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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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To: SECURE AMERICA

The waitress said that there was nothing in Applebees handbooks against what she did.

I would think someone else would love to hire her though. She will not be unemployed long IMO.


61 posted on 02/02/2013 6:57:17 PM PST by A CA Guy ( God Bless America, God Bless and keep safe our fighting men and women.)
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To: Secret Agent Man

Maybe I don’t eat at the right places, but the only times where I encounter mandatory tips are when there’s a group of maybe 8 or more.

I don’t like them either since I tend to tip more than 18% anyway, but I don’t see them very often.


62 posted on 02/02/2013 6:57:32 PM PST by perez24 (Dirty deeds, done dirt cheap.)
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To: A CA Guy

Well have the stupid Restuarant lower their prices a lot or have them do the work themselves, if they feel they don’t have to pay the employee!!!


63 posted on 02/02/2013 6:58:02 PM PST by forbushalltheway
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I’m on the waiter’s side here. You don’t wanna tip, fine. But the remark was absurd.

I’ve only not tipped twice in my life and it had to do with the service, not the fact tat I tithe.

You go to a restaurant, you know that’s how waiters make their money. You don’t like it, don’t go.


64 posted on 02/02/2013 6:58:05 PM PST by RIghtwardHo
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To: Indy Pendance

by chance was this a table full of women?

it is well known that men, on average, tip more generously than women.


65 posted on 02/02/2013 6:58:26 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
They did not hold the customer up to ridicule, their own retarded writings embarrassed themselves.
She said she embarrassed her church with what she wrote, so they know they are wrong.
They had the nerve to try and fire the whole staff. This pastor was quite evil IMO.
66 posted on 02/02/2013 6:59:55 PM PST by A CA Guy ( God Bless America, God Bless and keep safe our fighting men and women.)
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To: re_nortex; rlmorel

The issue is not that the server is entitled to a minimum wage, set by the government; it serves here only as a reference point for how obscenely low the wage is.


67 posted on 02/02/2013 7:00:18 PM PST by dangus
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To: Perdogg
Taiwanese are constantly complaining about the Western habit of tipping.
They fervently do not want it to catch on among the wait-staff.
You ain't seen cheap until you've seen, and lived with, Taiwan cheap.


Although I am beginning to see 'tip jars' (usually empty) more frequently in some counter areas.
I know what they are but since they're written in Chinese I can ignore them...;)
68 posted on 02/02/2013 7:02:01 PM PST by Tainan (Cogito, ergo conservatus sum -- "The Taliban is inside the building")
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To: itsahoot

yes, the server and the customer get screwed under this underpaid/mandatory tip setup, and each gets angry at the other, instead of the owner. the guy’s pulling an obama, a deflection, a divide and conquer setup.


69 posted on 02/02/2013 7:02:30 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: RushIsMyTeddyBear

I don’t know the color of the people who served her, but she wrote the stupid statement without IMO reference to people’s color.


70 posted on 02/02/2013 7:02:35 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

Tipping was the reason while my visiting millionaire moonbat in-laws stopped speaking to me.

We took them to a Vietnamese Pho soup restaurant, the best in the area, a busy family run joint with minimal, negligent and quick service by family members (while Mexicans worked in the kitchen, and often brought out your bowls to the table instead of your hustling order taker.) With such service, a family run restaurant, you don’t tip, or tip the absolute minimum.

My sister-in-law had just finished reading a non-fiction tearjerker by a woman named Barbara Ehrenreich, a Lefty elitist snob, who decided to go slumming, pretend to be a regular person and hire herself out as a waitress in order to write a heartbreaking bestselling book about it, which she did. My sister-in-law, a stay at home mom, husband mismanaging inherited wealth, wanted to leave a 25%+ tip at this restaurant, feeling sorry for the poor waitresses (who, by the way, drove BMWs), and I couldn’t explain to her the situation, and the negative effect such tipping would have on my future visits there, long after she left town with her bleeding heart.


71 posted on 02/02/2013 7:03:36 PM PST by Revolting cat! (Bad things are wrong! Ice cream is delicious!)
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To: forbushalltheway

People who don’t want to tip in higher classed places should stick to Burger King and Paco’s Tacos.


72 posted on 02/02/2013 7:04:44 PM PST by A CA Guy ( God Bless America, God Bless and keep safe our fighting men and women.)
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To: Revolting cat!

TTIUWOP of the subject perps.


