Brian Palmer's article at Slate reminds us that the pious should tip with more than mere pieties:
When Applebee’s tried to impose an automatic 18 percent tip last week on the bill of St. Louis pastor Alois Bell [her party met the 8-person minimum], she crossed it out, reduced the tip to zero, and added the note, “I give God 10%, why do you get 18?”* A waitress posted the receipt online, earning Bell nationwide derision and the server a pink slip for violating Bell’s “right to privacy,” according to Applebee’s. Over the weekend, the restaurant chain suffered an avalanche of criticism. More than 20,000 angry Facebook commenters responded to the company’s attempts to explain its decision to fire the offending waitress. [...]Pastor Thomas Steagald recalls this sad encounter his daughter had waiting tables at Chili's:
Long before Alois Bell stiffed her server on religious grounds, American waiters complained about the Sunday afternoon crowd leaving Bible quotes in lieu of cash tips. A 2012 study by Cornell University tipping expert Michael Lynn showed that Jews and people with no religion tip better than self-identified Christians.
A group of six church-goers came in last night after their evening services ... one of them said, “We want to tell you up front that we will not be tipping you tonight because...” Are you ready? “...we do not believe in people working on Sunday.”
