Tennessee server left $2,500 tip on a $150 bill heartbroken after restaurant refuses to let them keep it

Restaurant workers often depend on tips to make ends meet, and a generous tip from a diner can make a huge difference. For one server in Tennessee, this became a reality when a customer left a $2,500 tip on a $150 bill. However, instead of celebrating, the server was left in shock when the restaurant's manager refused to process the tip, leaving him feeling robbed and unsure of his next steps. The server posted the whole incident on Reddit, which he later deleted, as shared by Bored Panda.

"So I’m a server at Firebirds in Tennessee, and last night, I had a table of four. Super chill people, didn’t ask for much, and we got along really well. One guy mentioned he used to be a server, so I made sure to give them the best service possible. They finished up, I dropped the check, and they stuck around for a bit before finally heading out," the server shared in an interview with the outlet. When he went to grab the receipt, he couldn’t believe his eyes. "I thought I was seeing things. They left me a $2,500 tip on a $150 bill. I had to double-check, like five times. I even ran outside to try and catch them, just to make sure they didn’t make a mistake, but they were already gone."

The server couldn’t contain his excitement. "That money is life-changing for me right now. Rent? Paid. Bills? Handled. Stress? Gone," he wrote. "I immediately take the receipt to my manager, expecting them to be just as shocked as I was. Instead, she looks at it, smirks, and says, 'Yeah, we’re not processing that.'" The server was in complete shock. The manager explained that there was a "policy" in place, stating that tips over a certain percentage of the bill need to be reviewed by corporate. "I argued that the card had already gone through, that the customer clearly meant to leave it, but she just shrugged and said, 'We don’t want to deal with chargebacks,'" he shared. He called the corporate to confirm if such a thing existed to which they replied, "They’d look into it." However, it angered his manager. 

The server was left feeling betrayed by the restaurant, questioning whether it was even legal for the restaurant to keep the tip. "So basically, my restaurant is stealing a $2,500 tip from me. Money that a customer intentionally left for me. I feel sick. I don’t even know what to do. I need this money now, but I’m considering calling corporate, the labor board, or even seeing if I have legal options." He further asked, "Can they even do this? Has anyone else had this happen before? I feel like I just got robbed." Although the post is now deleted, the Reddit community was quick to offer support and advice after he posted it.

u/ariososweet said, "I’m glad you called corporate because they will find out if the manager still processed the tip and then keep it for themselves." u/TwoMatchBan suggested, "Employment lawyer here. You need to go to NELA.org and search the lawyer directory for a lawyer in your state. NELA is the national organization of lawyers who represent employees. You likely have claims to recover the tip, but it depends on your state’s laws to figure out how to bring them." u/necessarysmartassery commented, "This is why I only tip in cash directly to the server. I don't write tips on the receipt." u/Minizzile noted, "I got a feeling your manager tried to cash it for themselves." The post was later deleted.