Thursday, January 31, 2013

Hot Tip

This photo is going viral:

PastorTip

And here’s the background:

The pastor was part of a party of 20 who ate at this server’s restaurant. Like many American restaurants, this particular one has a policy of adding an automatic 18% tip for large parties. It’s something the computer does automatically, not something the server has any control over. According to the server, the pastor and his party tried to get around the automatic 18% tip by asking for separate checks, even though the same man was paying for the whole table. The server says that everyone was happy with the service; they just didn’t like the idea of a compulsory tip. The result? The pastor scribbled out the tip, leaving none at all, and adding the note, “I give God 10%. Why do you get 18?”

Having worked as a waiter, I’ve had that happen to me, too.  Once someone left me a bible tract, saying that it was much more precious than money.  I asked them how many of those would add up to my rent payments.  The owner of the restaurant saw what happened.  She stormed out of the kitchen and told the pastor and his family to get their sorry asses out and not to come back ever.

I wonder what makes these people think they’re doing a good job of selling their faith to others if they act like cheap poltroons.

HT to JMG.

19 barks and woofs on “Hot Tip

  1. Um, don’t mess with the people who serve your food…you may not want to go back, like, ever after doing something like this – folks remember the jerks like this and word does get around.

  2. I have worked in restaurants a lot, and you try taking care of a table of 20, it is not easy. In Ohio a server makes half of minimum wage. They work hard. If people did not tip, there would be no servers. I always tip well because I understand what they are going through. I bet Jesus would have been a great tipper! Some church groups are downright miserly.

    • Last summer while in Ohio, Russ and I went to a steak house we really like in Urbana. Russ was served promptly and about 20 mins. later my entree came and it was cold. They took my server off the floor because a crowd had come in; meanwhile my entree sat at the counter cooling. Boy did I complain, she gave us two free meals next time and I gave those tickets to two people sitting next to us. No tip please. I paid up front before the cold steak was served.

  3. Never mind, too, that the 10% does not go to God. As the pastor, he receives a portion of what his congregation tithes.

  4. I suppose this is one driving force behind the Teahad: “I give 10% to Gawd, I shouldn’t give more than that to Big Gubmint.” Someone please read them Mark 10:17-31 one more time.

    As for this a##hat, his 10%, as jeanne marie, isn’t the whole story. That probably amounts to 0.01% of his parish’s budget. He may be “giving 10%” but he’s likely taking back another 2000% or more in direct compensation, and his basic living expenses aren’t drawn from that (his rectory is paid for by the parish, transport is likely parish vehicles, etc). This whole argument goes back to the bad old days, when the monastic orders (especially the Franciscans, Dominicans and Cistercians) preached poverty for the Church and Rome denounced said doctrine as heresy.

    I for one am heartily sick of “religious” persons fleecing their flocks while crying poverty; demanding “tithes” from their congregations to pay for their mansions, yachts and fleets of exotic cars; denouncing public sector spending while doing little for their congregants; and other various hypocritical statements and actions at odds with the tenets of their professed faith. The genius in question here, in following the requirements of his “faith,” should have been happily adding 25% to the bill to help the poor server rather than griping about the 18% the restaurant tacked on.

    • Organized religion is simply another form of business. As it happens people belong to the little church around the corner for the human contacts and socialization. You find women of a certain age loyally filling the pews in order to break up the day and find companionship in the old rituals, the old friends and the old songs. I’m not sure the pastor gets rich tending the flock or visiting the sick, but the leadership, the owners of all that untaxed property sure do.

    • I agree that this “pastor” is a jerk, but I must point out that, contrary to some people’s perceptions, all the churches are not rolling in dough. The congregation I belong to is facing a very tight budget this year, and we pay our pastor a decent salary but she does not have free housing, car, etc. on top of that.

      • The point here is – as you say – it’s likely that this church does indeed pay its pastor “a decent salary” (at least decent enough to take a bunch of people to lunch). He’s griping about reasonable compensation for someone working at sub-minimum wage levels and depending on those tips to survive.

        I don’t doubt that there are poor parishes: I’ve seen my share of those. But FFS can the leaders of the faithful stop bleating about oppression, poverty and religious liberty – especially when they turn around and make ugly statements like this jerk? He obviously hasn’t considered that, if he’s taking 19 others to lunch – for whatever reason – and an 18% tip is personally offensive to him (as opposed to just difficult), then he’s overpaid.

        • I’m with you on that. I don’t know how anybody could think making dickish comments on receipts is a good “witness” to servers making minimum wage (or less)plus tips.

  5. Is $6.28 really going to bust the budget? “God” doesn’t need money, people do. Also, 20 people having a meal for $35.00? What’d they have? Bread and water?

  6. Yeah, that is some generous Jesus-pushing there, that is. I suddenly “get” the current fad of ‘steampunk’ goggles…it is to keep the astonished eyeballs from rolling out of their sockets and getting dusty on the floor!

  7. Why is he giving God money?
    What is God doing with money?
    Why would God need money?

    If you want to give money to God, where do you post it to? Not like God has a direct deposit account at Bank of America.

    If he means he’s giving 10% (of what?) to some religious organization – that’s not quite the same as giving it to God, is it now… A religious organization is NOT God. Indeed, to call it god wouldn’t that be idolatry or something?

  8. The pastor in question, who is female, by the way, has been posting all sorts of apologies once the picture went viral. She says she now realizes how petty she was.

    Too little, too late.

  9. Many years ago I worked one summer as a waitress. The first lesson is that some folks tip and some folks don’t and it has little or nothing to do with the service. The second lesson acquired is entrenched dread of “church groups.” They come in hordes, demand lots of service, and leave religious pamphlets instead of a tip.

    GOD needs the money? For what? The pastor isn’t God, the congregation isn’t God, the building isn’t God. Someone is confused on top of being a congenital ass.

    As for being a “poor” church, congregation, or pastor – if you can’t afford to eat out, then don’t do it. I seem to recall a steady succession of covered dish events at my childhood church.

    Just my experience and opinion… 🙂

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