Pastor Refuses to Pay Tip Because She Gives to God

[tropaka]

Hmm, I'm surprised. In Canada, minimum wage laws apply to all occupations - our servers make minimum wage plus tips.

Actually servers' wages vary by Province - in Ontario servers' wage is the lowest of the minimum wages

https://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es ... inwage.php

oh, and this woman/pastor's an asshole.

[Mela99]

What a shitty human being. "I was a douche and you called me on it, so NO JOB FOR YOU!"

[lilwriter85]

That is horrible. What a good example for Christ. :roll: I hope her church thinks about getting rid of her.

I get the strong feeling that her church probably won't get rid of her. The church has very small membership member. Fifteen members is kind of small compared to the sixty or eighty people who attend PP and Zsu's church. I have noticed that with some smaller churches, pastors manage to have a lot of control. Her church members might be upset with this and the publicity, but I can see them letting the whole thing go.

[Coconut Flan]

With that small of a church they probably all do agree with her a la PP. In my imagination I'm going to see all the non-family members walking and the church folding. That's the minimum that she deserves.

[NurseNell]

I'm also hating some of the comments on that. Someone complaining that if it's a percentage, why should they have to pay the waiter extra just because they ordered a $300 bottle of wine instead of a $50 bottle.

Seriously??

If you can afford a $300 bottle of wine, you can afford a fucking tip asswipe.

I hate that American wait staff are paid well under minimum wage. Totally a scam. But since it is what it is, if you can't afford the tip - don't go out to eat!

I bet some of these people don't realize how much spit they consume due to their attitudes. I am always pleasant and generous with anyone who prepares or brings my food.

The 18% had nothing to do with what they ordered. They could have each ordered the cheapest item on the menu. There were 20 of them at the table. That restaurant has a policy, like many others, that groups of 8 or more pay %18%. It's a lot harder waiting on 20 people at one time and table than 20 people in tables of 2 to 5 coming in at staggering times.

[Buzzard]

I cant remember the last time I went to Applebees, but I can guarantee that whenever it was WAS the last time. How is it "violating privacy" to post something that was written on a piece of paper that is meant to be transmitted to a credit card company and maintained as a part of a corporate record?

The "pastor" is the dumbass, not the waitress. I dont give a shit that she didnt "intend" to have her fired, she should take the opportunity of the media attention and demand that she get her job back.

[Rosa]

how is tithing to your own storefront church any different than spending 10% of your income on cover charges to go do open-mic poetry, or covering your own gas money to go into the city and preach on the street corner. Or spending 10% of what you make on yarn because you like to knot? 16 members is a group of friends having bible study, not a church.

[BravaAmica]

I cant remember the last time I went to Applebees, but I can guarantee that whenever it was WAS the last time. How is it "violating privacy" to post something that was written on a piece of paper that is meant to be transmitted to a credit card company and maintained as a part of a corporate record?

The "pastor" is the dumbass, not the waitress. I dont give a shit that she didnt "intend" to have her fired, she should take the opportunity of the media attention and demand that she get her job back.

I agree, the pastor is an idiot. And she will probably not ask Applebee's to relent and hire the server back since she only called Applebee's to complain about what happened, not to apologize to the server. It'll be interesting to see if the pastor's church fires her or not.

However, the server erred as well. She embarrassed a customer publicly. How can she expect to keep her job, as someone who provides customer service, if she is known to publicly embarrass customers she doesn't like? I think she should have blurred out the signature and the merchant ID # on the photo of the check before posting it on reddit. Then she would still have a job. (It's not that I disagree with what she did- in fact, I applaud it. But have some sense, cover your ass and make sure nothing can be traced back to you if you're going to post something on reddit.)

[Buzzard]

Per Dlisted her "godly" behavior lapse wasnt just limited to her whining about being outed:

The server claims that Pastor Bell and her party of 20 didn't have a problem with the service and didn't complain once during the entire meal. But when it came time to get the check, Pastor Bell tried to work around the whole "18% tip for parties of 8 or more" rule by asking for separate checks even though she's the one who was going to pay each check. It's a shady, shady move, but my abuelita approves! Pastor Bell's shady move didn't work and an 18% gratuity was still added to each check.

http://www.dlisted.com/2013/01/31/open- ... astor-bell

Really glad that she signed "pastor" to her credit card receipt. I wonder if thats her legal name listed on her credit card as well.

