Posted on 03/03/2014 6:56:12 AM PST by don-o
Last February, Pastor Alois Bell set off an Internet debate of biblical proportions. Unhappy about being forced to pay an automatic gratuity of 18 percent because she was dining with a party of 10 at an Applebee’s restaurant in St. Louis, Mo., Bell declined to leave a tip and instead left her two cents behind in ink: “I give God ten percent, why do you get 18,” she scrawled on her receipt.
Preaching Christ Church’s lead Pastor Chad Roberts was on his way to a conference in Atlanta, Ga., with two other staff members from the downtown Kingsport church when news of the tipping scandal went viral and their idea for the church’s “Sundays are the Worst” campaign was born.
“We were sitting in a Buffalo Wild Wings saying, what could we do for the serving community to show them that the church cares about them and that we’re not judgmental? What if there was a website where servers could just sound off, they could just vent, and then the church say, it’s OK, we get it, we understand?
(Excerpt) Read more at timesnews.net ...
Christians behaving badly is scandal and, as the article days, places huge stumbling blocks. This pastor has come up with a creative outreach. I wish him well.
If it is automatic and part of the bill, why not just add it to the price? Why pretend its some type of “tip”?
I believe the purpose of this is to go deeper than simply the pro / con of tipping.
Sure, I am sure there is a “Christian” message there somewhere. Sure there is.
Because she’s cheap.
Usually going with 6 or 8 people on up triggers the automatic 18% tip to be added. Quite frankly, I don’t blame restaurants. All the chains I’m aware of do it.
IMO, if this pastor didn’t want to pay it they should have stayed home or split into 2 groups of 5 people each.
I love the idea of a different church setting up this website!
Are you interested in discussion or just trolling for a fight?
It IS the RF after all, and I am aware that’s what y’all mostly do up in here. (Or should I say, down in here?)
I understand why they add the tip to larger party’s bill , because, to be quite honest, larger parties generally don’t tip as well for some reason. In Germany, the tip was already in the receipt, but we always tipped, anyway. The waiters there are not college students working in an entry level job. (Mostly, that is true.) They get to know their customers very well if you frequent their restaurant and some are good at predicting what you will choose! No kidding! We always tipped on top of their gratuity that was included because it was so low to begin with. This is their real job and they have families.
Anyway, the point is this. Even if the tip is already included, one should at the very least round up to the nearest dollar or nearest 5 or 10, depending. I have NEVER regretted leaving a larger tip, and you don’t know what the server/waitress/waiter might be going through. Today, many a waitress & waiter have lost a regular job and this is what is available to them for the present time. I figure that if I can afford to eat out, I can afford to give a good tip. In fact, that griper might have considered the fact that by tipping over the amount already on the sales slip she might have been doing God’s work. To write what she did on that receipt was denigrating to me as a believer, and doesn’t do anything for God, either! What was she thinking, anyway?
Group discounts have become group surcharges, “we don’t want your business!!”
Great post Shery and exactly how I feel. I cannot count the number of times I’ve told people, if you can’t afford to leave a tip, then either choose a cheaply restaurant or stay home.
Serving is a tough job and if a person gets good service it should be rewarded!
Where do you eat? Usually when we go out, we see groups. I’d also venture a guess that in this economy, if a restaurant wants to stay open, the want everyone, group or individuals.
I usually eat at home. Thank God.
They should be paid by their employer.
Real Christian churches are on the wain, no matter what the attendance roles say. There are even Baptist churches in Texas, no less, that have ordained gay deacons.
I'm sure tipping is an important topic to come from the pulpit, but somehow I think Religion has bigger fish to fry right now. How could someone council the person on suicide grief if they aren't even saved themselves? IMO, Angels are nailing signs with "Ichabod" printed over the doors of many churches today.
Any decent restaurant adds a 18-20% TIP or Gratuity to groups over 6. Do these IDIOTS know what a waitress or waiter makes per hour? About $2.50 no health ins. And BLACKS are the WORST tippers on SUNDAY! My neice waited tables while going to college. Often good wait staff have to pool their tips with less skilled wait staff, and split them with the bus boy who gets paid Min wage.
When I waited tables @ Howard Johnson's we got a whole $1.50 per hr back in the late 60's. Not much of a pay raise in 50+ yrs.
IF YOU DON't want to pay for the services you receive then go HOME and EAT!
I tip the girl who does my hair 20% in cash, because I know she does not make a lot per hour. And it is worth it as I get the service I WANT and I pay for from her. Not the crap hair cuts from these quick cut places that have the lowest class of hair cutters.
My discussion is that employers should pay the employees, I should pay what I owe and that is it. If the employee is unhappy with their pay they can and should seek employment elsewhere, if this happens enough the employers will pay more because nobody wants those jobs.
Automatic tipping is not tipping. I can’t help but think there is a tax dodge involved for the restaurant or something.
I will not disagree with what you say, but the matter of how so-called Christians behave before the world, is, imo, worthy of discussion. You surely could start a thread on what you consider more important.
Oh dear. Let’s don’t even go there...
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