Cheap A$$

[Nick]

A pastor left a waiter a note on his bill.  "I give God 10%.  Why do you get 18%?"  He put a "0" on the tip line.  Said, his work under God absolved him of having to leave a tip.

Aren't preachers  stand up guys/gals?

http://kdvr.com/2013/01/31/pastors-comment-on-receipt-i-give-god-10-why-do-you-get-18/

Details added GB

[DVZ3]

My response to that is that the pastor doesn't have to pay any taxes and he also probably cheats the tax laws and somehow has all sorts of goods/services deducted through church tax loopholes.

^^^ And this is one of the biggest problems I have with religions is that they're absolved from taxes; oh, and the fact that they spread lies (even if they support them emotinally), warp the minds of children etc...

[ParkingPlaces]

A pastor left a waiter a note on his bill.  "I give God 10%.  Why do you get 18%?"  He put a "0" on the tip line.  Said, his work under God absolved him of having to leave a tip.

Aren't preachers  stand up guys/gals?

Are you perhaps a Redditor, Nick?

Anyway, I wish I had been the waiter. I would have casually said "Hey, I expected more because I actually did something! I would think that my charging less than twice as much for infinitely more work would seem like a pretty good deal to you."

[pianodwarf]

A pastor left a waiter a note on his bill.  "I give God 10%.  Why do you get 18%?"  He put a "0" on the tip line.  Said, his work under God absolved him of having to leave a tip.

Aren't preachers  stand up guys/gals?

Reminds me of a letter I read in a "Dear Abby" column some years ago.  A man sent in a letter saying that whenever he ate at a restaurant, instead of leaving a tip, he left a little card with some kind of an inspirational saying on it (sometimes scripture, sometimes something else), saying that he hoped he could "lift someone's spirits" or something like that instead of simply giving mere money, like everyone else does.  Abby responded by saying she thought it was a wonderful idea and was delighted to hear about it.

Not long afterward, she received a torrent of letters from various waitstaff around the nation.  One of them said she was a single mother of two whose husband had "traded her in for a younger model".  She wanted to know which grocery stores she would be able to take the little sayings to to buy food for her children.  Someone else pointed out that waitstaff can legally be paid a base wage of half the minimum wage, the assumption being that tips are going to bring that up to, and typically over, minimum wage level.  A third person said that the original letter writer was probably just trying to figure out a way to justify being a cheapskate -- he struck me as just being clueless, not malicious, but I suppose that was also possible.

Abby, to her credit, confessed that there was a lot about waitstaff pay that she hadn't known and that there were obviously a lot of other things she hadn't thought about, and she retracted her original response, telling her readers instead to please leave a proper tip.

[screwtape]

http://gawker.com/5980177/pastor-refuses-to-pay-restaurants-auto+gratuity-asks-server-why-she-deserves-a-bigger-tip-than-god

[jaimehlers]

Last I checked, pastors and other church staff were paid out of the money tithed to a church.

Maybe people who go to this pastor's church should take that into consideration when deciding how much to give?  If a bunch of people left notes instead of giving money, it would sure change his tune.

EDIT--Some of the comments on that page screwtape linked are infuriating.  Like the one who suggested that wait staff should be willing to sacrifice their children in order to get a 12.5% tip.  What a moron.

[rev45]

Reminds me of a letter I read in a "Dear Abby" column some years ago.  A man sent in a letter saying that whenever he ate at a restaurant, instead of leaving a tip, he left a little card with some kind of an inspirational saying on it (sometimes scripture, sometimes something else), saying that he hoped he could "lift someone's spirits" or something like that instead of simply giving mere money, like everyone else does.  Abby responded by saying she thought it was a wonderful idea and was delighted to hear about it.

When I worked in retail, us workers would joke that we were paid in "atta boys".  Someone would say "The boss gave me five atta boys today, but they don't spend very well."

I've known only a handful of ministers that would actually give money fairly loosely.  I think in my experience in small churches the ministers probably were not paid very high and so would have to budget their money wisely.  But they always have time to talk your ear off.  They are never lacking for time to talk about their nonsense. 

[DumpsterFire]

EDIT--Some of the comments on that page screwtape linked are infuriating.  Like the one who suggested that wait staff should be willing to sacrifice their children in order to get a 12.5% tip.  What a moron.

Considering the poster of that comment starts out by referring to Chili's and Applebee's as "high end" dining, I'm pretty sure it was just a lame attempt at sarcastic humor.

[Iamrational]

Funny story when my wife and I were 20 years old and I was in the Army she worked at Olive Garden. At this point she had been waiting tables for 5 years. She finally got tired of the bad tips and she said something. The customer left her the coin change as a tip. So she took it to them as they were leaving. She asked if there was anything wrong with their service. They said not at all. She said people typically tip about 15% of the check. She handed them their change back. Well she got fired from Olive Garden.

