on a bill. I posted it on the web as a light-hearted joke.

This didn't even happen at my table. The note was left for another server, who allowed me to take a picture of it at the end of the night.

Someone had scribbled on the receipt, "I give God 10%. Why do you get 18?"

I assumed the customer's signature was illegible, but I quickly started receiving messages containing Facebook profile links and websites, asking me to confirm the identity of the customer. I refused to confirm any of them, and all were incorrect.

I worked with the Reddit moderators to remove any personal information. I wanted to protect the identity of both my fellow server and the customer. I had no intention of starting a witch-hunt or hurting anyone.

Now I've been fired...

(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Computers/Internet; Food; Religion
KEYWORDS: economy; employment; fired; religion; restaurants; workplace
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Rightly so.
1 posted on 02/02/2013 6:16:29 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

The feeling of “entitlement” takes many forms. All are bad.


2 posted on 02/02/2013 6:18:34 PM PST by ClearCase_guy (Nothing will change until after the war.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Who would Jesus fire?


3 posted on 02/02/2013 6:20:36 PM PST by GrootheWanderer
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I guess so.

She’s right about the tips. Waiters are underpaid, and rely on tips to round out their salaries. Many of my children have worked in restaurants while growing up, as a way to earn extra money before they finished their educations. That persuaded me to be generous with tips when I eat out—which isn’t very often.

But she was stupid to go on the net with it. I don’t use Facebook Reddit or any of those other things, because although I think I’d be careful what I posted, you never can tell. People are wrecking their lives, and the lives of others, every day with this kind of nonsense.


4 posted on 02/02/2013 6:21:01 PM PST by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

i hardly eat out because of such ideas as these. not that i don’t tip, but the fact they believe they are entitled’to a tip,demand a tip, for whatever service is given. i tip appropriately. i don’t eat anywhere where the place sets a minimum mandatory tip.


5 posted on 02/02/2013 6:21:46 PM PST by Secret Agent Man (I can neither confirm or deny that; even if I could, I couldn't - it's classified.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Don’t leave notes in public you don’t want viewed in public.

IMO the waitress can possibly sue.

The so called pastor is a creep IMO.


6 posted on 02/02/2013 6:22:48 PM PST by A CA Guy ( God Bless America, God Bless and keep safe our fighting men and women.)
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To: Cicero
I agree with her to an extent, that the customer was a POS cheapskate.

But never, I mean NEVER post someone else's personal information on social media.

That was stupid, and yes, a fireable offense.

7 posted on 02/02/2013 6:25:30 PM PST by boop ("You don't look so bad, here's another")
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To: GrootheWanderer

Who would Jesus fire?


Probably all of us.


8 posted on 02/02/2013 6:26:08 PM PST by warsaw44
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To: Secret Agent Man

Someone is SERVING you and the average 15% isn’t more than a few bucks unless you eat out large.

I agree with you though. If you are on a tight budget or feel uncomfortable leaving tips then stick to fast food joints or eat home.


9 posted on 02/02/2013 6:27:26 PM PST by A CA Guy ( God Bless America, God Bless and keep safe our fighting men and women.)
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To: A CA Guy

You don’t feel she violated his privacy and held the guest up to ridicule? How is that being service oriented?


10 posted on 02/02/2013 6:27:36 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet (I'll raise $2million for Sarah Palin's presidential run. What'll you do?)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
The Manchester Guardian

Blast from the past. And how have the Brooklyn Dodgers been doing lately?

11 posted on 02/02/2013 6:28:48 PM PST by Oztrich Boy (I think, therefore I am what I yam, and that's all I yam - "Popeye" Descartes)
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To: Cicero

I understand her frustration, but the woman should get over herself. Since I dine alone, “spending hour to befriend” someone is laughable.

I am sorry that her L&S Obama has let her down (yes she probably voted for him), but she knew what she was getting into when she filled out an application.


12 posted on 02/02/2013 6:29:23 PM PST by Perdogg (Mark Levin - It's called the Bill of Rights not Bill of Needs)
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To: boop

A POS cheapskate woman who claims to have been homeless not long ago and working full time while also running her so called church of hating waitresses out of some store front.

I would like to see this Pastor fired from their real job for lack of character. Let them live out of their store front church and 15 members. What a joke!


13 posted on 02/02/2013 6:29:52 PM PST by A CA Guy ( God Bless America, God Bless and keep safe our fighting men and women.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

When I waitressed, I made $2.01 an hour. My check deducted health insurance and back then, profit sharing. My bi-weekly check was around $30 dollars. Rightly so? I was going to college, engineering school, raising 3 young daughters, paying all the bills, no child support from a dead beat dad. I depended on tips. I suppose if you’ve never been in that situation, you don’t know.

I wasn’t on welfare.


14 posted on 02/02/2013 6:30:10 PM PST by Indy Pendance
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To: GrootheWanderer
Who would Jesus fire?

Jesus was fired for us.

15 posted on 02/02/2013 6:30:35 PM PST by Yo-Yo
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To: A CA Guy
It's just too bad she didn't crop the name out.

But I'm with you - the "pastor" is an a-hole, and now she's an a-hole who got someone fired.

16 posted on 02/02/2013 6:30:54 PM PST by Slump Tester (What if I'm pregnant Teddy? Errr-ahh -Calm down Mary Jo, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it)
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To: warsaw44

How much would Jesus tip?


17 posted on 02/02/2013 6:31:29 PM PST by Revolting cat! (Bad things are wrong! Ice cream is delicious!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
An Applebee's diner refused to leave a tip for religious reasons

First of all - that is extremely inflammatory and wrong - the woman "pastor" was just showing her selfishness.

Second - waiters/waitresses typically get paid at such places somewhere between $2.50-3.50 per hour and do count on tips to make up the difference (after often having to split their tips with bussboys, bartenders, and fellow servers).

I personally despise automatic gratuities - it takes away a lot of the incentive to provide good service out of the equation. When I receive good service - I often tip more than what an automatic gratuity would bring. But I leave nothing extra when I see 18% added regardless of the service. Maybe this is wrong-minded, but what exactly is a "tip" suppose to be?

Good servers work their tails off, and deserve to take home a reasonable paycheck - poor servers need to find another line of work. If tips are mandatory, where it the incentive?

18 posted on 02/02/2013 6:31:36 PM PST by TheBattman (Isn't the lesser evil... still evil?)
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To: boop

Agreed.

Also, I disagree with the statement that “tips are not optional.” They should be optional, unless the restaurant makes it clear before you order that there is a mandatory charge. I don’t like that, but they are entitled to do it.

If you’re working as a waiter or busboy, do your job, and somebody doesn’t tip, it’s enough to annoy anyone. But you just have to lump it. And occasionally you’ll come across someone who tips very generously, which makes up for the cheapskates.

As I said, I don’t eat out very often, because I can’t afford it. But when I do, I remember all my kids and their stories, and I usually give a 20% tip, especially if the bill is modest.


19 posted on 02/02/2013 6:31:37 PM PST by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: Cicero
If they were paid the regular minimum wage of $7.25 an hour plus received gratuities, people would be fighting over waiting jobs, just like they do over parking valet positions in places like Las Vegas.
20 posted on 02/02/2013 6:31:45 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet (I'll raise $2million for Sarah Palin's presidential run. What'll you do?)
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