From The Week, 02/15/13
Hey, cheapskates—the waitress you shortchange today might shame you on the Internet tomorrow, said Sierra Tishgart in NYMag.com. Consider the case of Pastor Alois Bell of St. Louis, who recently dined at an Applebee’s in a party of 10 and found that the restaurant had added an automatic 18 percent tip. Instead of ponying up the $6.29 gratuity on her itemized check, Bell wrote, “I give God 10%. Why do you get 18?” She then gave the server a tip of zero. The server showed the receipt to fellow waitress Chelsea Welch, who posted a photo of it to online community board Reddit. The receipt went viral, Bell’s signature was identified, and thousands of netizens targeted the minister for abuse. Even though Bell admitted her note was a “lapse in my judgment,” she demanded that Applebee’s fire Welch—and last week, it did. If you can’t call out cheap, self-righteous customers on the Internet, “then where can you?”
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When you eat at a restaurant, “tipping is not optional.” Restaurants like Applebee’s typically pay the hardworking waitstaff $3.50 an hour, and the gratuity is considered part of our salary. Without the tip, I can’t pay my bills, and I’ll never save enough to go to college. But even though tips are how waiters get paid in America, many customers think it’s fine to stiff them to save a buck or two. So next time you go out to eat, remember this about the people who serve you. “We work hard. We care. We deserve to be paid for that.”
Editor's note: On Sunday, 02/10/13 at the Brockport Unitarian Universalist Church, Rev. Peggy Meeker gave an excellent sermon on "Ethical eating". During her sermon she mentioned the low pay and difficult working conditions of restaurant staff from the dishwasher to the bus boys to the servers. The first principle of seven which Unitarian Universalists covenant with one another to affirm and promote is the inherent dignity of every person. The second principle is to affirm and promote justice, equity, and compassion in human relations. These are principles that apparently a pastor in St. Louis does not practice. Be generous with your server.
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