Pastor Only Tips God, Prevelant Racism In Restaurants as a whole.

[LSN80]

Thanks for this, Tdigs. This is the first I've seen or posted regarding it, but it actually leads to a broader topic.

Also, LSN, was it you that originally posted something about the following article or did this thread just remind of reading it somewhere else?

Applebee's Waitress Fired For God Tip Receipt

This is the first I've heard of this nonsense with the pastor, to be honest. I view it as this: It's one of those situations where "One Bad Apple Spoils the Whole Bunch"with regards to the attitude of the pastor. The Pastor here gives his religion a bad name, and is kind of exposed on Reddit. Irregardless, the waitress rightfully lost her job.

But if I were Applebees, I would have done the same. Regardless of how the waitress feels about what was written the check, there's still professionalism and pride in one's work. "She's just a waitress" isn't an excuse, as exposing the name of the person and the last four of their Credit Card Number is borderline illegal.

Nonetheless, what a dick move by the pastor to:

1. Cross out the 18% tip that's generally explicitly stated for a party of 8, and write in zero instead.

2. Call the restaurant and demand she be fired.

He must have missed the part in Bible school or his Daily Devotional about "Let He Who Is Without Sin Cast The First Stone." What she did was wrong, and certainly deserving of some kind of discipline. But he's a hypocrite of the highest order.

TDigs', the article you may be thinking of that I posted was the "Lady Cink Eyes" one from Papa Johns. I did post that article almost 2 years ago.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/...eipt-to-call-woman-racial-slur_n_1191434.html

Ladies and Gents, what we have here is from January 2012. Minhee Cho went to Papa Johns and ordered pizza to go, and the employee who rung her up forgot to get her name. Because she was Asian, he put an identifying feature of her on her receipt instead. Check out the receipt , under name, then join me on the other side.

When Cho posted the image on her Twitter account, it was quickly acknowledged by the store manager, who used just her first name, Marjani, in issuing the following statement to the Huffington Post.

"I apologize. I'm sure they didn't mean any harm but some people will take it offensive. I have an idea of who it was, based on the time of the receipt. This kind of behavior will result in disciplinary action, but I am not at liberty at this time to discuss further what that may be."

But Papa John's, on its corporate Facebook page, both acknowledged the incident and the disciplinary steps they were taking:

"We were extremely concerned to learn of the receipt issue in New York. This act goes against our company values, and we've confirmed with the franchisee that this matter was addressed immediately and that the employee is being terminated. We are truly sorry for this customer's experience."

I once worked as a waiter for small restaurant when I was in college and graduate school, working Friday and Saturday evenings. The rest of the week, based upon my schedule availability, I worked at Olive Garden.

Bad habits from Olive Garden carried over to the smaller restaurant, as I was careless with condiment bottles and plates. Olive Garden had a bundle, the smaller restaurant did not. One night, I was doing my cleanup, and I accidentally knocked over a bottle of A1 sauce. The owner, a white, 40ish Italian woman who worked with us in the evenings, immediately said the following to me:

"What do I look like, your ******? I'm not following you around and picking up after you like one."

When I responded that I didn't appreciate her usage of the word, period, she promptly fired me for insubordination. I didn't need the money, but I took her for unemployment as a result. I have little tolerance for racism, and if speaking up about it gets me fired, so be it.

Thoughts, ladies and gents? Did 1. I, who stood up to my boss for her referencing the word "******" as a slur, 2. The Applebees Employee who shared the Pastors Tip on Reddit, and 3. The Papa Johns Employee who wrote Lady Chink Eyes, deserve to be fired?

What have been your own experiences with racism or discrimination as a whole?

From my experience of three years in food service when I was in school, I found that culture more then any other to be a breeding ground for racism and intolerance. When a waitress got an order wrong, she was a "dumb bitch" who was only waitressing because she was "too stupid" to do anything else.