[Nam]

Do these people realize that Servers don't make what, oh say, as much as the busser does an hour? Or do they just not care?

-Nam

[Anfauglir]

I've known only a handful of ministers that would actually give money fairly loosely.  I think in my experience in small churches the ministers probably were not paid very high and so would have to budget their money wisely. 

And yet, in this case, could afford to eat out.  If your money is that tight, you don't eat in a restaurant.

[Anfauglir]

Do these people realize that Servers don't make what, oh say, as much as the busser does an hour? Or do they just not care?

Someone else pointed out that waitstaff can legally be paid a base wage of half the minimum wage, the assumption being that tips are going to bring that up to, and typically over, minimum wage level. 

Quite likely they don't.  I sure didn't know that a waiter could be paid so little by the business.

However, what I don't get is why the tip has to be a percentage.  A waiter who serves me the cheapest items on the menu is not doing significantly less work than a waiter who brings the most expensive.  Its the same number of trips to the kitchen, for example.

Would it not be a more reasonable sytem to (for example) tip a flat rate per item?  Say, $1 per drink, $3 per dish, something like that?  To give a ridiculous example.....if I order a $1 glass of lemonade, I should tip 18c.  But if I order a $20 cocktail, I should tip $3.60.  Why should that be?  (I'm assuming that the waiter doesn't prepare the drinks themselves, but takes the order to the bar and brings the drink back).

Unless of course tips are shared with the bar staff and all the kitchen staff as well - is that the case?  I don't know!

[pianodwarf]

Do these people realize that Servers don't make what, oh say, as much as the busser does an hour? Or do they just not care?

Someone else pointed out that waitstaff can legally be paid a base wage of half the minimum wage, the assumption being that tips are going to bring that up to, and typically over, minimum wage level. 

Quite likely they don't.  I sure didn't know that a waiter could be paid so little by the business.

I don't think it's common knowledge.  I didn't know that, either, until shortly after high school when I happened to be waited on in a sit-down restaurant by a former classmate.  At the time, the minimum wage was $4.25 an hour -- he told me he was being paid $2.13 an hour and explained why.  I just about fainted.  (NB also that this was in Honolulu, which is most definitely not known for a low cost of living.)

Unless of course tips are shared with the bar staff and all the kitchen staff as well - is that the case?  I don't know!

Different restaurants have different policies.  Another friend of mine was a waitress and barmaid (changing duties on different nights) at a medium-upper end sit-down restaurant.  She told me that all tips received during any particular shift were pooled, and when the shift was over, each member of the waitstaff and bar staff received an equal share.  (I don't think bussers or kitchen staff were included, but I don't remember for sure.)  The assumption was that, if everyone shared equal responsibility for keeping customers satisfied and thus ensuring satisfactory tips, waitstaff would be motivated to help each other out in case any one of them suddenly got overwhelmed for some reason.

[ParkingPlaces]

I heard of one case where the opener pooled all the tips, then gave out only enough for each waitperson to get minimum wage. And he kept the rest.

I usually tip around 20%, always rounding up to the next dollar. People don't need change. And I never tip under $2 no matter how cheap the meal is. Other people have to eat.

[Nick]

Hey PP.  Look both ways before crossing the street.

Where is my 2 bucks?

[ParkingPlaces]

Hey PP.  Look both ways before crossing the street.

Where is my 2 bucks?

Hey Nick, be careful when trying to make a quick buck.

We're even. 

[Nick]

Well, the story does not end there.  Now the waitress has been fired from an Applbee's in the St. Louis area after the pastor came back and complained to the manager about being embarrassed about the bill being online.  That is what Jesus would have done.  Pastor's name is Alois Bell for the record.

[screwtape]

Links, Nick.  Links.

BTW, the pastor is a she. 

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/01/31/i-give-god-10-tip-story-takes-intersting-twister-pastor-revealed-and-the-waitress-has-been-fired/

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2013/01/st-louis-pastor-under-fire-after-leaving-nasty-note-for-waiter/

says she's 37, but I'd have guessed a lot closer to 50.  Like, 53.  Serving the lord puts on some mileage.

[Quesi]

A large percentage of people who work in the service industry are paid less than minimum wage because tips are considered a significant percentage of their income.  This includes bell hops in hotels, folks who delivery pizza or Chinese food to your front door, folks who valet park your cars, manicurists, (most) hair stylists, coat check staff at nightclubs, (some) tour guides, 90% of the staff who work on a cruise ship, and of course waitstaff, bartenders, and sometimes even kitchen staff, who in some restaurants get a percentage of the waistaff tips.

If you can't afford to give a tip, then you can't afford the service.  If the service was unsatisfactory, then you can, and should, refuse to tip.  Otherwise, there is no excuse. 

Some employers use the laws allowing them to pay less than minimum wage to staff getting tips as a way to get around paying staff minimum wage.  In my neighborhood, a local Dunkin Donuts was paying its cashiers less than minimum wage, because there was a jar by the cash register that said "tips welcome."  I went crazy when I heard this.  Most people don't tip cashiers.  But I think that most people DO tip waitstaff.

