Waitress fired for posting customer comment online

JIM SALTER, Associated Press

Saturday, February 2, 2013

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The note at the top of the restaurant receipt read simply, "I give God 10%, why do you get 18?"

The snarky comment has created a furor online after a waitress posted it on the website Reddit. She has been fired, while the customer who scribbled the note has been vilified. And the controversy has forced the president of the restaurant chain to explain its privacy policies.

It began Jan. 25 when a customer who described herself on the receipt as a pastor shared appetizers with eight or nine friends at an Applebee's in south St. Louis. Applebee's spokesman Dan Smith said Friday that the group was large enough that an automatic 18 percent tip was added to the bill.

The full cost for the table was $34.93, including the tip, which Smith said the customer paid despite the comment.

If the waitress for the table was bothered, she didn't show it. But another waitress took a picture of the receipt and posted it Tuesday on Reddit, adding her own response: "I'm sure Jesus will pay for my rent and groceries."

Missouri's minimum wage is $7.35 per hour, a dime more than the federal standard. For employees like waitresses, bartenders and pizza delivery drivers who receive tips, the state minimum wage is $3.63, though employers must make up the difference for those who do not earn the state minimum in any given hour.

By Wednesday, the posting went viral. The customer who wrote on the receipt was hearing about it. She contacted the restaurant. The waitress was fired.

Applebee's President Mike Archer said in a phone interview Friday that the company stands behind its workers. But he said there was no choice but to fire the waitress for violating the customer's privacy rights and the company's social media policy.

"We have to protect our guests' privacy," Archer said. "There's a lot of private information on those receipts."

The backlash persists. Thousands have posted critical comments about the customer on Reddit, Facebook and at the bottom of news accounts. Applebee caught heat for firing the waitress and at least two Facebook pages were set up in support of her.

Kansas City, Mo.-based Applebee's has roughly 2,000 restaurants in every state except Hawaii and 15 other countries. Archer himself once worked as a waiter and understands how difficult the job can be.

But he said violation of a customer's privacy simply cannot be tolerated.

"It's not favoring the guest over the employee," Archer said. "It's really a simple rule that we have that was violated."

The waitress did not have a listed phone number. Messages sent to her through Reddit were not returned. The customer did not return phone and Facebook messages seeking comment.

More like this story

linoge 4 months, 2 weeks ago

If you can't afford to leave a tip, maybe you should dine at McDonald's.

MO4LIFE 4 months, 1 week ago

The waitress did receive a tip and that is why she was fired. She posted the pic of the receipt but not of the $8 in cash that the party left her for a tip.

rj27 4 months, 2 weeks ago

Why not raise the price 18% up front and guarentee the workers wages and make the tip voluntary based on service?

him 4 months, 2 weeks ago

Maybe waitresses should make the Missouri's minimum wage is $7.35 per hour instead of the $3.63 per hour and then no one should ever have to worry about tipping. Tipping shouldn't be a requirement anywhere. If a person feels like they want to give someone a few extra bucks for a service then that is totally up to them. Charge me what you want for a haircut, don't expect me to tip you. If you want $20 bucks then don't charge me $15.

spelchek 4 months, 1 week ago

Your ideology kills the incentive for better service. Why should I bust my hump bringing your food out sizzling hot and keeping your drinks full while the schlep next to me is bringing their food out cold with empty glasses all over the table when we both make the same wage? It is a service, and those who perform well, deserve to be tipped well.

karaokequeen 4 months, 2 weeks ago

she wrote the message on a check belonging to Applebees so it should not have been a privacy issue. It was then given to the waitress which makes it her message and if she oked the picture of it then where is a privacy issue...Applebee's should stand behind the employee's period!

herekitty 4 months, 2 weeks ago

If Applbee wants to treat the help like c--p, it's time to eat somewhere else.

waldo 4 months, 2 weeks ago

It's obvious that some have never worked in a restaurant or for tips. If you think by eliminating tips and paying servers minimum wage it will take care of the situation you are missing the boat. You only have good servers in restaurants because of tipping and the potential money these folks can make. If you figure that a good server can handle 4 to 5 tables per hour then even with this example that server would average at least $24.00 per hour. Plus the $3.63 per hour. So not a bad wage. The word tip is actually an acronym for "To Insure Proper Service". It's a part of our culture and it won't go away. It's the proper thing to do. These people work hard at trying to please a large number of demanding people in a short period of time. To raise the prices high enough to cover a $27.00 per hour worker, that would keep a lot of us from ever eating out again. And by not taking care of your hair dresser may result in a less than acceptable cut or color. I'm not going to take a chance.

JCLifer 4 months, 2 weeks ago

Wish I could find a no-skill job that requires no education that pays me $28/hr tax-free income. What a crock!

bluesfan13 4 months, 2 weeks ago

Tax free? You're crazy. The employer lists on the W2 an estimated amount that the employee made in tips during the year, and the employee pays social security and medicare for that amount when they file their taxes. Plus, if you're no-skill, you won't make very much money as a waiter/waitress.

connor 4 months, 2 weeks ago

I wouldn't dream of criticizing any server out there but the tips that get turned in are pretty much only the tips charged to a credit card or added automatically to a check as gratuity. I know a bit about the accounting side and I can assure you somewhere South of 20% of all cash tips get recorded. I would bet on less than 10% actually unless things have changed recently.

