The St. Louis pastor who caused a stir after writing "I Give God 10% why do you get 18" on her receipt, instead of leaving an a tip, has apologized for writing the note.
Pastor Alois Bell told The Smoking Gun that she was embarrassed about the whole brouhaha. The note was "a lapse in judgment that has been blown out of proportion," Bell told the blog, adding that she left a smaller tip in cash on the table.
Redditor "GateFlan" posted the photo of the receipt to the social news site on Jan. 29 with the comment, "My mistake sir, I'm sure Jesus will pay for my rent and groceries."
The picture quickly went viral, culminating Thursday in the firing of the Applebee’s waitress who leaked the receipt in the first place.
The waitress, identified as Chelsea by Consumerist, said, “I thought the note was insulting, but it was also comical. I posted it to Reddit because I thought other users would find it entertaining."
Bell, who preaches at Truth in the Word Deliverance Ministries church, did not find it very entertaining, however. The Smoking Gun reports that after Bell found out about the picture, she called up the restaurant to complain.
In a statement obtained by Consumerist, Applebee's spokesman Dan Smith said that the Reddit post constituted a breach in privacy.
Earlier this month, a man blaming high tax rates refused to tip in a California restaurant. The man left a note in lieu of money.
The message was also posted to Reddit:
As a direct result of Proposition 30 and President Obama's insistence that I pay "MY FAIR SHARE IN TAXES" I find that I must cut back on discretionary spending and gratuities. I wish it didn't have to be this way for both of us.