When a customer was nasty, or tipped poorly, it was often inferred that they were so because of their race, age, or way that they dressed/looked.

For those who haven't, see the movie Waiting with Ryan Reynolds, Justin Long, and Anna Faris. Not because it's good, it's essentially a piece of crap. But it also accurately depicts the behavior of both restaurant employees and customers 90% of the time.

Any thoughts on all of this is appreciated.

 

[klunderbunker]

I'm going to focus just on the pastor incident.

This is similar to things I've heard of with churchgoers going to a restaurant after church and leaving a tract (piece of paper saying give your heart to Jesus or something like that) instead of a tip. The Bible is full of verses talking about helping the poor and the needy and being charitable. Leaving $3 on the table isn't going to break anyone and if I were that server, the last thing I'd want to do is go to church if I would have to deal with people this selfish. If you can't afford a tip on a bill that big, odds are you shouldn't be buying food for that many people. Also I guess we're supposed to ignore the parts of the Bible talking about how we're just stewards of God's wealth here on earth, meaning it's not tipping God but giving him more of what is his.

Now for a related change of pace, here's a story of what a pastor with a sense of humor can do for a waitress. My pastor used to be national youth director for the Assemblies of God church, meaning he was constantly on trips around the country with his wife. One night they got out of church and went to have dinner at a crowded restaurant. It turned out that their waitress was relatively new at her job but was clearly trying as hard as she could and was a very nice person. She did slip up a few times but overall it was a pleasant experience. At the end of the meal, the pastor looked a bit annoyed and asked to speak to the manager regarding the waitress' performance and asked that the waitress be present for what he was going to say. The manager glared at her a bit but my pastor said that the girl had worked harder than he had ever seen a waitress work and made their experience much better and they would recommend the restaurant to all of their friends as a result of her service alone.

That's the kind of giving heart that Christians are supposed to show: being kind and thinking of others instead of themselves. Unfortunately people don't hear stories like the second one often enough and instead Christians are branded as horrible people like the pastor in the article who is using God as a way to avoid tipping what was presumably a competent waitress. The guy who left the note about only tipping God gives Christians a bad name and that's a sad situation.

 

[HBsam31]

This thread covers a lot of ground so I am going to start with the Lady Chinky Eyes check. Whoever did that should have been fired right away. As soon as the customer called to complain they should have found out who did it and canned them. I have seen bartenders do things like that to identify customers. It can ruin your business if you were caught doing that by the wrong person. Not good at all for the restaurant.

On to your situation LSN (I can't get used to the new name). I am a believer in sticking up for what you believe and for yourself, but in the restaurant business you will get fired for that more times that not. I worked for an Italian woman just as you described and she was the same way. Hell, my Italian grandma was the same way only toned down a little bit. The bottom line is a person running a business should not let their personal bias show in the work place. You are right that the restaurant business is a breeding ground for this kind of stuff though. I had a general manager tell me that "African Americans" were always the worst tippers. He didn't use the term African American either. This guy ran the whole place, and had black guys working under him. Tell me they were getting a fair shot to succeed there with this manager's attitude. None of the instances that I have came across have been worth my job though. I have a wife and child here. I find myself biting my tongue more and more as it relates to these types of happenings at the job. You were right in what you did though I am not surprised you were fired.

As far as the priest goes, he just falls into the cheap asshole category. There really are a lot of those. They will look for any reason in the world not to tip. I know people that won't tip if their water wasn't filled a certain number of times or their coffee wasn't kept hot or what ever reason they come up with that day. It just happens that this guy had God to use as an excuse. Seems like a lowlife to me. Servers make 2.83 an hour in most cases and need the tips to survive. I am of the opinion if you are going out to eat you should also have enough money and the good sense to tip your server. I feel like this post went a bit long, but this is stuff I see and deal with everyday as a chef, and I will tell you this much I will try to keep my daughter as far away from this business as possible.

