Applebee’s fires waitress who posted receipt from pastor complaining about auto-tip

Steely Dan

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http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/applebees-waitress-fired-pastor-receipt-193820748.html

Applebee’s fires waitress who posted receipt from pastor complaining about auto-tip
By Dylan Stableford, Yahoo! News | The Sideshow

...Chelsea Welch, the waitress, wrote in an email to Yahoo News that the pastor (who has since been identified as Alois Bell) told Welch's manager at the St. Louis-area Applebee's that the ensuing firestorm had "ruined" her reputation.

"I give God 10%," Bell wrote on the receipt, scratching out the automatic tip and scribbling in an emphatic "0" where the additional tip would be. "Why do you get 18?" (There were more than eight people in Bell's party, triggering the auto-tip.)...


This person should not be a minister. JMO. First, what about forgiveness. Second, giving a tip should be automatic for someone who preaches brotherly love. Third, what kind of :censored: writes a note like that. If you don't want to pay the tip tell the manager. Fourth, the waitress didn't bring you embarrassment and ruin your reputation. YOU brought embarrassment upon yourself and ruined your reputation.

So this minister writes that note and only cares because more than the people at Applebees saw it. I can't believe that the minister didn't ask Applebees to not fire the waitress. JMO
 
People that hard up for money shouldn't be eating out. That 18% is part of the servers pay for work.

The 10% the pastor gives to God goes to pay her salary, the utility bill at the church, the mortgage on the church and the janitor's salary so why is that even considered charity? I thought charity was giving to the poor.
 
People that hard up for money shouldn't be eating out. That 18% is part of the servers pay for work.

The 10% the pastor gives to God goes to pay her salary, the utility bill at the church, the mortgage on the church and the janitor's salary so why is that even considered charity? I thought charity was giving to the poor.

:clap:
 
I just sent Applebees an email telling them to rehire Chelsea.

ETA: Alois Bell's page has been taken down by her denomination's website. :rolleyes:
 
I can only conclude that the pastor does not understand either mathematics nor tithing. If she got either one she'd have known that apples and oranges are two different things. You can't directly compare percentages that belong to two different categories with different values for 100% and conclude that 10 % is less than 18 % .

I understand that she is supposed to give God 10 % of everything she earns and the waitress 18 % of the sum of her restaurant bill. To define who gets more money you would have to know how much the pastor earns and how much she spends in restaurants.

But we can estimate:
x =what she earns
0,1x = God's share
y=her restaurant bill
0,18y=the tip

We want to know how much money she'd have to spend on food in restaurants for the waitress to earn more than God:
0,1x<0,18y
Let's multiply both sides by 10
x<1,8y
Divide both sides by 1,8
0,56x < y

If I didn't miscalculate she would have to spend more than half of what she earns on eating out for the waitress to get more money than God. Not an economical move that I would advise.

It might turn out that the waiting profession gets more anyway; with that attitude the good reverend might begrudge God his share too.
 
I have been reading a lot on this case. Ms Bell has a lot of nerve to leave such an insulting note rather than the tip that was expected. Ms Bell runs a small church (reported 15 members) and the "church is and an old abandoned store and Bell is the head of that self created ministry. She says that they often go to Applebee's after their church service so she was certainly aware of the 18% gratuity for large party gratuity (indeed it is standard for all restaurants that I know of).

Bell was absolutely in the wrong and upon finding out that her comment went viral, she called the restaurant and wanted everyone at the restaurant fired. So she obviously is NOT remorseful but rather vengeful. She even went on twitter to gloat about getting the server who posted the receipt fired. ( The server she stiffed was NOT the one who posted the receipt).

Now Bell has wiped out her twitter account as well as her other online presences because she has been inundated with people rebuking her for invoking God's name to justify her cheapness and superior attitude. She also claims she left a cash tip but that is unlikely since her comment clearly indicates she has NO intention of leaving a tip.

I worked as a server and also restaurant manager and Bell is the type of person that we loathed dealing with. Her condescending attitude speaks volumes. She is not remorseful but rather regrets the incident only because she was called out on her behavior and embarrassed.

Well she SHOULD be embarrassed. And Applebee's in now reaping a huge backlash for firing the server.
 
IMHO regardless of whether the comment was 'right' or 'wrong', the receipt DID NOT belong to the person who took a pic of it and posted it. In essence, it belonged to the Applebee's. It was a business transaction between the establishment and the patron. I don't think employees, or even owners, of any type of business have a right to invade anyone's privacy by posting a copy of a receipt.

That bothers me about this...maybe the patron's comments were uncalled for, but it was not the servers place to broadcast it...and no one seems to think THAT is a problem.
 
IMHO regardless of whether the comment was 'right' or 'wrong', the receipt DID NOT belong to the person who took a pic of it and posted it. In essence, it belonged to the Applebee's. It was a business transaction between the establishment and the patron. I don't think employees, or even owners, of any type of business have a right to invade anyone's privacy by posting a copy of a receipt.

That bothers me about this...maybe the patron's comments were uncalled for, but it was not the servers place to broadcast it...and no one seems to think THAT is a problem.

I agree. Should never have been posted on the Internet. The pastor should of followed the 18% tip rule for large groups.
 
