The Applebee’s waitress blowup on social media over a woman who didn’t tip and a Reddit thread gone wild (not r/gonewild) has caused a significant PR hassle for the chain on Twitter, where many users are threatening to boycott over the worker’s termination.
The Applebee’s waitress controversy began when the server, named Chelsea, posted a thread to the social aggregation site about a particularly nasty lack of tip a co-worker had received. In the field where an automatic gratuity for large parties had been added, the diner specifically crossed out the 18% charge and added a zero.
But that wasn’t all. Despite near universal knowledge that servers are paid only in tips, the guest wrote to the Applebee’s waitress , “ I give God 10%, why do you get 18? ”
The thread, titled, “my mistake, sir, I’m sure Jesus will pay for my rent and groceries” became widely popular, with Reddit sleuths attempting to track down the tight-fisted non-tipper and give him or her a piece of their hive mind.
It didn’t go well for Chelsea, who was canned from Applebee’s — but then, it didn’t go well for Applebee’s either, after they came under immense fire for terminating the Applebee’s waitress at the center of the controversy.
Twitter users are overwhelmingly siding with Chelsea in the matter, calling the chain out for letting the worker go. Some are calling for a boycott, tweeting things like:
@ applebee ‘s #pastor alois bellyour #applebees actions are unreal.boycott applebees
— Doug Kendall (@DouglasEKendall) February 1, 2013
Applebee’s Waitress Fired For Sharing ‘I Give God 10%’ Tip Receipt huff.to/Vqu7w3 @ applebees 99% stick together! BOYCOTT APPLEBEES!
— Kathy (@K_Creations) February 1, 2013
With this Applebee’s situation, I have decided that I will boycott @ applebees until 9 #halfapps
— Jessica Nester (@locktotheness) February 1, 2013
@ arthura_p another one to boycott. Applebee’s can take a hike!
— Chris Lacy (@lacylaw1) February 1, 2013
Applebee’s has not specifically addressed the waitress’ firing, but tweeted in a way that suggests they are quite concerned about the Applebee’s waitress furor:
We’re listening to every tweet. We promise.
— Applebee’s (@Applebees) February 1, 2013
Do you think the Applebee’s waitress was treated unfairly, and does the chain have any recourse to win over angry former customers?
