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Posted:  |  Updated: 06/27/12 01:12 PM ET

Chili's Server Fired After Facebook Tip Rant

We like to think there is a lesson to be learned from every mistake. In the case of a California Chili's waitress, who's just been fired for posting an angry rant on her Facebook page, we're not even sure which lesson to start with, or who should be learning it.

The incident began when this young woman was stiffed on a tip. She took to Facebook to let off some steam. "Next time you tip me $5 on a $138 bill, don't even bother coming in cause I'll spit in your food and then in your fuckig [sic] face you cheap bastards!!!!!!!!!"

Lesson #1: don't stiff servers on tips. It's often their main source of income and generally sends bad feelings into the universe. Lesson #2: you probably shouldn't threaten to spit on someone on your Facebook page, especially if you live in a state where that constitutes assault, like California. Also, restaurants are generally not excited to hear their employees threaten to spit in their customers' food.

How, you might be asking, did her managers at Chili's find out about this? That is where the story gets a little more complex. This Reddit thread exploded with comments overnight, in response to the claim that a 4Chan user, Dr. Jimmy Rustles, may have been the whistleblower on this young waitress.

The Daily Dot seems to have called this out as a fake, however, after doing some fact-checking with the management team at Chili's, who claim that the young woman's "social media guideline violations" were not brought to their attention by this gleeful troublemaker. These kinds of screengrabs are notoriously easy to fake, although they look pretty convincing to us.

fb rant


The Daily Dot also noted, "Most commenters on the thread -- which is in the 4Chan subreddit, known for a greater propensity for trolling and a lack of sympathy compared to most of Reddit -- seem to find the whole thing hilarious. A few, however, are squeamish that she lost her job over a Facebook post." The server has deactivated her Facebook account, in the midst of this complex social media hurricane.

Lesson #3: Keep your fingers crossed that 4Chan's rabblerousers don't catch wind of your misbehavior and want to mess with you, just in case this is actually how things went down.

[via Eater]

Clarifiction: This post originally said that the server "deleted" her Facebook account. We have altered the wording to indicate that her Facebook account was "deactivated."

Also on HuffPost:

Loading Slideshow...
  • The "Pennies in Water" Tip

    "I'd say the strangest tipping story I can remember involved a long-term server at a restaurant in which I was the general manager. My server was having a bad night, and toward the end, a dinner party broke all tipping etiquette rules and left him nothing more than about 20 pennies...in the bottom of a glass of water.I'm still not sure why it happened, but the server scooped up the pennies, followed the party into the parking lot and threw them at the departing customers. A fight ensued and the cops ended up getting called. They ultimately hauled my server away in handcuffs and charged him with attempted assault. The charges were later dropped." <em>Story via David Bakke, Editor at <a href="http://www.moneycrashers.com/">Money Crashers Personal Finance</a></em> <strong>[Also see: <a href="http://blog.zagat.com/2012/04/take-tipping-quiz-what-kind-of-tipper.html" target="_blank">Take the Tipping Quiz: What Kind of Tipper Are You?</a>]</strong> <em>Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/puuikibeach/6746802715/sizes/z/in/photostream/" target="_hplink">Flickr user: puuikibeach</a></em>

  • The Gift Card Tip

    <strong>Story 1:</strong> "I got a customer who tipped me with a $15 Walmart gift card. He said he would not tip cash because bartenders and servers use it for drugs!" <strong>Story 2:</strong> "After drinking two Long Island iced teas and falling asleep at my bar, a customer went to pay her tab and had exactly enough money to purchase the drinks. She really wanted to give me something, and went through her bag and found a Wendy's gift card. 'There's just enough for a Frosty on there, enjoy!' she said (while I was thinking that a Frosty wasn't going to pay my rent). She was nice about it, so I kept my mouth shut even though I don't even like Wendy's. I carried it around for a while, and when I did finally try to use it on a road trip, the cashier swiped it, looked at me and said, 'sorry, sir, this gift card has a balance of zero."< <strong>[Also see: <a href="http://blog.zagat.com/2012/04/crazy-tipping-story-rush-limbaugh.html" target="_blank">Crazy Tipping Story: Rush Limbaugh Edition</a>]</strong>

