Customer doesn't tip because waitress was ‘rude,’ sparks debate: ‘You just didn’t want to tip’

It's considered basic decency to tip your waiter. While tips are supposed to be a source of additional income, most workers in the service industry depend on tips to make ends meet. So when one person uploaded a video on TikTok refusing to tip a waitress, it sparked a debate on tipping culture and about the necessity of tipping. The video was posted by TikTok user @biglez7704 with the image of a receipt at a diner. 'Do Better,' read the tip line. "I had such a rude waitress," they wrote in the caption. They can also be heard saying, "When your service sucked, here's your tip b*tch," reported DailyDot. 

The video went viral and was viewed more than 138k times, eliciting more than 700 comments and 2k likes. There wasn't much context to the video but an overwhelming majority called out the person for not tipping the waitress. "You just didn’t want to tip," wrote one person. Another pointed out these were unprecedented times, and there's a good likelihood that businesses are understaffed. “As a server, we match energies,” wrote a user. “Ya we don’t know the full story but she was probably short-staffed and you gave some [attitude] first. She matched it.” Another user echoed the same thought. "Every restaurant is short-staffed right now. She is probably doing the best she can. You do better." One user said they always checked in on waiters. "Sometimes, when I get bad service, I ask the server if they are going through something or had a bad day. You never know what someone is going through." 

Another user commented that waiters always make a note of the people they tend to. "Servers remember who tips and who don't. When you walk in, we're all "arguing" NOT TO HAVE TO WAIT ON YOU." When someone pointed out that they were the problem, the user replied, "Well that tells me you don't know anything about me." It also sparked a larger conversation on tipping. "Don't go out to eat, if you can't tip," wrote one person. Another person wrote, "You are the reason I quit serving. If anyone's rude, it's you, sweetheart." 

This comes at a time when workers are quitting their jobs en masse due to poor pay and working conditions. Businesses' refusal to pay a decent living wage has resulted in a worker shortage across industries. Service industry workers are forced to rely on tips to survive in America. The tipping culture prevalent in America shifts the burden of compensating workers with a decent wage to customers. Not to mention that many minimum wage workers across different industries are forced to rely on food stamps, apart from their wages.

As we reported earlier, a restaurant in Florida literally confirmed this on a poster trying to guilt customers into tipping more to compensate for the poor wages on offer. The poster in itself accepts that the employees make next to nothing when you don't leave a tip for the meal you have just eaten. The poster reads: "Please remember to tip your server. Servers make state minimum wage, which is only $5.65/hr, most of which is taken away in taxes! They rely on your tips to make a living! When you don't leave a tip, they would have served you for the duration of your meal for nothing." The people of Reddit called out the company for not paying a livable wage to its employees and also having the audacity to guilt the customers into covering the cost of the employee. The poster concluded with the line: “Take care of those who took care of you!” While the line itself might sound caring and well-intentioned, Reddit users accused the business of abdicating the responsibility of paying their workers a decent living wage.

The tipping culture in America is a shock to many from other countries and this was captured by TikTok user @calvinandhabs: