This controversial story took a wrong turn when it should have been blown off to begin with. Although not directly done for reasons of media exposure or fifteen minutes of fame, this may just cause a bit of lost revenue to Applebee's. It does not help their marketing as a brand to fire someone over something so silly that really just got out of hand entirely. It also does not help them to openly charge an 18-percent gratuity to each party in a large party. If they are all separate bills, each customer is separate, at least that is how it is seen in the mind of a customer. As for the waitress, if it were myself in that situation, fighting for my job back would not be an option. I would not want to work for a company that was as unprofessional as that. There are plenty more establishments to seek out employment in. You want to work for a place that values you as an employee and as a person. This tends to show that she was just a number and was not valued. After all, it was not even her that posted the photo of the receipt. There were no names mentioned and no identifying information. The only people that would have known who this was, were the server and the people in that dinner party.
At the risk of adding religion and controversy into the mix I forewarn you that I share openly my own religious beliefs…and that is what they are “my own!” The "self-proclaimed minister' did act inappropriately. Perhaps she thought that her actions were justified at the time, but no, it was inappropriate for her to voice her opinion in that manner. As a bystander in the situation you have to ask 'What is she giving God 10-percent of'? That is the unanswered question. If she were as godly as she claimed to be, she would not have let frustration or anger take over her mind that day. She would have let it pass and kept her thought to herself. She also could have spoken politely to the manager instead of causing this ruckus. Although self-proclaiming yourself as clergy does not mean that you are that Holy, her attitude in the situation and body language in her interviews leaves a lot to be desired.
Not only is this very poor marketing and poor media exposure for Applebee's, their actions just make the situation worse. Failing to comment on the situation makes them look guilty, and does not make consumers want to go to their establishment. When consumers see a brand ignoring a problem it looks bad on that brand and is poor marketing. Sales are likely to go down and the overall morale of the diners and staff will be a bit muddled. All of the advertising in the world for great specials may not help them right now. This story is everywhere and is giving them negative attention. Applebee's is a huge brand, they will bounce back from this setback, and it will not take long but how people view them as a company has already been damaged. There are millions of people that eat at Applebee's every year. Most will find this to be something stupid that should not have happened in the first place and it will not change their view of the company. Those with morals will likely see that how this waitress was treated is wrong and uncalled for. Two wrongs do not make a right and firing her over something so petty is ridiculous. The moral here is, think before you speak, or write, in this case. Social media is used by the entire world, you never know when something you do or say is going to end up blown out of proportion by someone blowing off some steam, and with social media it can spread FASTER than wildfire.
Source Links
http://fox2now.com/2013/01/31/web-world-i-give-god-10-receipt-goes-viral/
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57567225/applebees-waitress-fired-for-posting-customer-comment-online/
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