A TikToker said they decided not to tip their Applebee’s waiter for the “first time in [their] life,” asking viewers if they’re the one in the wrong for the decision.
In a video with over 25,000 views, TikToker Radiant Radish (@parkthatcarson) said they went to Applebees at 8pm on a Monday with three friends. The restaurant wasn’t packed, yet their waiter took over 15 minutes to take their order, they shared.
“Eventually, our waiter came to take our order. And she wasn’t writing anything down,” the TikToker said. “This is just foreshadowing.”
The TikToker said they gave the waiter grace since they previously worked as a server. But when one of their friend’s drinks came out wrong, they said they decided to speak up.
They said they told the waiter their friend ordered a sangria instead of the $10 bucket drink. However, they added that the waiter insisted that they had brought the correct drink. They said they let it go but confirmed they wouldn’t be charged for the $10 drink, which was more expensive than what they initially ordered.
“So our food came out eventually, and it was wrong,” they continued, saying the wings were the wrong flavor, and a basket of fries they didn’t order arrived. “I wonder if it’s because she didn’t write anything down.”
Once again, they said they told the waiter that their order was wrong. They said the waiter insisted they would put it in the correct order.
@parkthatcarson Am I the asshole? Total was $51.36 and I left her $52. This was like my first time ever not tipping 😭 #aita #storytime #applebees ♬ Storytelling – Adriel
Radiant Radish told the Daily Dot that “this is [their] first time not tipping someone because my service was just so bad.”
“I believe corporations should pay their employees and servers livable wages because it’s ridiculous for corporations to put customers in a moral dilemma when they go out to eat. If customers don’t tip, then that server made just a few bucks for a whole hour of work, so now customers have to sit in think, ‘was the service bad enough to justify making this server not be able to pay their bill?’ And I think that’s a terrible thing to do to your customers and workers,” they added.
Other tables had problems with the service
As they waited for their food, they witnessed another waiter ask a customer to move their car because they were scared to back out of their space when they left their shift.
The other customer was visibly annoyed, and the TikToker noted that the cars were not parked close to each other.
They still don’t get their food
The TikToker said the waiter took their Dr. Pepper for a refill, but they didn’t receive the fountain drink for another 20 minutes.
“I don’t know why it would ever take that long,” they said.
Thirty minutes later, the food they reordered didn’t come out. When the waiter asked them how their meal was, the TikToker said they told her to cancel the new food they had ordered.
However, the original sangria their friend had ordered—which the waiter insisted wasn’t incorrect—eventually came out, the TikToker recalled. And it was a completely different drink from the first.
The waiter allegedly had to bring the check twice because it listed the wrong order. The TikToker said the party put cash on the table and left without tipping.
“It was horrible,” the TikToker said. “I did not want to tip her. On principle.”
“Am I the [expletive]? Total was $51.36, and I left her $52. This was like my first time ever not tipping,” the caption read.
Tipping culture guilt
The TikToker isn’t the only one who felt bad about not tipping despite the poor service, likely due to tipping culture, which has been a hot debate topic. A Popmenu survey found that 61% of people feel pressured to tip, and 70% feel guilty if they don’t. Viewers gave their input.
“I can understand not tipping in this scenario lol. and i was also a server and work in fast food :P thats poor service,” one viewer wrote.
“As a server if I’m having a bad shift and mess up i honestly feel really bad and don’t expect a tip I almost don’t want them to,” another said.
“Nah, you’re not obligated to tip for bad service, I still feel shitty when I tip bad, but sometimes you gotta,” a third added.
Applebee’s customers respond
While the TikToker was shocked by the service they received at Applebee’s, others said they had similar, unpleasant experiences at the restaurant chain.
“Yes, oh my god. I went to Applebees on Sunday with a group of friends, and the service was TERRIBLE. We had to wait forever to get a table, and there were too many workers standing in front of us just talking,” one said.
“Last time I went to Applebee’s I had such a mean girl server when I was there for a birthday dinner with my mom. she literally looked me up and down and said a really rude comment about my age,” another wrote.
“Last time I ordered an appetizer combo. waited a while, waitress came by n said 10 minutes! OK cool, 30 minutes later came by to ask what we ordered because her book got wet and. she couldn’t read it,” a third added.
The Daily Dot reached out to the TikToker via TikTok comment and direct message.
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