SHOULD GOD GET MORE OF A TIP THAN A SERVER?

I've written a couple blogs in the past year about servers who have left racist comments to describe customers on receipts, but here's something different. So, apparently, a former Applebee's server said that she was fired from her job recently after posting a photo of a receipt from a customer who stiffed a fellow waitress at a St.Louis location of the chain restaurant. The receipt, which was published on Reddit.com by Chelsea Welch, featured the signature of Pastor Alois Bell, who put a "0" in the blank space for additional tip and wrote "I give God 10%. Why do you get 18?" in response to the automatic gratuity added to her bill for having a party of six or more, which is kind of the standard now at most restaurants. If you look at the scratched out tip that was added, the automatic tip came out to $6.29. Are you that cheap that couldn't afford to tip someone who served you and your family food, $6.29? Pastor or not, that is so pathetic to make a big deal over such little money considering these servers don't even make that much to begin with and kind of live off of these tips. Pastor Bell should really be ashamed of herself and if she is giving God only 10%, she's cheating him as well. 

As for the Applebee's employee who was terminated, she originally posted the note as a lighthearted joke because she thought the note was insulting, which it was, but she also thought it was comical and decided to post it on Reddit.com to entertain other users. Little did she know, the snide receipt quickly went viral, outraging many Reddit users, who even offered to pay the unidentified waitress's tip. Bell, a pastor at Truth in the World Deliverance Ministries Church, caught wind of the note's popularity online and called the Applebee's to complain. Applebee's quickly terminated the employee, saying that their guests' personal information, like a meal check, is private and neither Applebee's nor its franchises have a right to share this information publicly. They also stated that they value their 'guests' above all else. 

Pastor Alois Bell

 Pastor Bell admitted that her note was a "lapse in my character and judgment that has been blown out of proportion. My heart is really broken. I've brought embarrassment to my church and ministry." Um, no, this wasn't really blown out of proportion. You wrote what you wrote and you're a cheap piece of crap! Sorry, it's all in writing! Now, it sounds like she's backpedaling out of pure embarrassment and she should be. I'm not sure about most people, but my minimum tip at a restaurant is usually 20%. I said minimum! This lady, who is supposed to be a follower of God, is complaining about an 18% tip? These servers, for the most part, work their tails off and deserve some sort of gratuity at the end of service. Not to mention, it was only a $6 tip! She was complaining about $6? If you couldn't afford to eat out, then why go out?

According to Pastor Bell, she left a $6 tip in cash following the January 25 incident, though she later realized that the 18% gratuity had already been charged to her credit card. The restaurant policy, which it states on the menu itself, an automatic gratuity is added for groups of six or more. Bell shared a dinner with four other adults and five children. My math is a little rusty, but I am Chinese, and to me that sounds like 9 people. First of all, 9 people? How the hell did her bill come out to only $34.93? What the hell did she order? When I go out with two people for dinner, our bill is usually double that. And she was complaining about a $6 tip? Are you kidding me?

Welch, who didn't even serve Bell, only snapped a photo of the bill later that night, and says that the note was 'offensive' whether or not the pastor left a tip. Welch went on to say, "You really can't argue with what's plainly written, and what was plainly written was insulting." Welch also said that she's checked the Applebee's handbook and does not believe that she broke any guideline that would require her termination. She said, "But because this person got embarrassed that their selfishness was made public, Applebee's has made it clear that they would rather lose a dedicated employee than lose an angry customer. That's a policy I can't understand." Way to back your employees Applebee’s! I wouldn't want you to have my back in a knife fight!