<p>I was under the impression the pastor paid the 18%, since AFIK it’s required and not up for debate, and wrote the note regarding any additional tip on top of that - but, I just now viewed a picture of the receipt and you’re right, it looks like the pastor crossed out the 18% line. Thanks for pointing that out.</p>
<p>The pastor shouldn’t have crossed out the 18% line and that seems equivalent to me to crossing out the bottom line bill (of only $34.93 apparently) and deciding to pay only $4 instead, which would be theft. </p>
<p>So I agree, the pastor was an idiot and might have even committed theft from the restaurant by not paying the 18% tip unless it was truly just ‘suggested’ and not required. Actually, if it was required it should be called a ‘charge’ rather than a ‘tip’ because a tip is by definition optional. I’ve never been to an Applebee’s and don’t know how they word this area.</p>
<p>Regardless of the idiot pastor, what I said about the waitress stands - what she did was rude and unprofessional and a potential (actual in this case) liability to her employer. She should have been disciplined in some way for it.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>The pastor’s party for whatever reason thought they could get around the mandatory 18% for a large party by splitting checks. Something which makes no logical sense to me as that policy was put into place by many restaurants to account for the greater work required to serve large parties and length of time the table in question is occupied. If anything, splitting checks actually adds to the wait staff’s workload. </p></li>
<li><p>When pastor found it didn’t work, she crossed the 18% out and wrote gratuitous and nasty comments about the tip in question. I am also aware than in some jurisdictions, the 18% mandatory gratuity can be legally canceled by the customer’s credit card companies because tipping isn’t mandatory so that 18% may not have been paid. On the other hand, the restaurant concerned reserves the right to not serve and even bar said cheap customer from the premises in the future. </p></li>
<li><p>There’s the issue that there may not have been a restaurant policy against such posting of receipts. On the other hand, the waitress would have been prudent to crop out/blur the signature line. </p></li>
<li><p>Tipping etiquette nowadays is 18-20%+ for good to great service, 15% is the absolute minimum for average-good service, and you only leave 10% or less if the service is abysmal. Heard a part of this is due to the change in tax rules on waitstaff tips sometime in the '80s which automatically tax on the first 10-15% of the tip. In short, if you tip less than 15%, the waitstaff may actually lose money in serving that particularly cheap customer. </p></li>
<li><p>If you can’t afford the tipping rates or do not feel you should be leaving such tips for good-great service, most folks IME would say you have the option of eating at the bar if available, getting the food to go, or going to self-serve/fast food type restaurant. </p></li>
<li><p>Complaining about tips in a nation where employers of waitstaff are exempt from minimum wage regulations gives others the impression that the complainer is cheap and may have serious issues with character issues/empathy. Something many folks…especially women use to screen new dates as they’ve mentioned in my social circle of friends.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>A little off topic but if I am out with people who are either rude to or stiff wait staff I do not go out with them again.</p>
<p>My wife and I had to speak to my in-laws once when they scolded a young man because they were not happy with how long it took him to bring us bread. We asked how they would like it is some old cranks spoke to their grand daughter the way they just spoke to him. They also know better than to be cheap with the wait staff on the tip. In most cases you are talking about $2-3 dollars at a place like Applebees to tip 20% rather than 10-15%.</p>
<p>If it’s the first time, most in my social circle including yours truly would assume ignorance and inform those who are too cheap or stiff the waitstaff for no apparently obvious good reason*. </p>
<p>If it happened again, however, then they won’t be invited to go out with us again. </p>
<ul>
<li>Granted, I had a slight disagreement on this as if the service is extremely slow/abysmal AND is clearly the fault of the waitstaff, I do favor leaving no tip as a valid option. Of course, if you do that, it should immediately be followed up by a complaint to the restaurant manager about the waiter/waitress’ poor service so they have a chance to correct it for the future and maybe have them try to make it up to you.</li>
</ul>
<p>Applebees states that they do have a social media policy and it includes privacy issues. Employees have to get VP-level permission to post photographs, video or audio of employees, customers, suppliers, agents or competitors. The policy doesn’t specifically mention receipts. A violation can result in disciplinary action up to termination.</p>
