BUZZFEE: Applebee's Server Gets Stiffed By Pastor Who Gave Her Tip To God, Promptly Gets Fired By Applebee's

[Jumbo]

Looks to me like Applebees at least handled their part exactly right, has a well-designed handbook with an appropriate policy about these matters, and whoever drafts their PR statements should get kudos. Very well done.

I also think internet "social media" has done more to exacerbate stunted social development (or base stupidity) in an individual than anything since call-in radio talk shows. :evilg:

[DisplacedRedskinsFan]

Looks to me like Applebees at least handled their part exactly right, has a well-designed handbook with an appropriate policy about these matters, and whoever drafts their PR statements should get kudos. Very well done.

I also think internet "social media" has done more to exacerbate stunted social development (or base stupidity) in an individual than anything since call-in radio talk shows. :evilg:

I agree, though I do have one question about the contract.

It states "The policy goes on to specify "Employees who violate this policy will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.""

Perhaps I am just a young 20 something who is naive, but why not write her up, or suspend her for X days?

As far as Applebees, I agree with you they handled the PR nicely. I disagree with firing her, but like the old cliche says "all publicity is good publicity"

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

Looks to me like Applebees at least handled their part exactly right, has a well-designed handbook with an appropriate policy about these matters, and whoever drafts their PR statements should get kudos. Very well done.

I also think internet "social media" has done more to exacerbate stunted social development (or base stupidity) in an individual than anything since call-in radio talk shows. :evilg:

This. Its obvious where I stand on ****ty POS tippers like the customer here. That said, I have no problem with Applebees firing the server. She should've blacked out the name. I'm not going to lie, i've posted info on ****ty tippers on Facebook before. EVERYTHING save their house number. That said,i fully expected to be fired for it if my company found out/the customer saw it and complained. Its the risk I took. Of course my Facebook is a lot different than freaking reddit.

[Dont Taze Me Bro]

Yes, I have clearly explained why your analogy is terrible. It's not my fault you refuse to address the specifics of why I said your analogy doesn't work.

As a former manager, I think you should be well aware that the pooled tips gets divided among wait staff and that a small percentage goes to other staff, such as bus boy or hostess, but the bus boy and hostess still make minimum wage or just under it. An entire Wal-mart store staff leaching off the earned tips of just a few wouldn't work at all. 2 cashiers working the graveyard shift, lots of stockers working because there isn't a crowd then. yep, they are all going to make a good wage off tips, lol. Nope, instead Wal-mart has to make up the difference, so again no point in tipping.

Plus your Wal-mart analogy also ignores that people only tip when they feel a service has been provided, not just simply because they are told to do so.

Maybe that's why he is a "Former Manager"

Walmart is definitely the wrong store to use in his analogy...........but for ****s and giggles, let's say Larry's model was put into place and Wal-Mart now pays all employees $2-3 an hour and they have to make up the rest in tips. We have all been/shop at Wal-Mart, you've seen the people of Wal-Mart pictures. Does anyone really think most people/shoppers are actually going to tip?

They go to Wal-Mart for low prices.

[skinsmarydu]

I'm also a "former manager", of everything from Hardees, Arby's, and was once the GM of my restaurant. (Honestly, fired, then hired back.) When, upon my return, I was asked to take a management position again, I had to look at my owner and say "Are you high?"

I do very well, percentage-wise, and have no interest in the owner coming behind my back and telling the hispanics not to listen to me, I'm female, blah, blah. In their culture, I'm worth nothing, so that's that. Fine. You want (as an owner) to never be in your business, so you want to throw it on me AGAIN. Not gonna happen. I wait tables and tend bar, but you can keep your mgmt bull****.

And by the way, he's thanking God that I made him look at Obama for POTUS. His son (football player) had one of the most disastrous knee injury's I've ever heard of(worse than Robert's) and they won't come to a "lifetime limit" because of their son. He should be thanking me profusely. But he doesn't and won't.

[Redskins Diehard]

I delivered pizzas--Papa Johns and Dominos--for like five years while I was in school. I kept track of ALL the ****ty tippers; in a little address book with name, address and tip amount. I always wanted to start a website where people submit the info of ****ty tippers. Kinda like a way to put people on blast and shame them into tipping right. ****tytippers.com or something. Like I had serious discussions with a webpage developer about it but nothing came of it. Just wasn't sure how we could verify the info that people submitted

How does the "delivery charge" work? Some places have it...some don't. Not sure if those places you mentioned do or dont. Does that just go to the salary part of the income?