[rewoodley]

While I may not agree with an automatic tip... there was no reason to not tip... so what she was stuck with an automatic tip then just don't' give any "extra" tip, then don't go back ... easy in my mind.

[salex]

With that small of a church they probably all do agree with her a la PP. In my imagination I'm going to see all the non-family members walking and the church folding. That's the minimum that she deserves.

The little churches like this are basically "owned and operated" by the ministers, in my observation, and if she is taking out what appears to be the whole church and paying for it, she may not lose anyone--or she may play the martyr card and come out ok. Even Jimmy Swaggart ministries still has a tv show and a following of some kind--as does Jim Bakker and a lot of others who stepped on their own d, i mean tail.

[Jana814]

I feel so bad that this girl was fired!! That pastor should get off her high horse & paid the gratuity. Most people have to relize that id they bring more then the average # of people on a party they should have to pay more.

[Guest Anonymous]

Hell hath no fury like a pastor scorned by the Internet.

After a copy of her Applebee's receipt began circulating online yesterday, Pastor Alois Bell of the St. Louis-based Truth in the World Deliverance Ministries phoned up the restaurant and asked to have everyone involved fired.

"My heart is really broken," the 37-year-old told The Smoking Gun. "I've brought embarrassment to my church and ministry."

Last Friday, after evening services, Bell and her congregation headed to Applebee's for dinner as they did on many nights.

But a disagreement over the establishment's auto-gratuity of 18% for parties of 8 or more would soon propel the pastor to the heights of Internet infamy.

"I give God 10% why do you get 18," Bell wrote on her credit card receipt after crossing out the tip amount she was obliged to pay.

A server working at the restaurant uploaded a scan of the receipt to Reddit, and the rest is viral history.

Though Bell was denied her request to have a brand new staff awaiting her the next time she dined at her neighborhood Applebee's, she did succeed in getting at least one person fired: The waitress who posted the receipt online.

"I originally posted the note as a lighthearted joke," Chelsea Welch told Consumerist. "I thought the note was insulting, but it was also comical. I posted it to Reddit because I thought other users would find it entertaining."

They did — but Bell did not.

The pastor called it a "lapse in my character and judgment" that "has been blown out of proportion." Somewhat an ironic statement coming from someone who ordered Applebee's to fire everyone who came into contact with the receipt.

For her part, Welch did what she could to avoid having Bell's identity exposed, asking Reddit to stop posting the personal information of potential culprits.

In fact, Welch still isn't sure what exactly she did wrong.

"I didn't break any specific guidelines in the company handbook - I checked," said Welch, who had no complaints about her service prior to this week. "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."

Neither will Reddit, which is no longer being kept at bay by Welch, and has already put out a call to "grab them pitchforks."

Nice. Your heart should be broken for the waitress who no longer has a job, Pastor Alois Bell. :?

[GolightlyGrrl]

Wow, it sucks that the waitress lost her job. I hope she finds a new one soon. I got an Applebee's gift card a while back and I will use it, but after I'm done with the card I won't be going back to Applebee's any time soon.

And "Pastor" Alois Bell is a trifling bitch.

[Trynn]

Urgh, that is the most unChristlike behavior I have ever seen. What ever happened to, "render unto Ceaser that which is Ceasar's and unto God that which is God's?" This verse doesn't just apply to taxes, folks. Insert "Person to whom you owe payment" in place of Ceasar (In this case, applebeas) and it's the same thing.

I tithe as well, but guess what? I STILL pay my effin bills when I go to a restaurant. Including a tip, a large one, usually.

(All this is ignoring that Jesus was a huge fan of generosity, especially to those who have very little, and it's well known that waitresses don't make a whole lot of money.)

This person is a moron!

[defrauding]

I loved the person who said "I pull aside the waiter and ask if he will sacrifice his child. If he says yes, he gets 12.5% if no a tract" Yeah, that would make me want to wait on him. Not.

