Via Between Two Worlds, at Relevant Magazine, there is a painful description of destructive "witnessing." How much do you tip?
Sunday night at a restaurant in a small southern town—a formula that equates a post-apocalyptic battle zone....The greatest damage to the cause of the Kingdom is often done by those who profess loyalty to it.
Friday and Saturdays are probably just as busy as any Sunday night, however there is an intriguing dynamic that comes into play on Sunday. That dynamic is the “Christian table.”
....I ran around for the better part of an hour getting them dozens of teas, getting their kids another egg and wiping up where they had spilled their drinks because their parents were too into whatever it was they were talking about. They all split their checks, but they didn't sit in any kind of order; they were all scattered about and expected me to know without asking who was together and who was separate. On top of this they were rude and acted as though I was an annoyance to them, unless they needed something.
They didn't even leave 10 percent. And for a person who lives off of the income from tips, that hurt.
Normally, I'd be pretty angry if a 10-person group stiffed me like that, but not angry enough to write an article about it. However on this occasion due to the interesting circumstances, I feel it is necessary. Here's why:
When other servers got word that I had the "Church table" they all immediately patted me on the back and told me everything would be all right. My “non-Christian” co-workers automatically volunteered to help me out because they knew what was coming. They told me that I might as well not waste my time by trying hard at this table, because they were going to be rude and leave me next to nothing. The entire staff at the restaurant, including the manager on duty, had nothing but contempt for this group of people—the Church people—because time and again they come in and treat the staff like second-class citizens.
I went out to dinner last Friday with some co-workers. We are all Christians. I tried to make sure that I left a good tip. We all had separate checks and I paid with my credit card, but left $10 on cash behind for my part. My total was under $40 so I feel I did my part.
ReplyDeleteI agree that tipping good - especially when the servers KNOW you are a Christian - is very important. 20% is a good rule of thumb.