A good server more than likely would not want someone taking away the cash tip possibilities by raising their wages and doing away with tips.

Paroquet 4 months, 2 weeks ago

That's absolutely correct. Used to be TIPS (which used to be given in advance--To Insure Proper Service) and gratuities upon a patron's visit were not taxed. It wasn't until the '80s that the taxation of such monies occurred in response to a congressman's visit to Vegas. However, by the same stroke, no changes were made with regard to the reduced wage requirement until recently. The standard of $2.13/hr remained despite multiple minimum wage increases for hourly employees.

Whether they make it or not, servers are taxed at a minimum of 8% of their total sales.

Now, when you consider that a bulk of a server's income is from gratuities, that engenders an interesting point for consideration; when I was a server, due to the wage dynamic, my #1 priority was my customer and the boss could go take a flying leap since I knew where most of my bread and butter came from.

A worser situation is where employers "pool" tips and distribute them evenly, and include bussers and sometimes cooks in that equation--people NOT required to claim tips, but receive them just the same. Also, this effectively causes friction ranks where one server excels at raking it in, another performs sub-par, and wait-staff can't do a danged thing about it except complain to management who could typically care less so long as there are no customer complaints.

Routinely, servers report & record 10-15% of their sales whether they make it or not which is an effective compromise when patrons are pinching their pennies and has nothing to do with the level of service delivered. Any above that goes right back into the economy whether through savings, purchases of goods or services, or paying-down existing debts.

Servers, better than about anyone out there, understand customer service as their #1 priority, which boosts the business and even serves to bolster advertising via the most persuasive & effective method; Word Of Mouth.

Paroquet 4 months, 2 weeks ago

No skill? You try multi-tasking with respect to ensuring the satisfaction of 20 or more different personalities in a fast-paced, high pressure environment with any myriad of hazards (safety, sanitation, etc.) and managing minute-by-minute change to the work environment as well as the disposition and abilities of production staff -all at once- regardless of the kind of day the customer or server is having.

If you call that no-skill, you are woefully lacking in perspective. Also, the wage you are listing is inconsistent since a slow day may only net a fraction of that amount, and that level of income only occurs during the hours of 6-9, 11-2, and 7:30-9:30 on a few days of the week.

Never been there, eh? That's okay. Your server understands that too. Waiting tables is an art, a science, and a skill.

As a side note; most servers don't care for the Sunday brunch crowd; higher volume, larger groups (usually calculated by the customers to be one below the threshold to trigger an automatic gratuity and separate checks to boot), lower return per table. If it weren't for the volume, it wouldn't be worth it.

JCLifer 4 months, 2 weeks ago

Tell me more about your PhD in table waiting and your years of apprenticeship under a master waiter before you could even carry water to a customer.

I never said it was easy work, but it sure does not take years of education and understudy to do it.

If you like being a waitress, then more power to you. Knock yourself out. Enjoy your tips.

Paroquet 4 months, 1 week ago

What I liked most about that particular occupation was the challenge it presented in order to be successful. Well, that and it was a sublimely empowering feeling that when I'd had enough of managers' shenanigans and took my skill to a different establishment, that my "regulars" followed me.

Seems their loyalty wasn't to the place or the menu. They knew they could trust me to give them the best no matter what or where. The server-regular relationship is one where loyalty is still a currency of value. That doesn't mean you skrimp on anyone--your customer base is (virtually) a guaranteed income as opposed to a roll of the dice. Your goal is to eliminate the gamble on your take-home because where your income can fluctuate wildly, your mandatory bills don't.

JCLifer 4 months, 1 week ago

Oh, I think I can understand what you are saying. The service can easily make or break a dining experience. I have followed servers too- and the quality of the experience of a good server really enhances the new place. Owners need to recognize good servers and reward them. They also need to continually cull the bad ones from their employment, because a bad server so easily can kill all repeat business for a customer.

JCLifer 4 months, 2 weeks ago

Talk to Waldo about the pay. I used his "average $24/hr" plus the $3.63 base he quoted. Those werent my numbers- no one jumped on him so I figured heknew what he was talking about.

jdb 4 months, 1 week ago

From the tone of your post, I bet you eat a lot of spit when you dine out......

Paroquet 4 months, 1 week ago

Oh contraire. Having been in the trenches throughout high-school and and a long stint through college, not only do I speak fluent "Servers' cant", I also know how to /not/ be a burden.

Among the more experienced, we recognize our own. Among the inexperienced, us "retirees" from the Trade drop invaluable pearls of wisdom. There's a total subculture you're missing.

Make no mistake that by no means can a server be successful without having developed some rather useful skills which cross-apply to many facets of the consumer society at large.