The comment was satire. Here's the full comment:

I am very religious. When I am tipping, especially at a high end place like Applebee's or Chili's, I want to know that my money is going to something good, something that will further God's will on this planet. An easy way to do this, for those that are interested, is to pull aside the waiter/waitress and ask the following question: "God has told me that he wants you to sacrifice your child for him. In fact, I have a dagger right here that you can use. Will you do this?" If they answer yes, I tip 12.5%. If no, I just leave a few Bible passages, which I suspect will serve them much better than a few dollars.

Then again, it does sound like something Fish with Trish would do. (She would also add "Uh-oh!" to the receipt.)

[gardenvarietycitizen]

I read about this in the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... needs-tips

Servers in the US are paid under a system allowing for the "tip credit" which basically means, as others have said, that they don't need to be paid "regular" minimum wage because a certain amount of tips is assumed added onto that.

The National Restaurant Association in the US is one of the biggest opponents to the minimum wage in general, but they also constantly want the allowable "tip credit" raised. Lately they're upset that they have to fully inform servers about the tip credit before they can legally take it. The federal tip credit is now 70% percent, but there are lobbyists who want it raised to 100%. That would mean servers working ONLY for tips.

A few years ago I worked on some local campaigns about wages (not of servers though) and extremely often, if you do research and find some very anti-minimum-wage information out there, the National Restaurant Association is somehow involved.

[snarkyjan]

I wonder if "Pastor" Bell realizes that every server she gets, anywhere, will probably spit in her food.

[Buzzard]

I wonder if "Pastor" Bell realizes that every server she gets, anywhere, will probably spit in her food.

Except a chik fil a. She's probably quite welcome there.

[BravaAmica]

The comment was satire. Here's the full comment:

Then again, it does sound like something Fish with Trish would do. (She would also add "Uh-oh!" to the receipt.)

Um, Applebee's or Chili's is "high end"?! :lol: I'll bet he took his prom date to The Olive Garden or maybe Outback.

[ceg045]

Um, Applebee's or Chili's is "high end"?! :lol: I'll bet he took his prom date to The Olive Garden or maybe Outback.

As defrauding pointed out, pretty sure the child sacrifice bit means the commenter is kidding.

[dora]

We don't tip here except for excellent service, but we have a reasonable enough minimum wage. Wait staff would earn about $US9 an hour upwards.

However even as a foreigner I know that when I go to the US tipping is expected because they have a different system and these people rely on tips. You'd think Pastor Alois (what kind of name is that?) presumably being an American citizen would know and understand that.

[lilwriter85]

We don't tip here except for excellent service, but we have a reasonable enough minimum wage. Wait staff would earn about $US9 an hour upwards.

However even as a foreigner I know that when I go to the US tipping is expected because they have a different system and these people rely on tips. You'd think Pastor Alois (what kind of name is that?) presumably being an American citizen would know and understand that.

Here in the U.S., I've come across people who are anti-tipping. In some cases, people don't know that servers aren't making minimum wage. My high school boyfriend had a cousin who didn't know that until she applied for waitress job. I was a hostess and sometimes busser at a restaurant one summer. Around that time, my ex's cousin came home from college and was looking for summer job in our area. She asked me how much I was making at the placed I worked at and I told her minimum wage. She applied at another restaurant and was shocked that waitresses didn't make minimum wage.

[Izzybee]

Interestingly enough, from the table linked to on page 2 of this thread, Virginia restaurants don't have to pay anything if the amount of tips adds up to minimum wage. How insane.

Oh, and this woman? I hope she never gets a table in any restaurant in her hometown again.

[paganhomeschooler]

Wow, it sucks that the waitress lost her job. I hope she finds a new one soon. I got an Applebee's gift card a while back and I will use it, but after I'm done with the card I won't be going back to Applebee's any time soon.

And "Pastor" Alois Bell is a trifling bitch.

If it was me, I would tell them that when you go, too. I would tell them I'm using this card I received as a gift, but because of your corporation's actions, I will not be returning.