WDYT of this? Applebee's waitress firing

october2004

http://m.nbcnews.com/business/applebees-waitress-canned-after-posting-pastors-tip-1B8198406

 Personally, I feel sorry for the waitress. That pastor sounds like she is seriously lacking in compassion. Not a good quality for someone in her field. 

Trying to keep the board moving! 

willbmrskaufman

So why did they fire the waitress?  Did the pastor seriously expect that the snotty comment was going to be a secret?

october2004

Applebee's said it violated customer confidentiality when the waitress posted the receipt online. I hope someone else reads the story and hires her.

egpitt22

Ok, I get why Applebees had to fire her.  But-I certainly don't think the server was in the wrong for posting it and being insulted by it!! (maybe she should have just photoshopped the name out before posting it online )  The article said that she was waiting on a large group (though it gives no definition of large, but I'm guessing it was a decent size if the gratuity was already added in), and yet the pastor tries to justify her behavior by saying she left a $6.29 tip on the table. HUH?  I find it hard to believe that the total bill for a group that large was only $30, which is what it would need to be to leave a $6 tip, assuming that this woman did her job.  (and we can probably assume that, since the pastor didn't say anything about tipping so poorly for bad service)

Sorry, I ranted there.....I used to be a server, so I know how infuriating it can be to work your tail off and get nothing in return. 

waltsgirl102503

I feel for her, and I think it was a crappy thing to do to stiff her and write that message.  BUT, I think she probably should have covered the pastor's signature and just posted the receipt without that part.  It was dumb of her to post that much of someone's information on the internet and to have that associated with her.

AmandaJLewis

Emmy, I read elsewhere that the group tried to have the checks split in order to try to get past the automatic 18% gratuity. Which is why the total is so low. I think it is crappy the waitress was fired and agree that I hope she finds a better job soon. Plus it wasn't like the waitress was getting 18% of the pastor's income... just 18% of the total bill. SO her logic was off anyway.

lishie

Maybe I didn't see all the photos, but in the ones I did see, you couldn't read the name of the person who signed the bill.

I'm not shocked that Applebee's fired her, but my personal opinion is that the reverend shouldn't be shocked it happened. 

I'm sorry, but tithing 10% is different than being expected to pay a service charge for a large party. Restaurants to that to ensure that their wait staff doesn't get stiffed. 

Writing such a ridiculous note while crossing out the gratuity line is almost asking for something like that to happen in this day and age, and that note certainly didn't make the reverend appear very caring and compassionate. She tipped nothing to a person who makes $2.50 an hour and worked hard for a large party.  But likely expects members of her church to tithe to help the needy (like a waitress who doesn't get tipped).

october2004

Agreed that the pastor AND the waitress probably aren't the sharpest tools in the drawer. Shitty tippers just infuriate me. 

I'm sure their lawyers would not let them do this, but if the waitress was an otherwise good employee, I think it would have been nice for Applebee's to stand by her and say, "she made a mistake that will not be tolerated again,  but we're going to give her a SE one chance." 

lishie

october2004:

I'm sure their lawyers would not let them do this, but if the waitress was an otherwise good employee, I think it would have been nice for Applebee's to stand by her and say, "she made a mistake that will not be tolerated again,  but we're going to give her a SE one chance." 

If what I read on the news sites and saw on tv is true, apparently the employee manual at Applebee's doesn't address this particular situation either. It may be time to update the manual.Oh lawyers, we have some work for you

Meghan&Rich

I think it sucks, but I don't think it is way off base that what the waitress did resulted in a termination - although I guess that would depend on what, if any, policies Applebee's has related to this.  Employers seriously need to get on the ball with their social media policies!

It seems like this is getting a lot of attention, so I'm sure she'll find another job in no time at all.

I will say that the comment that the Pastor left is incredibly annoying, both from the bad tipper and bringing God into it perspective.

valkaz

Personally, I think the waitress is an idiot. You can't just go posting things to social media these days and expect no repercussions.

Of course, I also think the pastor is a tool. If she doesn't like Applebees' policy regarding a tip being included on their check, then she should find another restaurant to go to.

gwennythepooh

I think they're both in the wrong. I think it's REALLY crappy of the pastor to do that (it's not the waitresses fault that that is company policy). But, the waitress shouldn't have posted the receipt, either.

AmandaJLewis

I am always so shocked at how little waitstaff make per hour anyway.  Does it make sense to eliminate the tipping and just pay people a normal wage in place of it?  Increasing the per-meal cost but still not really affecting the overall cost of eating out.

willbmrskaufman

I understand that Applebees needed to clarify their policy and perhaps apologize to the customer that personal information on a company document was made public, and discipline the server who made the information public. I think firing her went overboard.  I put myself through school waiting tables and it is unbelievable to me how rude, obnoxious and unrealistic people can be to wait staff.  I was in a restaurant earlier this week and the waiter assigned to our section was running - obviously very busy because in addition to the "regular" tables, he was waiting on a large party of about 20 people.  The people at the table next to us were very rude to him and complained about having to wait to order even though you could see that he was serving food, came to the table immediately after serving the food and apologized to them for having to wait while he served the food. I mean, it wasn't like he was standing around chatting with other workers and deliberately ignoring them.

Frankly, that pastor owes the wait staff an apology.  They work hard for very little money and have to put up with a lot of crap.

denalea

Meghan&Rich:

I think it sucks, but I don't think it is way off base that what the waitress did resulted in a termination - although I guess that would depend on what, if any, policies Applebee's has related to this.  Employers seriously need to get on the ball with their social media policies!

It seems like this is getting a lot of attention, so I'm sure she'll find another job in no time at all.

I will say that the comment that the Pastor left is incredibly annoying, both from the bad tipper and bringing God into it perspective.

Pretty much this.  I get why they had to fire her.  It was a lapse in judgement that had consequences.  I also think the pastor is a jerk.  (We're not all like that, I promise.  I try to be a generous tipper!)  To claim she is broken hearted because she and her ministry has been shamed is the consequence for HER lack in judgement! 

MandyMilller

AmandaJLewis:

I am always so shocked at how little waitstaff make per hour anyway.  Does it make sense to eliminate the tipping and just pay people a normal wage in place of it?  Increasing the per-meal cost but still not really affecting the overall cost of eating out.

I agree with this. I waited tables for years in college, and it's crazy to me still how little they pay waitresses per hour. If that pastor had a problem with tipping 18% she should've taken it up with the management of Applebee's, not the waitress. That's the restaurant's policy. And it's so universal at this point I find it hard to believe that anyone would go out to eat with a large party and not expect to have an 18% gratuity added. Right or wrong, it's very common.

I think she exercised very poor judgement, but it's still unfair that waitresses take the fall for the way the industry is run.