  • The Make-Out Bribe

    "I was working at a restaurant in Washington, DC, and there was this guy sitting at the bar. After chatting with him a little bit, he told me he'd give me a $100 tip if I would make out with him. Skeevy, but this would have equaled around 500% since he only spent about $20. I politely declined, saying 'I can't do that, I'm seeing someone right now.' I'll be honest, I would have done it, and I wish I did (especially after I learned that my boyfriend at the time was cheating on me). We chatted for a while, and I kept telling him 'I'm sorry I can't do that.' As he was leaving, he stopped, and with a completely serious look said, 'if you want to go to Paris, I'll take you to Paris.' I think he was serious." <strong>[Also see: <a href="http://blog.zagat.com/2012/04/restaurant-policy-debates-should-credit.html" target="_blank">Restaurant Policy Debates: Should Credit Card Payments Be Limited?</a>]</strong> <em>Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/taniasaiz/4546732837/sizes/z/in/photostream/" target="_hplink">Flickr user: TaniaSaiz</a></em>

  • The "End Of The World" Tip

    "One interesting story came on the eve of one of the many dates (yes, this has happened multiple times) in the recent past when the world was supposed to "come to an end." I think it was in May 2011. A server of mine came to me at the end of the night and said she just got a $100 tip on a $20 tab from a single guest. She mentioned it to the customer to make sure he didn't make a mistake. His response was, "No, it's all yours. The world is ending tomorrow, so I won't have time to spend it." He clearly wasn't trying to eat cheap on this night!" <em>Story via David Bakke, Editor at <a href="http://www.moneycrashers.com/" target="_blank">Money Crashers Personal Finance</a></em> <strong>[Also see: <a href="http://blog.zagat.com/2012/04/must-try-cheap-eats-in-7-cities.html" target="_blank">Must-Try Cheap Eats in 7 Cities</a>]</strong> <em>Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pixagraphic/4244292846/sizes/z/in/photostream/" target="_hplink">Flickr user: pixagraphic</a></em>

  • Verbal "Tips"

    <strong>Story 1:</strong> "Here's a tip: find a different line of work!" <strong>Story 2:</strong> "While signing the tab for her credit card, a customer decided to give me a verbal tip as well. She looked at me and said I had the eyes of a serial killer, I should be careful when I walk around midtown because I might scare people." <strong>Story 3:</strong> "I had a guy write on the tab, 'Don't stand up in a canoe.' Um...." <strong>[Also see: <a href="http://blog.zagat.com/2012/04/service-debates-when-are-requests.html" target="_blank">Service Debates: When Are Requests Unreasonable?</a>]</strong> <em>Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tigerzeye/" target="_hplink">Flickr user: lifecreations</a></em>

  • The Trippy Tip

    "Back in the early '80s I was a hostess at a Pizza Hut. One very busy lunch rush, I was carrying a pitcher of soda and a tray of ice-filled tumblers out to a table I had just seated when another customer stuck out his foot and tripped me. I held on to the soda, but the tray went flying. I can't swear he did it on purpose but if he didn't, it was awfully clumsy of him. On the chance it was deliberate, for the rest of his visit, I was absolutely fawning. I filled his glass several times, pre-bussed his table, got his dessert when the server was busy and generally killed him with kindness. When I went to clear his table, two slips of paper lay there. A $5 bill was under one marked 'for the waitress.' Under the other was a $20 bill marked 'for the hostess, with my apologies.' My grandmother was right about catching more flies with honey!" <strong>[Also see: <a href="http://blog.zagat.com/2012/04/which-dishes-bring-home-bacon-look-at.html" target="_blank">Which Dishes Bring Home the Bacon: A Look at Restaurant Mark-Ups</a>]</strong> <em>Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/audin/2045716381/sizes/z/in/photostream/" target="_hplink">Flickr user: Audin</a></em>

