Something something I'm superior something something bootstraps something something I'm not a troll.

And you just had to throw in that you are not a troll? Bwahahaha!

I enjoy all manner of indie restaurants, from diners to Fine Dining.

I love to throw down large tips at the lower rungs. Those people are working their asses off. Sometimes, I would like to think, a few large tips just might encourage some real talent to hang in there and move up the ladder.

"almost forty years"

Wow...

the names and signatures of customers who praise Applebees on their own facebook.

Without their consent, or if people "like" Applebees on facebook?

Not being snarky. If so, that is pretty hypocritical.

I saw that somewhere but forgot. The fact that it's one location and not Applebees HQ or whatever, and that they've since taken it down, sounds like you're right.

I'm not defending Applebees, and I'm not glad the kid lost her job. I was almost fired myself once, for something less blatant. Live and learn. I hope she gets a better job soon.

this one shouldn't have been either.

if they did they would have said so, instead of taking it down after having it pointed out. They did exactly and precisely what they fired that waitress for. It is plain hypocrisy.

I was going to if it wasn't already in the thread.



Sid

"Tell Us how We Did", ask for consent to use your name in testimonials.

and the issue is the signature, not the comment. They fired the waitress, or so they said, for posting the SIGNATURE of a customer. A SIGNATURE they consider private and not to be shared.

I don't patronize Applebee's for a variety of reasons, but there is a difference between posting a comment from a satisfied customer, and holding up a customer to public ridicule. Applebee's turned a public relations mistake, (the waitress's post) into a nightmare by firing her. Stupidity is its own punishment.

I would bet the farm that they didn't have permission to post a SIGNATURE.

I, for one, truly appreciate a good server no matter the price range of the menu.

I share your views on Applebees and their ilk and am ever grateful that the indies maintain a strong presence in my area.

and I understand her wanting to embarrass the asshole that didn't tip her but I agree that she shouldn't have put identifiable info on the web. She could have just as easily blurred out the actual name and other identifying info. Maybe that would have been less satisfying but it would have probably saved her job.

On the other hand, I agree also about Applebees "food" so I have to think losing that job wasn't a life killer.

And I don't go out to restaurants unless I know I can tip my server well. My pizza delivery guy knows me and we take good care of each other. Even the Chinese take-out place I stop and pick up from (because they don't deliver) knows I appreciate them and they do right by me. They get a couple extra bucks in the jar and I get lots of duck and soy sauce and plump bag of the new crunchy noodles. Not that old crap that's been sitting around. That's for non-tippers.

has said she did so because she thought it was illegible. It wasn't too bad for some facebook detectives to figure out.

IMO if she'd blurred the signature, no problem.

I'd say that's license enough for me for her to post it. If you're so proud of being an bigoted, cheap, judgmental god-tickler that you're going to have a freaking signed card bragging about it, then don't expect your pride to be kept someone's little secret. She deserves the support she is getting, and should not have been fired.

His expectation of privacy is - and should be - much lower.

It was a female pastor.But you make a good point.

Unfortunately, at least from my long experience in service jobs, there are certain groups where tipping is much less frequent (for example, certain H1B guest workers will usually NOT tip, but they will ask for blank receipts so they can submit fraudulent expense claims, and cuss you out if you refuse). Not sure what a culturally sensitive way of educating them would be - does anyone have any advice?

... I agree with a lot of it but not all.

Here's a dirty little secret about minimum wage jobs. They are a dime a dozen. If you are working for squat you can find another working for squat job in a heartbeat.

There are advantages to this. The level of real crap you have to put up with is somewhat lower than what you would with a job that pays enough that finding another job at that pay would be dicey.

So, I still applaud the the person who outed that small, small diner, and I'm betting she will not have that much trouble finding a comparable job.

Maybe if people fear their life being turned upside down, they will correct their behavior and act in a more acceptable fashion.

I really think they could have handled it better. Maybe probation or something? I don`t buy that the Pastors privacy was invaded as she was only too happy to write that snarky remark for the server to see, she was just upset that more people saw what she wrote than she had intended. You are right though, about not letting the nasty customers get you down. It is one of the many reasons I no longer do work like that!

I'm sorry that the young server lost her job. But I have to agree that putting someones identifying info on line would not be something I would do. When you work with the public for any length of time, you realize that while the vast majority of people are actually pretty nice. There are of course those members of the public,who let's face it, shouldn't be allowed out in public. You have to learn to let things go in one ear and out the other. The customer was an asshat. It happens.

I totally agree with the OP about not eliminating tips. There isn't a restaurant around that would/could pay their servers what I average an hour. And if their was, most people couldn't afford to eat there. I may never be wealthy, but I have also been able to make a decent living working about 26 hours/4 nights a week.

I worked in a restaurant that attracted upper-middle class and upper-class customers on the west coast. I would not characterize the public in general as "nice" to servers, nor did anyone make a "decent living" as a minimum-wage plus some tips worker. Vast majority of the servers had no health insurance, barely were able to pay for their bills, car repairs, rent, etc. -- not to mention children and/or a family.

Do you expect a tip for serving this word salad?



RL

TIP to insure prompt service, is still valid today especially if your a regular. I don't throw hundreds out, I make sure they know I appreciate their attention. That little extra says something....sometimes I'm a little short and I get them the next time.

I understand everything that you are saying and agree to some extent, but one thing I find really concerning about the mis-handling is a pastor, a person who places THEMSELVES on a public pedestal, did something to someone that she did not want other people to know about. That kind of hypocrisy in those who assume emotional and psychological "power" or at least influence over others is not something that we should just turn a blind eye to. If pastors can't "take the heat, they should get out of the kitchen". So I'm glad the waitress did what she did and I'm concerned that Applebees found it sooooooo important to demonstrate vindictiveness for religion? for a customer? because I just don't think that was entirely necessary. They could have sought alternative solutions with all concerned parties that would have been better for everyone involved. They chose to demonstrate their power and lack of compassion for someone who may have been a better employee if they had respected her enough to try to approach it that way.

Oh, we don't complain much if they smoke or drink wine or like to play golf rather than spending all their time at the hospital, but when it comes to un Christian behavior like stiffing a waitress, one of "the least of these," people tend to get upset at the extremely poor example a supposed representative of Christ is showing.

God doesn't need a dime of that 10% and in any case, biblical tithing was what you were supposed to give to the poor, not to a church or its pastor. However, that waitress needed to eat and put a roof over her head and worked hard for that tip.

I have no patience with people who are rude to wait staff or anyone else in the business of dealing with the general public. I've been there and done that and know how hard the jobs are.

That preacher needed to go home and read what's in that book she waves at her congregation. I think she'd be very surprised by what is in it and what is not. Instead of calling the restaurant and throwing her weight around, she owed that waitress an apology.

And the tip.

What I found most interesting about the unfolding events was the righteous mob mentality online. I read a bunch of stuff -- some of which I agreed with, but much of which I found to be the rantings of a mob, which is a sad and scary thing to see.

My ex husband was a bartender at a major hotel for over 10 years. He was in the union. Except for him ultimately becoming an alcoholic, the job wasn't bad. The wages were low, but decent. The tips made a big, big difference. The union benefits made the most difference of all, because we had medical benefits and he had a pension plan.

I am pro-union all the way (salary, benefits, protections, the works), but in a service industry the customer is king and that is all there is to it. They are the only reason your job exists.

That's all from me. Thanks for your input.

Hekate