Good grief. Haven’t these people heard of the Internet?
Here’s a person, they go to a restaurant with a BIG group (20 people), then they complain when their hard working server receives an automatic tip for their efforts.
A man claiming to be a pastor apparently tried to stiff a waiter on a tip, explaining that his work for God absolved him of having to leave one.
A photo of the receipt, posted to Reddit.com, shows a bill for $34.93 with an automatic 18 percent gratuity (or $6.29) added above a blank space for an additional tip.
“I give God 10%,” the diner wrote on the receipt, scratching out the automatic tip. “Why do you get 18?” He then wrote “Pastor” above his signature, and an emphatic “0” where the additional tip would be. (The automatic gratuity, however, had already been added to the total.)
If these folks are the representatives of Christ on earth, Jesus needs to hire a new PR firm.
*Update* The pastor has apologized. Sort of.
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.”
Hmmm. The employee was fired? I must confess I find the apology somewhat lacking. But that’s just me.
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.
Yup. Lapse in judgement is correct.
In a follow-up conversation with an Applebee’s manager, Bell said she was told that the waitress was immediately terminated.
Something still isn’t quite right.
*Update 2*
This story is unfolding fast. Buzzfeed has the whole sordid affair sorted in chronological order.
- Turns out Huffpost Comedy has started a petition.
- Applebee’s Facebook and Twitter are being flooded with angry comments.
- The pastor has taken down her Twitter and Facebook account. However, her preaching network page is getting filled with angry comments.