  • A Tip For Kicking Someone Out

    "I was bartending at a super-busy bar and these two drunks were sitting on the stools, making out with each other and bothering the patrons. After a while it became clear that they had too much. I went around filling drink orders, and when I got to them I just told them that the only thing they could order for the rest of the night was water. Cut. Off. They were super pissed, railing about how 'stupid' the bar was as they gathered their things and left (nearly falling over). Yeah, they didn't end up tipping me after they paid, but another customer more than made up for it when he turned to me, said, 'thanks for getting rid of those a--holes' and put a $20 down on the bar just like that." <strong>[Also see: <a href="http://blog.zagat.com/2012/04/would-you-pay-to-have-your-silverware.html" target="_blank">Would You Pay to Have Your Silverware Replaced?</a>]</strong> <em>Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macsurak/776733587/sizes/z/in/photostream/" target="_hplink">Flickr user: CHRISTOPHER MACSURAK</a></em>

  • The 200% Tip

    "It was 12:55 AM on a Saturday night and three friends and I needed a late-night pick-me-up after a night of hopping around to a few shows. We were in Kansas City, Missouri, visiting my in-laws and some friends. After much debate, we decided to stop at Winstead's since my husband had raved about their delicious milkshakes. We walked in, and the nice waitress told us they closed at 1 AM, but if we ordered in the next five minutes, we could stay. How nice is that? So we quickly decided and ordered a vanilla Skyscraper (a milkshake that serves at least eight-10 people and comes in a giant pitcher that looks like a flower vase), some fries, onion rings and The Winstead (a burger).Our food came within a few minutes and we began to chow down. It was getting close to 1:15 AM, and we began feeling bad because we were the only ones in the restaurant and all the employees were cleaning up. This is when we all decided we were going to leave a very big tip. We finished up and left almost a 200% tip. As we were walking out the door, the friendly waitress yelled "Thank You!" to us, and we were on our way. But as we were walking to the car, we turned around to see a dancing waitress waving money in the air. We were thrilled as well to give a little extra to make someone's night that much more special." <strong>[Also see: <a href="http://blog.zagat.com/2012/04/8-totally-overrated-ingredients.html" target="_blank">8 Totally Overrated Ingredients</a>]</strong></strong> <em>Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gemsling/542274369/sizes/z/in/photostream/" target="_hplink">Flickr user: gemsling</a></em>

  • The $100 Tip

    <strong></strong>"The best tip I ever got was from a regular guest of mine who couldn't secure a table in my station but could watch my busy night. On his way out of the restaurant, he shook my hand and said, 'You work too hard.' He tipped me a hundred dollars on the one night I didn't wait on him. Never did beat that." <strong>[Also see: <a href="http://blog.zagat.com/2012/04/tipping-quiz-results.html" target="_blank">Tipping Quiz: The Results</a>]</strong>

FOLLOW FOOD

We like to think there is a lesson to be learned from every mistake. In the case of a California Chili's waitress, who's just been fired for posting an angry rant on her Facebook page, we're not even ...
We like to think there is a lesson to be learned from every mistake. In the case of a California Chili's waitress, who's just been fired for posting an angry rant on her Facebook page, we're not even ...
Filed by Rebecca Orchant  | 
 
 
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11:31 PM on 04/29/2013
I spent 20 years in the restaurant business, and I never eat out anymore because I hate the practice of tipping. It's just a way for the restaurant to push it's labor costs onto the customer. I would gladly pay a few dollars more for my food so that servers can have a decent wage than to feel pressured to tip.

Also, I don't buy the argument that tipping encourages good service. As a paying customer, I have a right to good service without having to bribe your employees.
01:59 PM on 09/22/2012
I served for years...I can almost guarantee the people this girl waited on were either Black, Hispanic, or Non-American Foreigners. In every restaurant I ever worked in when Blacks, Hispanics, or Non-American Foreigners came through the door, we begged for them not to be sat in our sections. And no, I did not work in a restaurant with all white servers. Black and Hispanic servers also begged for them not to be sat in their sections. 99% of the time I would get 5% or less of a tip. (I sometimes would excuse the Foreigners because they were not familiar with American tip culture).

