Alois Bell, Pastor Apologizes to Church for 'Embarrassing' Comment on No-Tip Applebee's Receipt, St. Louis Waitress Chelsea Welch Fired

St. Louis Pastor Alois Bell recently slighted an Applebee's waitress of an automatic 18% tip, commenting on the paper receipt that "I give God 10%, why do you get 18." Chelsea Welch (who didn't actually wait on the party) thought the snub was pretty funny, and uploaded an image of the snide remark on Reddit. She was promptly fired from her waitressing position at Applebee's after Bell complained about her name being misrepresented on the web. Now, Pastor Bell has spoken out to apologize for her rather rude comment... but not in regards to Welch's termination. Instead, Bell insists that since her "no-tip" proclamation went viral on the web, her church and ministry have been wracked with embarrassment... and she is sorry.

Check out the no-tip receipt recently posted on Reddit by gateflan, where Bell scratches out the automatic 18% tip and replaces it with a short message:

"My mistake sir, I'm sure Jesus will pay for my rent and groceries"

The photo soon went viral (even sparking an online debate over "what's right to do in this situation according to the Bible") -

Butcherandom: "As a Christian who waited tables until being laid off recently, I'm thankful for having worked a wage that depended on the generosity of others. It's a perspective I will not forget... EDIT: Oh yeah, and that guy's a d##k. I mean...he's 'misguided.'"

Laughingferret: "This guy is a pastor, and from his cheap attitude you know when he 'gives 10% to god' he is giving the money to his own church, which flows right back into his own pocket."

Solkre: "Jesus... what a goddamn socialist he was."

Welch, who was fired from her job at Applebee's for posting the image after Bell allegedly complained, recently said (according to The Consumerist), “I originally posted the note as a lighthearted joke. 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.”

Meanwhile, Bell says that she is sorry for her actions... but for God and the church, not Welch's unemployment. She recently apologized for her "lapse in judgement that has been thrown out of proportion."

Bll, 37, also told the Smoking Gun, "My heart is really broken. I've brought embarrassment to my church and ministry." 

FYI - the 18% gratuity was automatically tacked onto the $34.93 bill because Bell was sitting at a table with 5+ people. Several members of her church group went to Applebee's following an evening service on Jan .25, and the bill was divided-up amongst the party. Bell insists that she planned on leaving a $6 cash-tip before discovering the 18% gratuity already charged to her credit card. 

Applebee's spokesman Dan Smith recently made a statement in regards to Welch's firing - "Our franchisee has apologized to the Guest for violating the patron's right to privacy. The individual responsible for the leak is no longer employed by the franchise."

According to her biography, Bell (a mother of three) "gave her life to Christ in 1997 while she was pregnant and homeless with her youngest son... the Lord touched her heart and she invited him in." 

Here's a video of one of Bell's preachings at her church, St Louis-based Truth in the World Deliverance Ministries: