Woman 'overtips' every single time she eats outs at restaurants and she has a reason for it

Tipping at restaurants can often feel like walking a tightrope—how much is enough, how much is too much and how do you even decide? Whether you’re a generous tipper or someone who overthinks before leaving the right amount, tipping usually sparks widespread discussions. Joi Cymone (@missjoi._), a waitress herself, revealed she "overtips" every time she dines out. In a now-popular TikTok video, Cymone explained her reason for leaving a generous tip after a pricey meal.

“So, I am a waitress, I am a server,” Cymone began, recalling a recent dinner she had with her family at Ruth’s Chris Steak House. “The bill was like $600, ok? After the discount,” she added. Her family started "freaking out," trying to leave a small tip. Things got a little overwhelming for Cymone when her uncle suggested they leave $50. "I was like, 'I am a server like please, you need to tip people when you go out to dinner,'" she said. Cymone further revealed that her family is African-American, and at one point, they were stuck at, "$50 is cool no?"

Seemingly upset with her family, Cymone wanted to leave $200 as the tip, which was notably above the "suggested gratuity amount." She then explained the reason behind her decision to always overtip. "I overtip because people generally assume that Black people don't tip one and then people also assume that Black people tip low. I am saying this as a server who has worked for many years. I just overcompensate when it comes to tipping," Cymone shared. 

The TikTok video received an amazing response on social media, garnering over 558k views. Many people who had similar experiences in their serving careers resonated with Cymone's message. @nxemilxu wrote, "I quit serving because I couldn’t stand busting my a** for Sunday parties and getting shi**y tips (from EVERY community including my Hispanic community) and I promise I was a good server." Similarly, @momo_ohno86 wrote, "As a server of many many years, I have a Mountain Dew theory. If the folks AND kids all get mountain dews, I'm not getting tipped." @whokilledrilezs wrote, "Yes! People don’t understand that most servers have to tip out based on their total sales. If I had 5000 in total sales but nobody tipped me. I would still have to tip out over $150."

Meanwhile,@brittanymarie05 commented, "I'm not disagreeing. But, if you serve a $200 steak or a $20 steak, you get the absolute same quality of service in both cases. Why does the tip change? Does it take more work to serve pricey food?" On the other hand, @cassandrafalb raised her concern about the tipping culture and wrote, "I'm sorry, but I don't feel like the tip should be based on the total bill amount. I feel like the tip should be based on the service." @rachelrachelrache22 commented, "Lol! I used to work at Ruth’s Chris and I still overtip. But also? The whole '$50 is enough' thought process is so real. Like yes, it is good money but not on a $600 bill! There is a reason it’s percent."

You can follow Joi Cymone (@missjoi._) on TikTok for more insights into tipping culture at restaurants.