These are the facts, whether you like them or not. Call me all the names you want...when you see a supposed stereotype being played out over and over and over, it no longer is a stereotype, it is reality....
12:03 PM on 07/09/2012
We all have to be very careful with what is posted online now and what it tied to our name. I recently used a site called NetworkClean which discovered nearly 48 inappropriate posts and security threads on my 6 year old Facebook profile. Some of them were actually from when I used to work in a restaurant about a particular manager. I have since deleted the posts, but everyone be very careful and make sure to check past posts.
05:55 PM on 07/05/2012
If I go out to eat at a sit down restaurant, I don't feel entitled to have people wait on me for free - and it's common knowledge that server makes nothing in hourly wages, so quit feigning ignorant. This scenario is a republican's wet dream. If you have a grievance with a visit, talk to a manager, they'll comp your check and fire the employee if need be. The reason so many people opt to screw the server over instead in some self-righteous act of protest and idealism is because they can't make their complaint with a straight face and they know it.
10:41 PM on 07/04/2012
As an English person, we don't have to tip waiters/waitresses, because our restaurants actually pay their staff proper wages.
09:25 AM on 09/28/2012
Congratulations. This helps this young woman how?
02:58 PM on 02/14/2013
Actually, Jazzu... I lived in the U.K. for a while, and if I'm correct, servers over there make minimum wage. I wouldn't call that a "proper wage." I mean, I guess it depends on the restaurant you work in, but I've held various administrative jobs, (ranging from bored receptionist to the incredibly busy executive assistant to a high-and-mighty, ultra-demanding Baroness), as well as teaching jobs, customer service jobs, you name it... and waiting tables has been by far my least favorite, most stressful position to date. I worked in four different restaurants, and I strongly believe that servers deserve twice to three times minimum wage in the least. And don't forget that most restaurants don't give you paid holidays or sick pay, which you would get in other jobs.
11:34 PM on 04/29/2013
Why on Earth would you want to help her? She deserved to lose her job.
07:03 PM on 07/03/2012
Dr. Jimmy Rustles?
10:28 PM on 06/28/2012
she went to far, i don't have a problem with that bad tip database that waiters made that way if they get the bad tippers they can give them minimal service and focus on people who deserve better service
02:47 PM on 06/26/2012
I understand waiters and servers don't make the same as other jobs. They still opt to be a waiter/server. A tip is not mandatory; it is just that, a tip. Something that is above and beyond the price you pay for service and food. Servers and waiters have developed the mentality that they should automatically receive a decent or excellent tip just because they take the order. Not sure how tipping began, but pretty sure it wasn't because it wasn't considered an entitlement - as it is now days. The tip is usually given in response to the service received. True - there are some real jerks who run the waitresses ragged and then don't tip, most most customers aren't like that. I tip - based on the service - not because they are entitled to it. I work hard for my money too - in an elementary school. I deal with more than they do and don't get tipped. If they want to gripe about no tips or lousy tips - find another job.
03:31 PM on 06/26/2012
Restaurants may withhold money from a waitstaff's paycheck based on an estimated tip income derived from a percentage of their cash register sales. Waitstaff's salaries can be far below minimum wage (like $2.50/hour) because of the expected tip income. Not tipping them means they will still have to pay taxes on the expected income of 15% of the register receipt even though the money was never given to them by the customer. They can make good money but a busier shift also means working faster. So the question of "entitled" to a tip changed with the tax reporting.
04:20 PM on 06/26/2012
But if they do not come up to minimum wage after tips for that pay period, then the company has to compensate them the difference. They are still, at worst, receiving minimum wage.
06:02 AM on 09/14/2012
You are IGNORANT & have some nerve! You've NEVER waited tables in your blinded bubble of a life. How dare you say, don't like it, get another job! You don't gripe to your husband/coworkers about behavioral problems, a backwards educational system in the US, or, about the lack of raises in recent years, yet more work every year? Servers are common now, b/c of the struggling economy. It's cash in hand every night, pays rent for some people who have lost their job from corporate downsizing or laid off by failing companies. There are servers who have more advanced degrees than a teaching degree, serving, b/c it puts food on the table for their kids. You think they'd rather sling hash at their local diner than use their expensive degrees? Those servers complain about stupid people like you who think it's just that easy to go get another job! You've NO IDEA what they go through, how frustrating it is to wait on people who think they're royalty, don't have the courtesy to tip, then to see posts like yours, from people who don't have a clue how difficult it is to have the required skills serving jobs demand. Don't dare judge, put your nose up & useless two cents in, when youre a teacher! Stress dealing with 6 year olds? I guarantee you haven't felt stress until you've worked twelve hours on your feet, no break, listening to people bark orders at you on a busy night! Please!
06:37 AM on 06/26/2012
Have never been a server, but eat out once a week---DH and I have a date every Friday nite! If the service is adequate, we tip between 15-20%, usually in cash. VERY good service, 20-22%. When we had small kids who made a MESS---more! Servers need to remember this is a job and how well they do it is reflected in what they earn, like any job. If you don't like being dependent on tips, then waiting is probably not the job for you. But friends who have been servers and took their jobs seriously & with pride used to make BIG money---I was jealous when we were young and I made minimum clerking in a dept. store.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
vstillwell
10:19 PM on 06/25/2012
Well since servers haven't had a wage increase in two decades and the Republican south and Midwest have deemed working working class should be doomed to poverty, I don't blame her.