 

[LSN80]

This is similar to things I've heard of with churchgoers going to a restaurant after church and leaving a tract (piece of paper saying give your heart to Jesus or something like that) instead of a tip. The Bible is full of verses talking about helping the poor and the needy and being charitable. Leaving $3 on the table isn't going to break anyone and if I were that server, the last thing I'd want to do is go to church if I would have to deal with people this selfish.

Here's the thing I've always felt when people leave a tract instead of a tip. Personally, I've never experienced it firsthand, but I have received a tract along with a tip. However, I've known perfectly competent waiters/waitresses who have received tracts instead of tips, and it seems to me the person is saying "Why should you worry about money? Your mortal soul is on the line!"

Sadly, some of these people working at restaurants are doing it to make the rent. They have kids they need to feed, some of them single mothers. They've taken a second job to put food on the table. They do a good job, and for their efforts....They get a tract. And what I've generally seen is that person saying "F*** You and your God, I've got mouths to feed. If your God encourages you to be so greedy, I don't want anything to do with him."

And perhaps these people who leave tracts do so with a good heart. The problem is, no waiter/waitress is ever going to see it that way, even if they're working there just to buy a new pair of kicks or the newest video game. I always wished restaurants would do one of two things: Put an automatic gratuity(15-18%) on the check(like what was on the Pastor's check as he was likely in a party of 8 or more) or somehow let it be known to the people who eat at the restaurant that servers make $2.83 an hour, and once the taxes from their tips are taken out, they make around $1.00 an hour.

If you can't afford a tip on a bill that big, odds are you shouldn't be buying food for that many people. Also I guess we're supposed to ignore the parts of the Bible talking about how we're just stewards of God's wealth here on earth, meaning it's not tipping God but giving him more of what is his.

To further this, what 'lesson' do you think think this pastor was teaching this girl? "Love thy neighbor as thyself?" "Give unto others, and it shall be given unto you?" This Pastor may preach the Bible, but in this instance, he surely failed to follow it.
It's not a scripture, but there's a quote that the Pastor of the church I attend on occasion uses, and I love it. It's from St Francis of Assisi:

Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.

I've had the pleasure of having lunch with he and his family more then once, as his son is my age and remains a good friend to this day. His philosophy on tipping is this: He leaves 20% if the service is bad or mediocre, and he leaves 25% if the service is great, plus he asks to speak to the manager, or leaves a note for the manager that praises the waiter/waitress. He also leaves a business card with the church's name, address, and phone number on it. Why does he tip so well?

It's easyto find reasons not to tip people well, or at all. But if he tips the server well who doesn't even provide good service, and leaves a tract, it sends a message about unconditional acceptance and such.

I'm not sure about you, but even if I didn't go to church now and then, I would be intrigued enough about the God this Pastor serves, and I would likely attend at least one service at his church to hear more.

my pastor said that the girl had worked harder than he had ever seen a waitress work and made their experience much better and they would recommend the restaurant to all of their friends as a result of her service alone.

I absolutely love this, and I'm guessing that the glare was gone from the manager's face pretty fast. And once again: Who do you think is going to try church: The girl who was rebuked for adding the natural gratuity for parties of 8 or more, or the girl who was praised despite giving 'shaky' service.

I'd love to go to a service the first Pastor, the one who left no tip and got the girl fired, preaches at. Because my guess is he's saying all the right things, but when it comes down to it, he's shown in at least one area that he doesn't live it.

Unfortunately people don't hear stories like the second one often enough and instead Christians are branded as horrible people like the pastor in the article who is using God as a way to avoid tipping what was presumably a competent waitress. The guy who left the note about only tipping God gives Christians a bad name and that's a sad situation.

It's the way of the NewsWorld, to be honest. The story of the girl who posted the picture of the tip went viral, but the one with your pastor would be deemed "uninteresting" by social media. Gossip and re-tweets and Facebook sharing are sure to abound from the first, but we as people on the whole don't care as much about the second, the person who does the right thing.

