As I am wont to do, I spent a good portion of my day today scanning the Facebook pages of various restaurant chains to see if I could find anything that would inspire me to sit my lazy ass down at the computer and write a story. Lo and behold, the Applebee’s page was a treasure trove of idiocy. One after another, I read customers’ comments and couldn’t decide which post would be the one that would awake the lazy sleeping bitch inside my soul. And then I saw Judith’s comment. Like a moth to a flame, my eyes were drawn to it because every word of it made my nostril hairs tingle and my ears twitch. The pure cluelessness, entitlement, and self-centeredness of the post was ripe for a Bitchy Waiter takedown and here it comes and, like projectile diarrhea, this takedown is about to spew from me.
It appears that Judith took her granddaughter to Applebee’s to celebrate her last year as a pre-teen. Being 12 years old and painfully aware of the embarrassment of being at Applebee’s with her grandma, the young lady specifically requested that the staff not sing “Happy Birthday” to her. (I already like the child about 1000% more than her grandmother.) Much to the surprise and delight of Grandma, their server Chrissie still brought out a birthday sundae to celebrate the momentous occasion. “The food was delicious and Chrissie was great!” crows Grandma.
But then it turns bad. Real bad.
“We don’t tip on our bank cards and discovered we didn’t have the cash to give her the tip she deserved. But we’ll make up for that on our next visit! Chrissie, you really made her day!”
Hold up, Grandma. Did you just announce to the world that you basically stiffed Chrissie because you refuse to leave tips on credit cards? What kind of bullshit excuse is that? If you didn’t have the cash to tip her what she deserved, then the only logical thing for you to do was to get over your weird, paranoid, fear of leaving a tip on a credit card. Do you think that by not tipping it keeps the portal to your bank account closed? It doesn’t. Once the credit card is swiped or chipped, that portal’s open, honey. Wide open like a hungry power bottom at a leather daddy pool party. If you know for a fact that you never leave tips on credit cards, then it is your responsibility as a diner to make sure you have cash in your purse, pocketbook, brassiere, sock or tucked inside your back fat. Simply going to the Facebook page of Applebee’s and thanking your server is not enough. Well, I’m sure what you would have left as a cash tip wouldn’t be enough either, but this really isn’t enough. Chrissie can’t pay her bills with “good job.”
And to say that you will catch her the next time is another load of crap and you know it. You just expect Chrissie to be at Applebee’s at anytime in the future, day or night, just so you can tip her what she deserves? What if she has the day off the next time you take your ass up there for a Sweet Asian Pineapple Burger, what then? I know what then. You slide that five dollar bill back into your greasy back fat and say, “Oh well, we tried.” If you really want to make sure Chrissie gets the tip she deserves, you go back up there and give it to a manager in a sealed envelope and also inside that envelope is a letter of apology for not tipping her in the first place.
Judith, you meant well and I’m sorry to come down so hard on you. Maybe it’s been a while since you’ve had anyone come down hard on you, but it was time for that to happen. You’re welcome. I suspect that this Facebook post will be deleted very soon because you will see the error of your ways. Once you delete the post, I hope you will do the right thing and make sure Chrissie get the tip she earned. If you don’t do it for Chrissie, then do it for your granddaughter. The best birthday gift you can give her is a lesson on how to be a good tipper. That’s a gift that will last forever and will always keep on giving.
Sharon Summers
I’m sorry but you chose the career of relying on tips knowing people can and will be cheap. If it’s such a pain find another career path. If you cannot, then suck it up buttercup because that’s the world we live in. You will be tipped generously, over generously, or stiffed. That’s the business. So sick of all the tip ranting. We are already paying the restaurant for our food so if you suck as a waitress/waiter you will be stiffed. Point blank. End of sentence. Period. WE are not your employer/ boss therefore, we are not responsible for you paying your bills. I will tip almost the amount of the paycheck because I’ve been blessed enough to have great waitresses and/or waiters but if I come across one that is not, I will probably be tipping only 10%. Just an FYI.
-The Bitchy Unapologetic Customer
Maria
I spent the majority of my adult life serving in restaurants, from casual to five star, and everything in between. We don’t know all of the facts in this case, because we weren’t there. What I can tell you, is that it’s never a guarantee that customers will tip. The word TIPS is an acronym for “To Insure Proper Service.” It is customary to leave a 20% gratuity, if you’ve received proper service. As a career server, I will forgive anything except a bad attitude and rudeness, when I’m deciding upon a tip. The advice I have for servers is to always be pleasant, and try your very best to create the ultimate dining experience for all of your guests, and you will earn phenomenal tips! Also remember, it all averages out in the long run to be a pretty nice living, if you are in a great location.
Watergirl
Dear readers… My mom is a server amd I dont think its right to stiff people… But its also not right to trash talk people on the internet!!!
You’ll need to apoligize for everything bad ya’ll have said, I agree she should find her server and pay her for all of that.. But still!! ???
VA Lady
Dear Watergirl,
methinks you don’t quite grasp the Internet as a whole, and the BW site specifically.
J-Mo
This makes no sense. Why would someone bother to broadcast the fact that they didn’t tip someone what was deserved because of fear of using credit cards? Did Judith expect Applebee’s to make up the extra to Chrissie based on her obviously reliable say-so? (after all, we have it on good internet authority that she both loves AND fears God).
This was just a dumb and vague Facebook post that didn’t need to be made public, so if anybody deserves blame for oversharing (and subsequently being dragged) it’s Judith. Next time you can’t tip what you think the server is truly worth… keep it to yourself.
J
Good Job Bitchy!!!
Katy
Let me refer you to Chrissy’s landlord, I’m sure they accept IOUs as well ??