Republican trickle down economics leads to socialist welfare states. Trickle down in a nutshell: You're too stupid to have money, so we will take it from you and give it to the rich because they are smart and more productive than you are.
06:49 AM on 06/26/2012
Can't make a judgement call because don't know what sort of service customer received to leave a poor tip, but obviously this young woman was not brought up right. Probably the attitude reflected in her FB also reflected her attitude in working. What does this have to do with political parties? If she had not threatened to spit in food, probably should have been counseled and given some lessons in customer service, would have seen improvement in her tips.
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ejhickey2
09:32 PM on 06/25/2012
Probably need a law setting mandatory tips for customers of 15% of the entire bill including sales tax . then we could avoid tragic incidents like this plus it would be easier to keep track of servers' tip income for income tax purposes .
10:54 PM on 06/25/2012
The "tip" would then become a gratuity (not the same thing) and the servers would probably be demanding more tips on top of that....
11:01 PM on 06/25/2012
That's the problem with the European model - the service is usually terrible because the servers get paid the same no matter how they perform. The tip model is good for business - as long as people actually tip a baseline for basic level of service - which in our country is customarily 15%.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
ejhickey2
11:05 AM on 06/26/2012
the servers could not demand more since as part of my proposed law it would be illegal to tip the servers more than 15%. besides tipping them more than 15% would open the door to non reporting of income. part of my plan is to allow the IRS more effective control of tip income , much of which goes unreported.
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07:47 AM on 06/29/2012
Just what we need more taxes.
08:47 PM on 06/25/2012
alot of people think waiters and waitresses make good money without tips...these people have never had a service job and are usually pompus ignorant and selfish.....for all of you..your brightly losers....to the persons who didnt tip this girl...you will be shamed in the eternal..promise..and i will never eat at chilis again...who would spend over a hundred dollars at a cheap restaurant? people who are cheap.
08:35 PM on 06/25/2012
I hope that this server really, really loved their job. They probably did a lousy job and kept this party waiting for drinks repeatedly and then for the check. And then were dumb enough to say that they would spit in someone's food over less than $20.

I hope that they really, really loved their job. And that they have a hard time finding a new one. And when they do that it sucks and they don't ever get paid well for waiting tables again.

I have been a waiter, a dishwasher, a prep cook and a cook. Cooking is hard. Getting there early, getting dirty and sweaty. Leaving late with lousy pay.