[DRSmith]

Maybe the pastor in question here can do the Christian thing and apologize for her actions, and ask the company to also forgive the waitress her indiscrition and give her back her job.

As Jesus said if you want forgiveness from God you must forgive those who sin against you.

[TheDoyler23]

[

Heard about a site like that back on 99.5 a few months ago.

Not sure if this is it: http://www.lousytippers.com/

I wonder how many of these outrage posts came from ****ty service? Not that stiffing the server is ever OK.

How does the "delivery charge" work? Some places have it...some don't. Not sure if those places you mentioned do or dont. Does that just go to the salary part of the income?

Pretty sure the chains pocket this as extra revenue, while the driver loses out in tips and destroys their car in the process.

[Kosher Ham]

How does the "delivery charge" work? Some places have it...some don't. Not sure if those places you mentioned do or dont. Does that just go to the salary part of the income?

Good question. I have always wondered about that. I see a 3 dollar delivery charge, and instead of tipping 5 bucks, I tip 2-3. I should explain also that I typically only order a meal costing less that 25 bucks. If it were more I would tip accordingly.

[Larry]

Maybe that's why he is a "Former Manager"

I dropped out of this thread because i made my point, and didn't see any point in responding to ignorant personal attacks.

Perhaps you should consider it?

[GhostofSparta]

How does the "delivery charge" work? Some places have it...some don't. Not sure if those places you mentioned do or dont. Does that just go to the salary part of the income?

Depends on the place. I worked as a driver for Pizza Hut for a couple of years out of college, and here's how it went for me.

Delivery charge: $2

-I get $.85. That's it, I got less than half of the delivery charge, despite people assuming (incorrectly, but even I couldn't blame them) that I got all of it. If you asked the manager, he would give you all kinds of BS about it covering the bags that keep the pizza warm, the signs on our cars, etc. The real reason was essentially a hidden inflation cover. When gas spiked and the prices of everything went up, they kept pizzas at $10. The delivery charge went a long way toward helping them keep costs down on the back of their drivers. If you can have 50 or so deliveries a day, that's an extra $50+ that the restaurant gets to keep at the small cost of drivers getting smaller tips. But that doesn't affect them, so why would they care?

Some places may be better or worse about it, but that was just my experience. When I first started, it was a $1 charge and I got $.85, so I wasn't mad, but when they bumped it to $2 and I didn't see a dime, that's when I got into it with my manager on more than one occasion. Luckily for me I was the only driver they could keep for more than 2 weeks at a time, so I had a little bit of leeway, but I wanted to make a point.

So drivers tend to get left in a rough spot where you can't expect people to pay $5 extra for delivery every time, but they don't have a choice paying a charge that you don't see most of. But that's also why people who tip drivers better get better/faster delivery than those who don't. You might not think that's fair, but we have bills to pay too.

[Redskins Diehard]

Good question. I have always wondered about that. I see a 3 dollar delivery charge, and instead of tipping 5 bucks, I tip 2-3. I should explain also that I typically only order a meal costing less that 25 bucks. If it were more I would tip accordingly.

I haven't been subtracting it from tip amount. But I also dont include it in amount I base my tip on.

[Dont Taze Me Bro]

I dropped out of this thread because i made my point, and didn't see any point in responding to ignorant personal attacks.

Perhaps you should consider it?

Im not attacking you Larry. It was a joke, lighten up a bit. But you did say you were a former manager and your logic on the Wal-Mart analogy really doesn't make any sense and based on what I read and how I interpreted your "point" and based on how other posters responded/reacted to your logic, I think it was a fair assessment to say that. Hell, you even pointed that out yourself, so I wouldn't consider it "calling you out" or "attacking" you. How can reiterating what you said be interpreted as attacking you.

In all fairness to you, it looks like you went way out on a limb and when you realized that it really was flawed logic/thinking, you just rode it out and continued to defend your "point". Because if you really believed your "point" I seriously doubt you would have been successful as a manager with that kind of logic. Or, you're smart and know when to put that jibberish aside and how to manage and work within the system. Now I have no idea if you were a crappy manager or one of the best in the companies/establishments you did manage in. Nor do I really care.

