'Diner Thinks That Saying He’s A Pastor Allows Him To Stiff Waiter On Tip'

Diner Thinks That Saying He’s A Pastor Allows Him To Stiff Waiter On Tip
January 29, 2013 By Chris Morran




UPDATE: The waitress who posted the receipt online has since been fired by her employer.

———
Another week, another person making headlines for scribbling on a restaurant receipt. This time, it’s a customer who seems to think that claiming he’s a pastor absolves him of having to leave a tip.

The photo, which began tearing up the Atheism page on Reddit not long after it was posted a few hours ago, shows a receipt for $34.93 with an automatic gratuity of 18% ($6.29) included.

But the diner has scratched out that tip, writing instead that “I Give God 10% Why do you Get 18″ and adding the word “pastor” above his signature. And instead of leaving a tip that was merely less than the 18%, just wrote a big “0.”

In the comments on the post, the person who submitted the image explains that this was just a portion of the total bill for a table of 20, which means the 18% tip is automatically put on the bill.

“Parties up to eight at my work may tip whatever they’d like,” explains the server, “but larger parties receive an automatic gratuity. It’s in the computer, it’s not something I do.” The auto-gratuity policy is apparently also listed on the menu.

In total, the group ran up more than $200 worth of food before tax and tip, says the server. As for whether or not the zero-dollar tip reflect the quality of service, the waiter writes, “They had no problem with my service, and told me I was great. They just didn’t want to pay when the time came.”

We understand why someone might be upset about an automatic gratuity. But we can’t recall any religious texts that claim the best way to combat an unpleasant situation is to leave a passive-aggressive note while simultaneously penalizing someone who did not create the problem.

Hyacinth Girl wrote:...Basically "Pastor", you live in the world, so pay your damn taxes and tips, and honor God by doing so. You can still play by the rules of man and keep your focus on God, but I don't think I'd want this guy as my spiritual leader.

Alan Smithee wrote:I wonder if he's also got a placard so he thinks he doesn't have to put money in the parking meter? Did the waitress post anything more than that picture to get fired? It doesn't show the customer's name or name of the restaurant.

CeCe wrote:

The original picture did show the name as well as the number that identified the restaurant. Preacher called up raising hell demanding everyone be fired including the managers. Preacher wanted it to be seen. Well it got seen lmao Hope it is a humiliating experience & that this waitress found another job.

Alan Smithee wrote:

I understand the woman's frustration and urge to retaliate in some way but anyone who doesn't live in a cave (at least without internet access) and doesn't expect to face some kind of consequence for anything controversial connected to their job, is a fool. If it had just been a picture of the cheap bastard's note without any link to the restaurant or giving the cheap bastard's name, it shouldn't have been an issue. I might have found out where his church was and sat through one of his sermons to be able to leave my own note in the collection basket.

CeCe wrote:

I agree the waitress should have taken better care to conceal the name & the restaurant. The pastor shouldn't have written the note & expected that to be the end of it. This certainly isn't the first time stupid things on receipts have been put online. The picture should have been cropped or the identifying info blacked out. But I will admit to being apathetic to the pastor's plight. The cheapskate not wanting to tip is bad enough. The drama llama writing on the receipt was unnecessary.

Pastor Apologizes For Snide Remark On Meal Receipt
St. Louis woman says server was fired for online leak

JANUARY 31--The St. Louis pastor responsible for the credit card receipt heard ‘round the Internet termed her snide scribblings a “lapse in my character and judgment,” adding that the Applebee’s employee who posted the receipt online was fired yesterday after she lodged a complaint with restaurant managers.

In a TSG interview, Alois Bell said that the online firestorm created by the receipt has left her stunned. “My heart is really broken,” said the 37-year-old Bell. “I’ve brought embarrassment to my church and ministry.”

The Applebee’s receipt, which was posted earlier this week to Reddit, includes Bell’s handwritten notations referring to an 18 percent tip added to the bill (for groups larger than six). “I give God 10% why do you get 18,” wrote Bell, who scratched out the tip and added a zero in its place. She also wrote the word “Pastor” above her signature.

The January 25 meal came after an evening service at the Truth in the Word Deliverance Ministries church, said Bell, who added that five adults and five children were in the group that dined at Applebee’s (a traditional post-service destination for church members). The subsequent bill was divided up amongst the parties.

Bell, seen above, said her notation on the receipt was a “lapse in judgment that has been blown out of proportion.” Despite scratching out the tip added to the bill, Bell claimed that she left a $6 tip in cash, adding that she subsequently discovered the 18 percent gratuity had been charged to her credit card.

Bell said she learned yesterday that a copy of the receipt was online when a friend called to say she was “all over Yahoo. You went viral!” In response, she called the Applebee’s to complain about the dissemination of her receipt, which includes her easy-to-read signature.

In a follow-up conversation with an Applebee’s manager, Bell said she was told that the waitress was immediately terminated.

According to The Consumerist, the receipt was not uploaded to Reddit by the Applebee’s worker who waited on Bell’s party. Instead, the server showed it to waitress Chelsea Welch, who photographed the receipt and later shared it online. Pictured below, Welch told The Consumerist she was fired yesterday. In a statement, Applebee’s spokesperson Dan Smith reported that, “Our franchisee has apologized to the Guest” for violating the patron’s “right to privacy.” The individual responsible for the leak “is no longer employed by the franchise,” Smith added.

A mother of three, Bell heads a 15-member church that rents a storefront space. Bell said she has a separate full-time job--which she declined to describe--and tithes 10 percent of her earnings to the church.

In addition to her fledgling ministry, Bell has authored three slim books--covering topics like fasting, prayer, and religious teaching--that are available for purchase through an online vanity press. One 28-page volume examines spiritual nourishment, complete with references to candy and junk food. The $10 paperback is titled "Watch the Hand that Feeds You."

According to her biography, Bell “gave her life to Christ in 1997 while she was pregnant and homeless with her youngest son.” Living at the time in a Catholic homeless shelter, Bell recalled that she was laying in her bed one afternoon when “the Lord touched her heart and she invited him in.”

In the below video, Bell is seen preaching last year at her church. (1 page)

Alan Smithee wrote:

So at least it wasn't the waitress who got stiffed that was fired. It also shows the said state of Internet "journalism". But it still was a mighty BIG "lapse in judgement".

CeCe wrote:

They seem to be more interested in "side boobs" "nip slips" & other assorted wardrobe malfunctions...

Alan Smithee wrote:

Well, let's not be too hasty!

Shale wrote:One of my Atheist friends on FB posted this.