Showing up late and leaving early with a wallet full of cash, or waiting, is not near as hard.
08:43 PM on 06/25/2012
Faved for being the back of house rock star - but I disagree that being a waitron is not hard - it was pretty brutal to my lady for years, but she kept her smile on.
08:49 PM on 06/25/2012
ive worked in food service for over two decades and if youve eaten at major restaurants for more than a few years, and are cheap, youve eaten spit...yes it happens all the time...dont pretend that quality of any restaurant prevents this....and ....sometimes more than just spit....go ahead look closer.
08:05 PM on 06/25/2012
A few things:

Taxes -- The reason servers get taxed on "sales" is because, in the past, most failed to accurately report their income from tips. Restuarants were stocked with a bunch of tax cheats! So, because of the bad behavior of generations of tax-cheating servers, the rules were changed. But this has nothing to do with me. A server's tax-cheating predecessors have not created an obligation for ME to pay a tip!

Low Wages -- It is unconscionable for a restaurant to fail to pay at least minimum wage, regardless that the law in many states allows it. It would be great if servers would boycott any restaurant that does so! But people need jobs, so it's not going to happen. On the other hand, if you knew the rules going in, you really have nothing to complain about. You took the job!

Tipping -- My only obligation is to pay the price on the menu. For that price, certain minimal tasks are expected: Take the order, serve the food, bring the check, etc. If all I get is the minimum, why should I pay any extra? All the person has done is their job. Why should they get a reward for just doing their job? I've ALREADY paid for that, in the price of the food!

Only in restuarants do workers believe the customers should pay extra for the very services that make it a restaurant!

But, do a GREAT job, that's another story!
08:52 PM on 06/25/2012
at alot of the restaurants ive worked at the manager actually makes a waiter/waitress claim less than 10 percent of their actual tips...its the only way a service person can survive...there are two kinds of people..those who assume service people make plenty, and those(who know) that dont.
09:12 PM on 06/25/2012
100% agree. You cannot even tip in other countries they don't understand the concept. Only in the USA is this entitlement attitude found.
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bobk in nh
smarter than your average beer
10:47 PM on 06/25/2012
Its not entitlement- OMG you just dont get it- do you get out much? If no one tipped like you and the guy above, either nobody would wait tables, or the restaurants would just add it to their cost and charge you anyway. Restaurants pay servers crap, and servers can't make the same money over eight full hours, there are dead times. so if they have a good lunch or dinner that has to do it. BTW In other countries either its added automatically (VAT), or the restaurant pays their staff better (MEANING that that cost is added into each and every item when they decide their pricing).
08:04 PM on 06/25/2012
Maybe the small tip was all they had left over after after taking their friends out to dinner? There are lots of people struggling these days. I went out to dinner with some friends the other day and the person who invited me tried to pick up the check for the 3 of us, even though I knew she was having money problems, so I paid it instead.....our service was exceptional (and so was the tip I left).
08:53 PM on 06/25/2012
cheap...make people wait on you who are stuggling just so you can be a cheap person..what tasteless crummy people.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
lightoftruth2
10:49 PM on 06/25/2012
If you can't afford to tip, stay home and cook your own dinner.
08:34 PM on 07/01/2012
Many of us can afford the tip but I will never tip well for a louzy service. There are signs that the service is bad but many people do not realized that the servers are at total mercy of the kitchen staffs to deliver the food on time which meant that many server had to offer juice (some part of the tips to the chefs) to insure proper service. Question your service staff if something isn't right and do investigation why it isn't up to par. It is bad to blame the server for anything that was wrong without being fair to all parties involved.
07:54 PM on 11/04/2012
Well a lot of restaurants will go out of business if you keep telling people not to go if they can't afford the tip. I use to waitress and it was rare to get the 15% everyone raves about, no matter how friendly/professional you were. My answer was to get into a union so that I can get better wages...I was fired after my suggestion. Then I worked for a union based restaurant and got paid 8.17 and hour plus tips (which all waitresses divided evenly). That's still my suggestion but restaurant owners want nothing of it so they pass our pay check to the customer...when I was a waitress it was fine by me as long as I got paid.