I have been reading a lot on this case. Ms Bell has a lot of nerve to leave such an insulting note rather than the tip that was expected. Ms Bell runs a small church (reported 15 members) and the "church is and an old abandoned store and Bell is the head of that self created ministry. She says that they often go to Applebee's after their church service so she was certainly aware of the 18% gratuity for large party gratuity (indeed it is standard for all restaurants that I know of).

Bell was absolutely in the wrong and upon finding out that her comment went viral, she called the restaurant and wanted everyone at the restaurant fired. So she obviously is NOT remorseful but rather vengeful. She even went on twitter to gloat about getting the server who posted the receipt fired. ( The server she stiffed was NOT the one who posted the receipt).

Now Bell has wiped out her twitter account as well as her other online presences because she has been inundated with people rebuking her for invoking God's name to justify her cheapness and superior attitude. She also claims she left a cash tip but that is unlikely since her comment clearly indicates she has NO intention of leaving a tip.

I worked as a server and also restaurant manager and Bell is the type of person that we loathed dealing with. Her condescending attitude speaks volumes. She is not remorseful but rather regrets the incident only because she was called out on her behavior and embarrassed.

Well she SHOULD be embarrassed. And Applebee's in now reaping a huge backlash for firing the server.

Exactly!! :goodpost:
 
IMHO regardless of whether the comment was 'right' or 'wrong', the receipt DID NOT belong to the person who took a pic of it and posted it. In essence, it belonged to the Applebee's. It was a business transaction between the establishment and the patron. I don't think employees, or even owners, of any type of business have a right to invade anyone's privacy by posting a copy of a receipt.

That bothers me about this...maybe the patron's comments were uncalled for, but it was not the servers place to broadcast it...and no one seems to think THAT is a problem.

Here's what was posted;

receipt-pastor-lg-1.jpg


Her name is cut off so I wouldn't know who it was until she made a stink about it. She Streisand Effected herself and now she's mad. The message should go viral because it's :censored: absurd. Especially from a minister. JMO

For those who don't know what the Streisand Effect is;

[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect"]Streisand effect - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

ETA: You can't even tell it's an Applebees receipt.
 
I can only conclude that the pastor does not understand either mathematics nor tithing. If she got either one she'd have known that apples and oranges are two different things. You can't directly compare percentages that belong to two different categories with different values for 100% and conclude that 10 % is less than 18 % .

I understand that she is supposed to give God 10 % of everything she earns and the waitress 18 % of the sum of her restaurant bill. To define who gets more money you would have to know how much the pastor earns and how much she spends in restaurants.

But we can estimate:
x =what she earns
0,1x = God's share
y=her restaurant bill
0,18y=the tip

We want to know how much money she'd have to spend on food in restaurants for the waitress to earn more than God:
0,1x<0,18y
Let's multiply both sides by 10
x<1,8y
Divide both sides by 1,8
0,56x < y

If I didn't miscalculate she would have to spend more than half of what she earns on eating out for the waitress to get more money than God. Not an economical move that I would advise.

It might turn out that the waiting profession gets more anyway; with that attitude the good reverend might begrudge God his share too.

Thanks was not enough. And I don;t do smilies, but BRAVO and thank you!
 
I am not sure that Chelsea didnt deserve some kind of something-it wasnt her table, right? The actual server showed her the bill and Chelsea photo'd it and posted it, right? I would be irate if my name ended up on the www. The pastor shamed herself with her actions....tell me there was some kind of wine involved in that declaration?? ;)
 
also, eight people and a $34 bill?

She now claims she left $6.29 in cash on the table. :rolleyes:

8 people would be $4 a piece.

The tip would be $6.28 on that bill. I tipped the Pizza delivery guy the other day $7 on my bill.
 
I am not sure that Chelsea didnt deserve some kind of something-it wasnt her table, right? The actual server showed her the bill and Chelsea photo'd it and posted it, right? I would be irate if my name ended up on the www. The pastor shamed herself with her actions....tell me there was some kind of wine involved in that declaration?? ;)

The only reason anyone knew who it was is because a friend of hers, that recognized her writing called her about it. Like I posted above she Streisand Effected herself. She should have just let it go. JMO
 
That bothers me about this...maybe the patron's comments were uncalled for, but it was not the servers place to broadcast it...and no one seems to think THAT is a problem.

Yeah, both sides were in the wrong here. But the pastor was a lot more in the wrong, IMHO - not least because she should have known better.
 
Yeah, both sides were in the wrong here. But the pastor was a lot more in the wrong, IMHO - not least because she should have known better.

I respectfully disagree. If she had posted the entire receipt with the name of the company and showed the signature clearly then I'd agree. However, neither of those things happened. JMO
 
and was the receipt actually signed "Pastor so and so"? Really? I have never known a minister to sign something (something like a receipt, not an official letter) like that. Weird, but proof of nothing, just interesting to see...
 
She now claims she left $6.29 in cash on the table. :rolleyes:

8 people would be $4 a piece.

The tip would be $6.28 on that bill. I tipped the Pizza delivery guy the other day $7 on my bill.


Ugh, if this is true, which I doubt based on what I have read, leaving pennies as part of a tip (I mean actual pennies, not rounding up on your CC) is so disrespectful. ick.

And also if true, goes against the pastor's whole reasoning.
 
She didn't have to tip, so why be all dramatic about it. Maybe she was trying to squeeze more money out of her 15 chuch members with guilt tactics. Gloating over getting a person fired shows her heart is not nice. Get a job.
 

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