I was two years into my State job before I surpassed the earnings I made my last year as a server. Heh. I once took a 20-top of glum, depressed people that just came from a funeral and had them laughing and carrying-on in a jovial manner by the time their food was ready. I won't disclose the tip amount, suffice to say it made up for a month of Sundays.

jdb 4 months, 1 week ago

My reply was intended for JCLifer. Waiting tables and tending bar is not an easy job. It is not a skillless job either.

Sequoia 4 months, 1 week ago

Lifer said: "Wish I could find a no-skill job that requires no education that pays me $28/hr tax-free income. What a crock!"

Yeah, well... you CAN. I just heard Applebee's is hiring. What's stopping you from the crock of your dreams?

JCLifer 4 months, 1 week ago

I could not sleep at night knowing I served that stuff they pass off as food to paying customers.

asb 4 months, 1 week ago

How we all differ. I've developed a varied palatte in my old age, but still find quite a few good items on their menu.

JCLifer 4 months, 1 week ago

Oh, Applebees used to have some very good food. The orange chicken bowl was to die for. The New Orleans strip steak used to be so yummy. Tequilia Lime Chicke was one of my favorites. A couple of years ago they seemed to change a lot of their recipies to "cheapen" the ingredients. Also,l the Jefferson City store in particular has some challenges with their cooking and service too. I find the Columbia Applebees to be on a much higher level of enjoyment, even with the new recipes.

itsjustme 4 months, 2 weeks ago

This goes for the delivery drivers too. Don't for get the delivery drivers. the drivers works off your tips. I can tell you Pizza hut drivers only get's 1.00 delivery, 7.25HR. Have to pay for their own fuel, Maintenace, repairs, ECT. You pull the Man that was fast talk, and not tip the driver. Yeah you bet next time you order you will be the last one to get your pizza on time. TIP THE DELIVERY DRIVERS.

MO4LIFE 4 months, 1 week ago

Delivery drivers do not get the delivery charge and unless it went up only .75 at dominos per run not per delivery. if you have three deliveries on one run you only get 75 cents for the whole run. Drivers don't make 7.25 they make waitress wages at Papa Johns and Dominos not sure about Pizza Hut. This doesn't count your vehicle issues. That is why all the pizza places are in a class action lawsuit because all handbooks say the per run money is for maintenance upkeep and gas for your vehicle but is no where even remotely close to enough.

linoge 4 months, 2 weeks ago

Let's go back to the original question being asked by the "Church Pastor." She is obviously complaining about the cost of the tip but at the same time is asking the waitress to explain the difference between tithing and tipping. The practice of tithing can be traced back to ancient times and is a principle of Jewish law (Book of Genesis 14:18-20; Numbers 18:31; Deuteronomy 14:22-28 and so on). Many people today, including myself, do not tithe a full 10 percent but I do donate money to my Church. I also volunteer my time and other resources. I have yet to file for a tax exemption on my donations. I give it freely and with a good heart knowing that my Church needs my support and that the money goes to fulfill a mission which I heartily believe in (I try to maintain a similar outlook when paying my income taxes but I still need some work in that area). My point here is that a tithe should be given as a celebration of all the material blesssings that have bestowed upon me by the One who presides over us all. Comparing a tip with a tithe clouds the issue and the issue seems to be that this "Pastor" is a cheapskate who whines about having to pay for services provided in the restaurant. Worse, she seeks to appear just and righteous in her indignation. If the cost of dining out seems too expensive, why not entertain your friends at home? How much does that cost and who does the dishes? In this case, the waitress does not the set the tip anyway, Applebees does. I have read articles which state that when the gratuity is paid through credit/debit card or automatically added on by the establishment, the wait staff never see it. The mangement usually keeps the money. That is why I always tip in cash. I often press the money directly into the waiter's hand: I want them to have it. The "Pastor" is in the wrong here and should be embarassed. Applebees is also in the wrong for firing their employee. Deutronomy 24:14-15 "You shall not defraud a poor and needy hired servant whether he be one of your own countrymen or one of the aliens who lives in your communities. You shall pay him each day's wages before sundown on the day itself since he is poor and looks forward to them. Otherwise he will cry out to the Lord against you, and you will be held guilty." Hey, if I can figure out these Biblical verses, surely a "Pastor" should also be able to see this and do the honorable thing.

Paroquet 4 months, 1 week ago

That's -some- of your Sunday crowd for you. Make your Server tithe for you. Anyone who has stuck it out enough knows the sort. Water off a duck's back--you just don't expend any extra effort since your gratuity will be the same regardless so long as the minimum is guaranteed.

In my experience, the AoG were the worst after the "man-hater girls' club".

Drunk rush was always a blast, save for the occasional aggro-drunk, or the overly amorous luv-muffins. Still, after a bit, even those weren't a problem. Easy to handle once you knew their particular buttons, or were skilled at ascertaining the most probable. Generally they thanked you in addition to tipping well.

On kids' night, tip extra. You are making your little PITAs somebody elses' problem for a bit--what do you pay a sitter? Remember, little Johnny and Jenny's tantrums affect the tips of everyone in earshot.

spelchek 4 months, 1 week ago

Well put.

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