US waitress was fired for posting a picture of a tip receipt on Reddit

The tip in question was really a service charge for serving larger groups. While leaving a tip is not mandatory, businesses have a lot more leeway in adding on extra fees and whatnot, especially if it is already outlined somewhere (e.g. on the menu).

That being said, making it a mandatory charge usually means that it's separate from being considered a tip for tax purposes.

I am surprised that everyone saw this from one side. I was making an argument that the "pastor" has received a lot of undue criticism all because she made ONE comment on a receipt after ONE meal. Now, her small 15 person church is receiving a bunch of scrutiny and being mocked...from papers across the globe. If the "waitress" did not POST the picture on the Internet then the pastor would have been left alone. Is it possible the waitress overreacted to the customer's one comment on tips?

It has been a while since I waited tables but we were always happy and respectable to all guests, we didn't worry about a person NOT giving tips. We were just glad for the visit. Did it ever matter? It is all about the averages, you may get a good tip at one table and a bad tip at another. You never disrespect the customer by trying to insult them online.

On religion and her being a pastor (of a 15 member church). Why should we expect rational, conscientious behavior from some random pastor? The world is shocked that she didn't want to give a tip and then made a reference a God while doing so. It is religion, I don't expect thought-out, kind behavior from religious people. Why should we? They are just people and are going to make these kind of snide comments just like anyone else.

"In light of the situation, I would like to make a statement on behalf of wait staff everywhere: We make $3.50 an hour. Most of my paychecks are less than pocket change because I have to pay taxes on the tips I make."

She knows that if you make less than the non-server minimum wage then the company is supposed to pay you the rest of the wages to meet the minimum wage rate. So, they don't entirely make less than the federal minimum wage rate. And I was a waiter, a lot of people didn't report ALL the tips that they earned to avoid the taxes. Should we make sure she is being accurate in her tax reporting?

The point is not whether enough identifying information could be obtained this time, but rather the fact that she (arguably) did not really consider that when posting the image, and that she could do it again (and this time reveal enough identifying information). Had she tilted the camera a bit further down the whole signature would've been visible.

Imagine an employee in a company accidentally leaks some user data, which does not really contain personally identifying information. I don't think it's completely unjustifiable to fire this person even though no damage was done.

Of course the owners of the restaurant could've dealt with the situation a lot nicer (warning her about the potential danger instead of firing her). But I don't blame them for taking the more drastic measure that they did (not saying that I would've done the same).

Wages for a lot of the positions you described are adjusted to take into account the fact they receive tips (in the case of serving people, 18%).

"It seems I was fired not because Applebee’s was represented poorly..."

Actually, that is probably why she was fired. Saying something publicly about a customer, especially in a way that could look bad for the customer, does not reflect well on the restaurant.

If you interact with customers, it's your job at risk. The customer is sometimes, but often not, risking much by being rude in one way or another. Is it fair? Maybe not. But that's unlikely to be a productive discussion.