[skinsmarydu]

How does the "delivery charge" work? Some places have it...some don't. Not sure if those places you mentioned do or dont. Does that just go to the salary part of the income?

It really doesn't matter...tip the person.

Oprah (I know, I know) used to do a show at least once a year on "who to tip & how much". Like my hairdresser...she owns her shop, so she knows to steer you toward buying products for your hair instead of taking a tip.

[Larry]

Yeah, the whole "delivery charge" thing happened long after I left the restaurant business, but I figured it was a pretty safe bet that they weren't giving it to the drivers. (I think I've seen 5 or 7 dollar delivery charges, from the local Pizza Huts. And I guarantee that the driver isn't getting 7 bucks from every delivery. If he is, then I want that job.)

And, like you, I also assume that a lot of people see that charge, and assume that "this means I don't have to tip".

(OT, but I recently stopped ordering pizza from my local Pizza Hut, because they installed a recording on their phone line, so that you have to sit through Pizza Hut commercials (I don't know how many, I hung up when they started the second one), before they will even allow you to place an order.)

[big#44]

Commercials during phone calls now. sigh*. That said I can't remember the last time I called a major pizza chain to place an order. I do everything online. Heck even Jimmy Johns has an online ordering system.

[Kosher Ham]

You can order online Larry.

I just want a real explanation from someone who is a former driver like GACOLB.

But I agree if they are getting 7 buck and then a tip on top of it per delivery...that sounds like a profitable and interesting job...on top of getting paid hourly.

haha.

[Redskins Diehard]

It really doesn't matter...tip the person.

Oprah (I know, I know) used to do a show at least once a year on "who to tip & how much". Like my hairdresser...she owns her shop, so she knows to steer you toward buying products for your hair instead of taking a tip.

I'll keep that in mind next time I am at your hairdresser shop.

Now...thanks to those that actually answered the question.

[TheGoodBits]

But I agree if they are getting 7 buck and then a tip on top of it per delivery...that sounds like a profitable and interesting job...on top of getting paid hourly.

haha.

Was offered a job as a delivery guy in summer 2007- turned it down because I was trying to sell the car and didnt want to run up the miles. The offer was $6/hr, $1 per delivery, plus tip. Not sure what their delivery charge was, probably $2 though. Think what the driver gets from the delivery charge is usually around enough, or not quite enough, to cover the gas.

[Jumbo]

Like many folks with advanced degrees these days, I am considering a shift to the server industry, and perhaps pizza delivery in particular---though I'd have to get rid of the Hummer to save on gas.

I appreciate hearing what the tips are like out there (personally, I'm a big tipper).

[shakinaiken]

Interesting. I have a friend who swears that the worst tippers are doctors.

Anyhow, what a jerk. And I guess I understand why Applebee's fired the waitress who posted the thing, but it's kind of sad that they are such wusses.

And shame on everyone for going into an Applebees in the first place.

As a current server, i can confrim your friend's claims. Iterestingly enough, i've found that the best tippers are middle class families. Wealthier people tend to tip less for some reason, as well as less fortunate families( at least from i pervieve).

[skinsmarydu]

OK, Redskins Diehard...you caught me in a moment. I've been serving food since I was 15. After 2 years, 6 days, 8 hrs, and 25 mins in the USN, I've waited tables and bartended on a knee that the Navy didn't want anymore. I've bought a home and kept it for 10 years with no roommates. Sold home, got married. My husband is very happy with what I bring in, because my integrity to the job makes me higher percentages per check/table than most because I truly enjoy (most of) my guests...who ask for me, usually. Even if I got a receipt like the one we're referencing, you'd never know about it. I have posted about special uberly-gracious tips, though.

Like on Cinco de Mayo...had a large table of black folks who had just opened a hair salon nearby. Upon their departure, a table of other folks asked me if they'd tipped me properly as (in HIS words)"they usually don't".

As it turned out, the large table of "they usually don'ts" were FFFAAAAARRRRR more generous than the idiot criticizing them. They left me MORE THAN 50%.

If you do your job well, and treat everyone the same, all is good.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

How does the "delivery charge" work? Some places have it...some don't. Not sure if those places you mentioned do or dont. Does that just go to the salary part of the income?

