Generous or Stingy?

For many years I have heard what stingy tippers Christians can be. Many times a large group of Christians will invade a restaurant all at the same time, sit all together at the same table, all order special orders with specific requests (water no lemon, water no ice, try and substitute when the menu says otherwise, change the order after its been given to the kitchen, order extra things later on) – then complain when everything isn't perfect. They grab a waiter or busboy who's not servicing their table and make requests, and get mad when their request isn't fulfilled. They exhibit no compassion for the busy employees. Had they had the big dinner at someone's house would they treat the hostess so rudely? The Golden Rule is completely forgotten.

Then when it comes time to pay they go over the bill item by item. If one little thing went wrong with the meal they won't leave a tip. They figure out what 10 or 15% is down to the penny, then usually round down. Sometimes they demand a free meal. These Christian customers forget that they may be the only Christians these waiters every see. Why would they want to go to church? Most waiters are young and post-modern. They are drawn to people based on how they act, not what they say. They are smart enough to see the difference.

I learned about being a good tipper many years ago from my great longtime boss, Steve. He added that there was no reason at all not to leave a generous tip when paying with a company credit card – especially when so many dinners have hundreds of dollars of alcohol charged to the company. I think I mentioned how recently Matthew had taken his girlfriend out to their first dinner alone. When the check came they had no idea what to tip. The next time we were out to eat I showed him how to figure it, and showed him how the check usually lists suggested tip amounts. I told him to always round up.

Over the years Andy Stanley has preached several great sermons on giving, usually working in specific examples of giving by family members or people he knew. I may be a better tipper than Ceil, but she is a more cheerful giver.

Monday I left work at 6 pm. C and M had a rough day, so we ate at Willys. Anna was down at PCC for her usual Monday event.

Tuesday night I worked til 6:30, then stopped by Kroger on the way home. Ceil was making cobbler for a school event, and needed more ingredients. M and I went to Trader Joes and Kroger. Didn't eat until after 8 pm – a Mexican casserole. Later I changed clothes, helped with the dishes, packaged ebay items, and helped M with history. Finished the Thomas Jefferson book the Art of Power and started a book on the 1975 world champion Boston Red Sox.