Pastor Bell, eating in a party of 10, was believed to have stiffed a coworker of Chelsea's on her tip (that was later disputed). Perhaps most disturbingly, Ms. Bell commented on the receipt that she was a pastor and only gave God 10 percent -- "I give God 10%. Why do you get 18" for such a large party? Chelsea took the receipt and posted a picture of it online as a joke and it went viral. Subsequently, Applebee's fired Chelsea and Pastor Bell has been publicly shamed in the media.
This whole incident has enflamed a long burning discussion about the stereotype of the conduct and courtesy (or lack thereof) that many Christians display toward servers, waitresses, valets and others in the service industry. Among other things, the "Sunday morning crowd" at restaurants has a bad reputation.
But why does this stereotype exist? Because, in large part, many servers think it is true. Many Christians do as well. But, what does the research say?
According to the only study of which I am aware, published last year in the Journal of Applied Psychology, it appears that "Christians as bad tippers" is not supported by the stats. In their study, "Are Christian/Religious People Poor Tippers?," Michael Lynn and Benjamin Katz explain:
"The results of this study produced three notable findings about the relationships between religion and tipping. First, Jews and those with no religion tip significantly more than Christians and members of other religions. However, the average Christian tips 17 percent of the bill when receiving good restaurant service and only 13 out of 100 Christians receiving good service leave a tip below 15 percent of the bill. Second, worship frequency has no significant main effect on reported tipping. Third, worship frequency significantly interacts with service quality such that the effects of service quality on tips were stronger the less frequently the tipper attends religious services."
You can read their whole report at http://tippingresearch.com/uploads/ChristianTippersJASPaccepted.pdf and it would be worth doing so before saying that your personal experience trumps the research.
So, again, facts are our friends -- but in this case, perception is not our friend. And, perception is reality. That perception is real and is, I believe, hurting the reputation of Christians.
So, how do we deal with such a perception? In an article at the Christianity Today Her•meneutics blog, Karen Swallow Prior gives some helpful advice:
"Eating out is expensive. But if diners can't afford all of the expected expenses of eating out, they should go to an establishment they can afford, or not go out at all. ... Maybe some folks don't know that the minimum wage for servers is lower than for everyone else, or that the percentage for tips increases like everything else. ... Tips are payment for services rendered."
She concludes:
"I don't think that Paul had servers in mind when he exhorted believers, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God," but the principle certainly does apply. Those who are to represent Christ in all they do should remember that includes paying the check -- in total -- at the end of the meal."
Being cheap or taking your frustrations out on a server is in no way Christlike. And it is not indicative of how we should live our lives as Christians. Furthermore, leaving a tract instead of a tip is so foolish, it is hard to imagine. Yet, it happens -- and it undermines our witness and reputation. If you are leaving something with your server about the grace of God, make sure it is always connected to a gracious and generous tip.
We should be known as a generous people. We should be known for our love. Not just with waitresses and waiters at restaurants, but with everyone.
So in response, I've been striking up conversations with servers and asking them about this perception. The other day, I talked to a server, and we discussed the "pastor tip gate" scandal. I wanted to do a small thing to change the perception so I wrote a note on my bill: "Great job! I'm a pastor and I don't leave bad tips!"
When I tweeted it, more than 12,000 people viewed or shared it in a day -- showing that there is some angst on this issue. And there should be.
I'm not suggesting you write the same -- as my comment was a result of our conversation -- but I do think we need to be generous and build a better reputation. It's needed.
So, statistically, this claim does not hold up. I've written before in Christianity Today on the fact that Christians like to distribute stats that make themselves look bad. But, in this case, a lot of non-Christians believe it as well -- which is my greater concern. So, we should address it -- with the facts (it's not true) and with our example (we can do better).
The answer, I think, is simply to be better tippers for the glory of God!
Ed Stetzer is president of LifeWay Research. This column first appeared at his blog, EdStetzer.com. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).
Copyright (c) 2013 Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Press www.BPNews.net
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