Texas Roadhouse customer says she will never tip if the server demands it, criticizes the 'foul service'

Tipping has always been a controversial topic. Many believe tipping is justifiable, while others think organizations should pay servers a fair wage so they don't rely on customers' tips. But a particularly awkward dining experience at Texas Roadhouse for Saydie Dorton—who goes by @realslimsaydie on TikTok—has reignited the conversation. She shared her encounter in a video that garnered over 106k views. Despite being a server herself, Dorton grappled with whether to leave a tip after what she described as "foul" service by the server.

"If my server brings up a tip at all, they're not getting a tip from me," Dorton began her story. While surprised to hear this from someone in the industry, her reasoning quickly became clear. She detailed an evening out with three friends that left her questioning the entire tipping process. The trouble began the moment they sat down.

Dorton recalled, "The server comes up to us, and she's just visibly angry that we're in her section. I think it's because she perceived us as pretty young... I don't know if she thought we were teenagers who weren't gonna tip well, but it was attitude from the jump, like, 'What do you want?'"

Throughout the meal, the service remained lackluster. Dorton said they only asked for bread once and were not being demanding, yet their server continued to act frustrated. Despite acknowledging the "foul service," she still planned to leave a small tip because she empathized with her fellow server. What pushed her patience to its limit, however, was the way the server handled the check.

"She slams the check on the table, and in all caps with a pen, like bold font, 'Tip is not included,' and 'not' is underlined three times. Bi*ch. I was floored," Dorton said. Her reaction was one of frustration and disbelief. "I didn't know what to do," she admitted.

"I didn't know if I should not tip her and prove her point that, like, we weren't gonna tip because we were young, or tip her 20% and make her feel like this behavior is okay." In the end, Dorton left a 20% tip, citing her background in the industry as the deciding factor.

"I thought it was so distasteful. I ended up tipping her 20% because I'm in the industry," she explained, though she made it clear that the experience left a bad impression. "I also thought that behavior was so f***ing foul." Despite her frustrations, Dorton found a silver lining in the food itself, noting, "Shit, [the] food was still bomb though."

Her story sparked debate on tipping and many took to the comments to share their opinions. @gabrielleveee said, "I work for Bubbas, which is a TXRH restaurant as well, like, we're all the same company, and bro, I'm pretty sure if I'd done something like that, I’d be fired!" @Sbf shared, "Okay, but as a server, I use a handheld, so the option to tip and sign the receipt is on the same page and I sometimes have to ask because someone signed but didn't select any option." @elainamccloskey1 commented, "The only time I think you should bring up a tip is if it's a large party because most will assume you put automatic gratuity even if you didn't." @manoliveoil added, "Corporate servers should not be acting like that."

You can follow Saydie Dorton (@realslimsaydie) on TikTok for more lifestyle content.