<p>Employees must honor the privacy rights of APPLEBEE’s and its employees by seeking permission before writing about or displaying internal APPLEBEE’S happenings that might be
considered to be a breach of privacy and confidentiality. This shall include, but not be limited to, posting of photographs, video, or audio of APPLEBEE’S employees or its customers,
suppliers, agents or competitors, without first obtaining written approval from the Vice President of Operations.“Employees must honor the privacy rights of APPLEBEE’s and its employees by seeking permission before writing about or displaying internal APPLEBEE’S happenings that might be
considered to be a breach of privacy and confidentiality. This shall include, but not be limited to, posting of photographs, video, or audio of APPLEBEE’S employees or its customers,
suppliers, agents or competitors, without first obtaining written approval from the Vice President of Operations."</p>
<p>The policy goes on to specify: Employees who violate this policy will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment. </p>
<hr>
<p>This was posted on their Facebook page though I added the end-quote. Their Facebook page used the opening quote but it ran into the second part which clearly wasn’t a quote. Their actual Facebook post is a bit of a mess.</p>
<p>I am happy this parsimonious, sanctimonious so called pastor has been outed. And I wish someone would educate her about the fact that a tip is a wage for service and not charity. Sheesh.</p>
<p>My H and I recently went on vacation. Most of the places we went (big tourist destination) added 18% gratuity to our bill. My H always added extra to make the tip 20%. So yes some people do add extra when there is an automatic gratuity. Our kids worked for tips and all of us are very aware to tip our servers well. </p>
<p>The person who did post the receipt probably should have been fired. But I suspect that with the publicity they should easily get another job. There weren’t a CEO making millions.</p>
<p>And the pastor deserved any publicity they got. So rude and unchristian.</p>
<p>The waitress who served the pastor was NOT fired; in fact, she wasn’t punished in any way. Another waitress, who didn’t wait on the pastor at all, posted the receipt, and was fired.</p>
<p>The waitress should have been punished in some way, because she did bring disrespect to a customer. The fact that she deserved to be dissed is not relevant; it was unprofessionial of the waitress, and Applebees does not want to be known as a place where customers get mistreated.</p>
<p>The PASTOR should be fired by her congregation. This said by a pastor who always tips 20% on the rare times I go to a table-service restaurant.</p>
<p>In my state Applebee’s servers get paid $2.33 an hr, and hosts get $4.50 an hour. I know this because I almost accepted an offer to work as a host when I was looking for a first job. I ended up working at a McD because of the pay difference. The servers and bartenders had to pool their tips together and at the end of the night it was divided between the servers, bartenders, and hosts.</p>
<p>After I found this out I always tip 20% and more if I thought they did a great job. </p>
<p>Well, I do agree the signature should have at least been blurred, or cropped out of the picture. I wouldn’t have left a message like that, but if I tipped less because of bad service I would not want my signature to be seen. I’ve seen people try to get out of the 18% before, and I’ve always thought it was so wrong. As other posters have said, if you cannot afford to tip don’t go out.</p>
<p>I feel for the waitress because I dealt with food service before, it can get ugly quick. One time when a manager wasn’t available right away I dealt with a 50 yr old man swearing at my co worker who was 16. I’ve shared stories over social media but I would not have exposed the customer.</p>
<p>When this story was first published, the article I read said that the pastor claimed that she left a cash tip but refused to accept the 18% automatic tip that was placed on her bill. Don’t know if it’s true or not, though.</p>
<p>“The waitress should have been punished in some way, because she did bring disrespect to a customer. The fact that she deserved to be dissed is not relevant; it was unprofessionial of the waitress, and Applebees does not want to be known as a place where customers get mistreated.”</p>
<p>The waitress who served the pastor was not punished.</p>
<p>The pastor deserves our derision. Her behavior is mind boggling. She’s belittling and stiffing someone because her job – a position I assume she chose and pursued in college – pays her less percentage wise than a waitress. Classy.</p>
<p>Agentninetynine, I don’t think this “pastor” ever attended a seminary, divinity school, or college. She claims to have had a religious experience while lying in bed --she says “laying”–in a homeless shelter. She is associated with something called “Jabez Ministries.”</p>
<p>Consolation—agree. Saw the pastor interviewed on the nightly news and she did not strike me as a well-educated person. Got the same impression, that she may be a self-proclaimed “pastor”.</p>