Christians and restaurants

We took Mom to a restaurant for Mother's Day--nothing unusual about that. It was a new-to-us restaurant, overlooking Yaquina Bay in Newport, Oregon. It's called "Port Dock #1." If you ever get to Newport, we recommend this restaurant. The waitress was very friendly and kept checking on us and trying to get us to add to our meal. She had been so friendly that toward the end of the meal, I asked her name, which she told us. Then she became even more friendly. As we were finishing the meal, it occured to me (I'm a little slow on these things sometimes) that she might have been flirting with me. But I dismissed the thought.

As we were driving home my beautiful, wonderful wife ("bw") brought to my attention that the waitress was flirting with me. (She said the waitress was "batting her eyes" and "walking in a provocative way" but I truly did not notice any of that.) Well, those of you who know me know that I am not a "hunk" by any stretch of the imagination. Bw thinks I'm the most handsome man in the world; but she's prejudiced. Anyway, bw was not upset by the waitress' flirtation. In fact, she (bw) was pleased, because she knew I would not see the lady again and it was just in that context and she felt complemented that the waitress would do that with me.

Well, all of that brought me back to something I've thought about a number of times over the years (you might not see the connection here, but I do): When followers of Christ go into a restaurant, we need to be sensitive to the impression we make on the restaurant staff. Especially on a Sunday, the staff knows that we just came from church (which is why I rarely go to restaurants on Sundays). They make a connection between our behavior and our claim to follow Christ. How we behave in that restaurant has a direct reflection on the staff's perception of our Lord and Savior.

That is why I purposely go out of my way to show friendliness and kindness to the wait-staff. I smile. I ask how their day is going. I joke with them. I ask their name. All of this gives the message that I see the waitperson as a person, not an animated order-taker (a thing). I've seen enough people come straight from church and make demands on the restaurant staff. They criticize the food and the service. They virtually ignore the waitperson, except to make their orders, make demands and find fault.

Then, as if throwing mud on the face of Jesus, when the food is served, these same critical people bow their heads and pray! If you're going to act in such an un-Christlike manner, at least do not pray. Maybe the staff will think you just came from a concert and Jesus will not be insulted by your critical attitude.

Finally, when paying the bill, do NOT be stingy with the tip. 15% should be the minimum. As I said before, the staff knows you just came from church. They associate what you do with what Jesus is like. If you are stingy with your money, they connect that stinginess with Jesus. But we know that Jesus has given us all the riches of heaven. Shouldn't we share that generosity with others? Many of the wait-staff are single moms and/or students. They depend on the tips to make ends meet. A non-believer will go into that same restaurant, be kind to the staff and leave a generous tip. At the same time, a believer will enter. He/she (the believer) will be judged by the same standards. The waitperson will measure these factors: "Did he treat me kindly, like a person? Did he tip me well?" Yes, it will cost us a dollar or 2 or 3 more to show this generosity.

But remember: Our Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills.

Whether we frequent the same restaurant every week or it is a one-time visit, we are making a witness for Christ. And we want to earn the right--for ourselves or for another believer--to share the love of Christ with those her serve.

What do you think?