The delivery charge is a fairly new thing. And it's been in affect everywhere I've worked. $2 is the go to. The driver's normally get half of that. It serves two purposes: a) an extra stream of revenue for the company, and to cover gas for the drivers. Also, as gas prices change, the amount the driver gets also goes up or down as a result. By 5 or 10 cents, here or there. IIRC, at Dominos, every two weeks they would look at the average cost of gas in the state of Virginia and than adjust how much of the delivery charge the driver gets accordingly.

Like many folks with advanced degrees these days, I am considering a shift to the server industry, and perhaps pizza delivery in particular---though I'd have to get rid of the Hummer to save on gas.

I appreciate hearing what the tips are like out there (personally, I'm a big tipper).

Funny, also thinking about starting back up. Just on the weekends. Could really use the extra money.

Now what to expect, it really depends on where you live. For one example, out in the country, you normally get, on average, lesser tips. When I first started, I would make $150-200 on weekends and maybe $80-100 during the week. That changed when the economy crashed. That $150-200 on weekends dropped to $100-120. Weekdays were really rough. Going from $80-100 a night to almost half that--$40-70. There were some nights where I would make $20 in tips. Just absolutely brutal. And this is in the DC area, where the local economy was impacted less than pretty much the ENTIRE rest of the country.

That said, things had started to get better when I left--about two years ago. I'm not sure where it's at now.

Also, looking back on it it all, I really loved that job. I enjoy the hell out of driving and to get paid for it was just great. I really do truly miss it. And I'm really considering quitting my current office job (ugh), getting back on driving and going back to school (to do something I actually want to do for a career--teach. History.) Just with recent events--deaths in the family, moving, etc--don't currently have enough money saved up to do it. My company has started to layoff people (no one here in DC office...yet) and I think I sorta kinda wouldn't mind if I got laid off and got a little severance package.

Anyway, let me know whatever questions you have. Like I said, I did it for five years, multiple companies, and stores (IIRC five in total) across the area--from Alexandria to Gainesville (my home store). I consider myself somewhat of an expert.

---------- Post added February-3rd-2013 at 04:47 PM ----------

Brilliant idea, and i'm actually surprised it hasn't been done already. The only way I could think of verifying it would be with a picture of the receipt maybe?

Yeah that's what we came up with. It's so easy to fake a receipt though.

Its weird; I've known some people who are very good tippers when they're out at a restaurant or something but when it comes to tipping a pizza delivery person they suddenly get cheap. It doesn't seem malicious since they're not bad people, but it just seems like they don't really give them as much thought as service industry people as they do waiters, etc. Possibly because they don't see them except for when they arrive? Out of sight out of mind. In a restaurant you see your server busting his/her ass the whole time but you don't see the pizza delivery guy busting his ass to get all his orders to people on time, driving all over town, etc.

I've never delivered pizzas but I've had friends who did and I've been a waiter in the past so I always tip delivery folks well. I also learned that they have very good memories (or maybe write stuff down like you ), so they would remember me and when I ordered I would always get my food quickly and many times they would throw in an extra side or drink. Treat people well and show appreciation and respect for the work they do and service they provide to you and it comes back around.

I think another thing that people don't realize, is how much the drivers are involved in making your food. I mean I was making pizzas, putting together the salads, cooking the hot wings, etc and then delivering them. It wasn't just me putting bags in my car and driving. I was involved in the entire process. On top of that, I'm paying for my own gas, putting miles on my car, all of that. My ex was a server/bartender and it used to kill me when she would make more than me.

[Bubble Screen]

You can order online Larry.

I just want a real explanation from someone who is a former driver like GACOLB.

But I agree if they are getting 7 buck and then a tip on top of it per delivery...that sounds like a profitable and interesting job...on top of getting paid hourly.

haha.

I'm with you. If there is a delivery charge, then I'm not tipping the driver what I normally would. Say I had a $20 order. I'd normally give the guy 3 or 4 bucks. 5 if he gets there on time, or faster.

[isle-hawg]

**** this cheap ass **** -pastor my ass he wants everyone fired? Hope he rots in hell with the pastor and congregation of the Westboro baptist church! **** Applebees too for firing her - I will not go there again.