73 posted on 02/02/2013 7:05:38 PM PST by Paladin2
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Another thought is that it seems you tip almost everyone these days: someone cuts your hair, you leave a tip; you get a drink from a bartender, you leave a tip; you get a delivery (food, furniture, whatever), you give a tip, pick up your clothes at the dry cleaner, leave a tip, etc. Do all these people make less than minimum wage because they "get tips"?

It seems archaic now that only restaurants are allowed to pay less than minimum wage. Maybe it's time to change that?

74 posted on 02/02/2013 7:05:48 PM PST by jeffc (The U.S. media are our enemy)
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To: Indy Pendance
I KNEW the Mr. Pinks would come to this post like flies to poop.

Look, waitstaff KNOW that their very livelihood depends on giving good service. So in general most are pretty nice, and attentive.

There's no rule that you HAVE to tip, but unless the service truly sucks, you should always do so.

And for those Mr. Pinks who think that the waitress is some slave who should get a "real job", if you're a great waiter/waitress you can actually make a decent living, based on tips.

In fine dining establishments, you'll notice that the waitstaff is often older people.

Why would a 60 year old man wait tables at 4 Queens in Vegas? Because they are the best in the business. Probably paid off their houses and sent their kids to college because they have been waiting on people like Elvis and Sinatra for 40 years.

Those guys wanted great service, and the waiters provided it to them.

I've never enjoyed a meal as much when I went there. In fact I think I tipped around 50%. Those guys are PROS at making you feel like a king.

Worth every penny.

75 posted on 02/02/2013 7:06:29 PM PST by boop ("You don't look so bad, here's another")
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Well, you’re a self serving prig and I’m not surprised you were fired.

Tips are feedback for the quality of service you provide.

I usually tip 20% but, for the 1st time I can remember I tipped a guy 5% at A well known Chinese restraunt chain, on bill for just about $100.

This guy was terrible. kept bringing stuff we didn’t order, plates were graveyard cold, wrong wine.

This guy had issues and I meant cancel my subscription.

I was so irritated my friend called the manager and the manager promptly,.

as in right then, loaded an envelope with 4 gift cars totalling $100


76 posted on 02/02/2013 7:07:54 PM PST by Vendome (Don't take life so seriously, you won't live through it anyway)
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To: Revolting cat!

An unrelated story, but sweet.

Near the end of the night, a party of 14 deaf people came in. Of course, I wanted the money, so I took them. The server at that section just got off so, sure I’ll take them. I’d work as much as possible.

They were so fun, one of them could read lips, which was extremely helpful. I wrote down all their choices, potato, veggie, salad dressing, etc. When they pointed to their entree, I had my list for all the extras. It worked out nicely.

I had fun with them, I even joked that they were being ‘too noisy’ and to had to settle down, they all rolled over laughing at that.

The head of that party sent a letter to the president saying what a great experience they had and they loved the service. I didn’t treat them as different, but realized they had different needs. I’ll never forget those people and how fun they were.

Speaking of apartments, I had to lie. Moving back to Wisconsin, I told my prospective landlord, my husband was coming, I was just getting an apartment for us to relocate and wanted to get the kids in school before September. I had my sister in law in tow, and had the relocation lie down pat since we’ve done that 3 time previously. They’d never taken a divorced mom with 3 kids under 8 who waitressed and was going to engineering school. I did what I did to survive. I never missed a payment.


77 posted on 02/02/2013 7:08:08 PM PST by Indy Pendance
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To: SkyDancer

Underpaying is the law. If restaurants were required to pay minimum, your dinner would be at least $30. I hear you, but it’s again, it’s more government intrusion.


78 posted on 02/02/2013 7:11:25 PM PST by Indy Pendance
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To: A CA Guy

IMHO as a believer, she reflects poorly as a witness. I usually do 20% unless service is bad and depending on if the bad service is the server’s fault or something to do more behind the scenes.

> It was a female Pastor who enjoys getting 10% of the wages from her flock who thought it was wrong to give an 18% tip to a waitress for serving her LARGE table full of people.


79 posted on 02/02/2013 7:11:47 PM PST by CORedneck
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To: A CA Guy

Applebees, higher class, HAHA!! Tell me why then they should charge 20 or more dollar a plate that only costs less than 5 to make? They hogging all the money to themselves? IF they don’t want to pay for good help, then let them work all the customers themselves and see how hard that is!!!!!!!!!!


80 posted on 02/02/2013 7:11:58 PM PST by forbushalltheway
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