Fortunately, if the second story worked on or touched at least one person's heart, that's more important than the 1500 people who may pass around and gossip about the first.

This thread covers a lot of ground so I am going to start with the Lady Chinky Eyes check. Whoever did that should have been fired right away. As soon as the customer called to complain they should have found out who did it and canned them. I have seen bartenders do things like that to identify customers. It can ruin your business if you were caught doing that by the wrong person. Not good at all for the restaurant.

More then anything, I think Papa John's was fortunate the woman only tweeted it, and din't threaten or even ask for anything from the company. And once corporate saw the tweet, they took swift action in this issuing of their statement, which included the termination of that employee. Handled well, on both sides.

On to your situation LSN (I can't get used to the new name). I am a believer in sticking up for what you believe and for yourself, but in the restaurant business you will get fired for that more times that not. . The bottom line is a person running a business should not let their personal bias show in the work place. You are right that the restaurant business is a breeding ground for this kind of stuff though. I had a general manager tell me that "African Americans" were always the worst tippers. He didn't use the term African American either. This guy ran the whole place, and had black guys working under him. Tell me they were getting a fair shot to succeed there with this manager's attitude.

And that's the thing that always got me about doing restaurant work. As a server, especially, you work as the communication between the cooks, other servers, and the customers. In that group, you're going to experience a wide variety of people. If you come at it with the idea that "Black people are the worst tippers", how do you think that's going to come off in your attitude towards them? I can't see it going well, to be honest, and it's sad to me that someone with such a race bias rose to the position of GM.

None of the instances that I have came across have been worth my job though. I have a wife and child here. I find myself biting my tongue more and more as it relates to these types of happenings at the job. You were right in what you did though I am not surprised you were fired.

And I can understand that. I was 23 at the time, so 3 and a half years from getting married. Now? I probably would have cleaned up the steak sauce bottle and let it go. But at the time, I had a second job in my back pocket as well, and I only worked at the little Italian place Friday & Saturday nights. I knew I could pick up those hours at the restaurant I worked more frequently at if needed, and I was able to take the woman for unemployment as well.

She tried to block it, and requested a hearing. We were allowed to ask each other questions, and the only I asked was, "Did you fire me right after I told you I was offended for a racial slur you just used, and then swore at me when I asked you not to use it in any form when discussing my work performance?"

She tried to stutter her way through, and that she had made a terrible mistake in saying that, but I had pushed her to her last nerve when I broke the bottle "on purpose". I asked how she could tell I did it "on purpose" when she was neither in the room nor saw it happen, and had to ask who did it to find out it was me. Her response was that "Once she found out it was me, she knew it was on purpose."

Do I even need to note that I won my case?

As far as the priest goes, he just falls into the cheap asshole category. There really are a lot of those. They will look for any reason in the world not to tip. I know people that won't tip if their water wasn't filled a certain number of times or their coffee wasn't kept hot or what ever reason they come up with that day. It just happens that this guy had God to use as an excuse.

Which makes it even worse, doesn't it? Don't we, society as a whole, hold people in the lowest regard that do terrible things in the name of their God? Why should this be any different?

Seems like a lowlife to me. Servers make 2.83 an hour in most cases and need the tips to survive. I am of the opinion if you are going out to eat you should also have enough money and the good sense to tip your server. I feel like this post went a bit long, but this is stuff I see and deal with everyday as a chef, and I will tell you this much I will try to keep my daughter as far away from this business as possible.

And I'll fiercely keep my family away from it as well. There was a time I enjoyed it, and made very good money when it became just a Fri-Sat night job, while working the rest of the week as a therapist. I truly enjoyed it at that point, and did it as long as I could until it would have affected my doctoral work. But when I did it full-time? I saw and heard so many things that simply made me hate it, badly. Whether it was people that came in, managers with attitudes, or servers having a bad day, I just felt surrounded with negativity, and resented it quite a bit.