Sam
I work at an Applebees & believe me when I say people r fuckin’ cheap ! I’ve worked in the restaurant business since I was 14 & am now 38 & have never come across such cheap ass people, until I started workin’ there !!!
Rebecca Gibbs
Mrs Judith,DID INDEED TIP…just thought the girl deserved more cash than she had. She is very kind and loving and a God fearing woman…. she thinks of others and is so kind hearted….. I know a family that was struggling and she found out and helped them she didn’t ask for acknowledgement actually she does so many nice things for everyone. If you want some one to say a prayer for you give you a hug or just need a friendly hello you will find that in Judy every day hour week year not a day goes by that she thinks of herself.i say let’s have a be kind to Judy day…and as for the waitress at Applebees ….if the ones ranting don’t think Judy left enough then why don’t YALL send tips to her at Applebees instead of bashing this wonderful woman.
Bugsy
I had a feeling that Judith’s review was taken out of context. I’m a fan of the BW but he needs to be a little more careful about dragging people’s names through dirt. I think an apology is in order. Still, where do you get off chastising everyone here in the comments? They were simply responding to something they were misled to believe. Nobody here has a problem with people who actually tip, it’s those that stiff the server. So, no, nobody here saying Judith didn’t tip enough, if she did in fact leave a tip at all.
Lee
I can’t tell either if she meant she had cash to tip an appropriate amount, but not the extra extra she wanted to, or if she meant she totally stiffed the waitress.
I’d like to hope she meant ‘we tipped Chrissy our usual 20%, and wish we had the cash on us to tip even more because she was wonderful and had to sing the stupid corporate birthday song’. I really need to not have hope in these situations, probably.
Judith Brogdon
Thank you Lee for understanding exactly what I meant! I could have matched the check and , in my opinion, it still wouldn’t have been enough!
Winston Legthigh
WTF Rebecca… hugs and a friendly hello don’t pay the damn rent.
Wendy Johnson
Excuse me but Ms Judy did not say she didn’t top her waitress she simply stated she disnt have the cash to tip what she deserved!! What she deserved was well beyond the 20%!! So before you go trashing someone’s name get your facts straight!! Ms Judy is one of the sweetest, most caring ladies you’d ever meet. She would give her last dollar to someone in need. She is a God loving, warm hearted, extremely caring person. And no, her granddaughter isn’t embarrassed to be seen with her but absolutely loves her to death amd would have her involved in every aspect of her life.
Jaye
I think You were right on point!! ( luv the back fat bit!!! Not leaving on a credit card is complete B S !!! & there is no next time!! Can’t pay bills ‘next time’!! Well done!!!
Katie
My 14 yo son asked me about tipping and how much people should tip. He said, “What if the server is super grouchy?” I said, “As long as they bring me what I ordered and any drinks and condiments I need, they get 20%. If they do anything over and above that, it goes up from there.” I’ve never worked as a server but it just seems right. Because of this, I cn rarely afford to eat out! ?
I never thought about tipping in cash but after reading one of the other comments, I think it sounds like a good idea.
Courtney
Awww that’s so great you’re teaching your son about tipping, not even being a server yourself. I am a single mother of 3, working as a server full time. I support my family with tips. I can’t afford to eat out either! ? lol
Kim
I actually had a guest realize they’d left 15 cents not 15% on their bill. They mailed me a $30 check to my place of biz with a sweet note.
That ended up being a 30% tip ?
Kate
“Wide open like a hungry power bottom at a leather daddy pool party.“ ??? I love your writing, so funny!
Jordana Hayes
“Tucked away in your back fat”???
Cameron Rose
I try to avoid leaving tips on credit cards. I know servers get dinged for processing fees also I am fearful management may force them to do pooled tips, or some other shenanigans. I leave tips in cash. but if I forget to get cash I PUT IT ON THE CARD. what is wrong with you Judith?
Katy
Exactly! Every server would prefer cash over a card tip, but would also prefer any tip over no tip. Compliments don’t pay rent. “Thank you” doesn’t pay rent. Apologies don’t pay rent (or mortgages or bills or whatever, everyone’s situation is different). Imagine if, in lieu of a paycheck, your boss said, “hey thank you, you smiled a lot this week and you’re really cute. Thanks!” Then seductively winked at you on the way out. That, to some extent, is what servers deal with daily. Your tip is our livelihood, we appreciate everything, but please remember why we’re all here ?
Kelly
Fyi Servers have to tip out %5 of their TOTAL SALES, NOT % 5 of their tips. We are also taxed on our total sales AND most restaurants from Niagara Falls to Toronto that I am aware of pay the house % 2 for using the restarants credit/debit machine. We also have to pay the bill for anyone that decides to skip out on the bill. We have to attend staff meetings and training on our day off. When you see your server wearing a company shirt, nametag, apron or hat we pay for those too and the kitchen staff pay about $3 per shift for their uniform to be laundered. We also pay for anything we eat or drink other than water or pop. The government also assumes that every diner tips %20 of the bill so we pay income taxes based on out total sales for the year. We are also docked a 30 minute break for every 5 hours we work. I just worked 11-12 hours a day from Thursday to Monday. I never once got those breaks.
If you really believe tipping is morally wrong and that you are going to change a system that has been in place for decades have the integrity to tell your server at the start of your meal so he or she can divide their time accordingly. As a server I would still make sure you have everything you need but I will spend the extra 30 seconds I have talking to people I share similar values with. That also gives me time to tell my manager the situation in hopes they will allow me to ring the bill in under takeout so that I won’t have to pay out of my pocket for your personal beliefs.
There are many causes I hold near and dear to my heart and issues I’m willing to take a stand for, I realize there may be consequences to taking that stand. If I have true integrity I have to stand up and be accountable for my beliefs. As you should if you don’t believe in tipping.