There was also a scandal a few years back at a local supermarket, which allowed "employees" to bag your groceries for you, but did not pay them anything.  They had a tip can, and they were working only for tips. 

[nogodsforme]

I'm surprised that the pastor didn't try to talk her way out of paying the tax, too. Hell, why should she just be able to eat out for free? She's doing the lord's work, after all.

[Nick]

I'm surprised that the pastor didn't try to talk her way out of paying the tax, too. Hell, why should she just be able to eat out for free? She's doing the lord's work, after all.

She should not have to eat out at all.  Two fish and a loaf of bread should do if Jesus would pull off that party trick for her.

[Nam]

Unless of course tips are shared with the bar staff and all the kitchen staff as well - is that the case?  I don't know!

At a restaurant I once worked at as a Dishwasher I would sometimes bus tables when really busy. If I bussed for more than 2 hours the servers had to give me a percentage of their tips.

-Nam

[Azdgari]

However, what I don't get is why the tip has to be a percentage.  A waiter who serves me the cheapest items on the menu is not doing significantly less work than a waiter who brings the most expensive.  Its the same number of trips to the kitchen, for example.

However, a flat rate does not create a monetary incentive to promote more items, or more expensive items.  From the employer's POV, it makes sense.

[Emily]

A large percentage of people who work in the service industry are paid less than minimum wage because tips are considered a significant percentage of their income.  This includes bell hops in hotels, folks who delivery pizza or Chinese food to your front door, folks who valet park your cars, manicurists, (most) hair stylists, coat check staff at nightclubs, (some) tour guides, 90% of the staff who work on a cruise ship, and of course waitstaff, bartenders, and sometimes even kitchen staff, who in some restaurants get a percentage of the waistaff tips.

Off topic, but same with car detailers. Next time you get your car detailed, tip. When I detailed cars I got paid 4 bucks an hour. However, the money was good. For 24 hours a week I'd bring home close to 500 bucks a week. One time I was detailing a guys car and he claimed to have spent all his money for the service and didn't have any for a tip. This was Teppo Numminen, former hockey player for the Sabres. God I was pissed. I wanted to point him in the direction of the ATM, but chickened out.

[Dante]

Well, the story does not end there.  Now the waitress has been fired from an Applbee's in the St. Louis area after the pastor came back and complained to the manager about being embarrassed about the bill being online.  That is what Jesus would have done.  Pastor's name is Alois Bell for the record.

Right now I'm wishing I managed a restaurant in the area. I'd hire her just out of spite.

[pianodwarf]

However, what I don't get is why the tip has to be a percentage.  A waiter who serves me the cheapest items on the menu is not doing significantly less work than a waiter who brings the most expensive.  Its the same number of trips to the kitchen, for example.

However, a flat rate does not create a monetary incentive to promote more items, or more expensive items.  From the employer's POV, it makes sense.

Probably another good idea would be to tip based, at least in part, on how long you've stayed at the table.  If Jane waits on a party who uses one table for two hours, while one of Bill's tables gets three different parties in the same period, he'll have more opportunities to get tipped.  On the other hand, I guess it wouldn't really make any difference in a restaurant where tips are pooled... I just don't know how common that practice is.

[Dante]

On the other hand, I guess it wouldn't really make any difference in a restaurant where tips are pooled... I just don't know how common that practice is.

It seems to be far more common in chain restaurants than independant, local restaurants, at least in my neck of the woods. And I'd be none too happy about the pooling practice either, FWIW. Unless, of course, I was a slacker.

[sun_king]

Well, the story does not end there.  Now the waitress has been fired from an Applbee's in the St. Louis area after the pastor came back and complained to the manager about being embarrassed about the bill being online.  That is what Jesus would have done.  Pastor's name is Alois Bell for the record.

Apparently this faithful 10% god-taxpayer is yet to read Colossians 3: 12 - 13.

The post's title is quite befitting.

[Anfauglir]

However, what I don't get is why the tip has to be a percentage.  A waiter who serves me the cheapest items on the menu is not doing significantly less work than a waiter who brings the most expensive.  Its the same number of trips to the kitchen, for example.

However, a flat rate does not create a monetary incentive to promote more items, or more expensive items.  From the employer's POV, it makes sense.

Probably another good idea would be to tip based, at least in part, on how long you've stayed at the table.  If Jane waits on a party who uses one table for two hours, while one of Bill's tables gets three different parties in the same period, he'll have more opportunities to get tipped.  On the other hand, I guess it wouldn't really make any difference in a restaurant where tips are pooled... I just don't know how common that practice is.

Best idea, I think, would be to change the law so that ALL workers get paid minimum wage, and thats it.  Then tipping would be what it is intended to be - a bonus for exceptional service - rather than an obligation to make up insufficient wages.