A North Carolina waitress was excited when she saw what looked like a $20 bill on the table she had just served at the diner where she worked. However, the excitement quickly turned to disappointment when she discovered it was a religious pamphlet disguised as a $20 bill. The waitress, discouraged, came to find that she was only tipped $2, which was under 8 percent of the entire bill. The waitress, who was not identified, is also a student, and a hard worker according to her manager. She picks up as many shifts as she can, as long as they don't interfere with her classes, and she has bills she is responsible for. The fake $20 tip was such a letdown it has made national news.

Not the First Time

This isn't the first time a server was confused by a tip left on a table. A Kansas waiter experienced the same disappointment with a fake $20 tip left under a ketchup bottle.

Garret Wayman, a 17-year-old student, found that the $20 bill was actually a pamphlet inviting him to accept Jesus. "Don't be fooled, there is something you can have more valuable than money," the pamphlet read. Wayman, obviously upset, posted pictures of the leaflet to his Twitter account, expressing how angry he was.

Apparently, the diner who left Wayman his "tip" has been back, and he keeps leaving the same pamphlet as a tip for all of the servers. What's worse is that it sounds like the man does not leave any monetary tip at all, which is a huge disappointment to servers who rely on tips to make money.

Christian Response

After Wayman's story was retweeted thousands of times, and after the news of a waitress receiving the same deceptive tip broke, both Catholic and Christian churches have been encouraging members to be less deceptive when leaving a gratuity. For example, if you are going to use this pamphlet, you should leave an actual $20 tip with it. If you can't afford that, then you shouldn't be tricking your server into thinking you left it. Another way is to leave your church's business card along with your tip, which most believe should be at least 15-20 percent of the total bill. This pamphlet is not likely to draw people in when it tricks them into thinking they received a substantial gratuity.

Manager Goes Up to Bat

The general manager of Dish in Pizza Midwood, the restaurant the waitress works at, has gone to bat for the waitress and all of her other employees. Penny Craver took time out of her busy schedule to send an email to the church's pastor expressing her opinion on the church's pamphlet. In it, she calls out the church, asking the pastor what he would think if the church members chose to donate their writings instead of their income as their tithe. She also points out that pride is one of the seven deadly sins, and she feels it was extremely prideful to leave the leaflet instead of a decent tip.

Pastor's Response

Pastor Simmons, the church's lead pastor, responded to the email by saying that he makes sure to encourage his congregation to tip well, because the service industry can be difficult. He claims he worked in the food industry himself when he was younger, so he understands what a struggle it can be. Simmons spoke with the man who left the tip, and that person defended his actions by saying he left a tip on the credit card receipt. While this is true, it was only for 10 percent of what the waitress thought she would receive. Simmons has said he will make sure the church covers the waitress's tip.

Unfortunately, this waitress not the first to receive this pamphlet in lieu of a gratuity. On several occasions every month, diners leave the pamphlet instead of leaving a tip, often meaning the servers receive nothing for their service. It is a truly deceptive tactic, and hopefully one that will end soon.