A controversial video about tipping based on service rather than meal cost is going viral on TikTok.
“Why are tips based on the cost of food and not actual service?” Deema Lopez (@prettyonfridays) asks.
@repairman67 then comes into the frame to stitch Deema’s video and give his answer.
“People are gonna hate me for this, but I do not tip according to the cost of food,” @repairman67 shares.
He says he doesn’t care if his bill comes out to $1,000 or $25. The server’s tip, he says, will be based on how well they treated him.
@repairman67 explains that for him, it’s all about the “minute details,” like his beverage being consistently refilled and never hitting empty and having a server that is present rather than one he has to look around for and flag down.
“I have tipped higher for Waffle House than I have for like a $600 steak dinner,” @repairman67 says.
He explains that the server at Waffle House refilled his drink before it hit empty and always put it on his left-hand side where @repairman67 was also placing it. He juxtaposes that to the restaurant where he ordered a steak and his drink was empty “like six or seven times,” and he had to raise his hand in the air to get a refill.
“I don’t care how much the bill is. You’re getting tipped off of your service, at least with me,” @repairman67 says.
The video has more than 800,000 views and nearly 3,500 comments.
@repairman67 #stitch with @Deema Lopez—@prettyonfridays ♬ original sound – repairman67
Waitstaff are legally allowed to be paid below the federal minimum wage since the expectation is that their lower wage will be padded by tips.
Tipped workers are currently allowed to make as little as $2.13 an hour, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The federal minimum wage for other workers is $7.25 an hour.
In the comments section, @repairman67 added that his perspective is informed by the fact that he also worked in restaurants for a “long time.”
Commenters were a bit confused by @repairman67’s approach and wanted additional clarification, but he did not do a follow-up video or respond in the comments section.
“Sooo if everything is perfect and your bill is 1000$ how much do you tip vs perfect service and your bill is 25$? Asking for all of us,” the second most popular comment read.
“So your $600 check you had good service, your base line for a good tip has to come from somewhere?” a person pointed out.
Other commenters criticized @repairman67’s approach.
“You’re probably needy AF,” one person said.
“Sometimes tho as customers y’all forget y’all are not our only table if your drink got empty we probably got busy,” another wrote.
Some, however, said they appreciated his approach.
“As a server, I love people like you. I’d rather be tipped on my ability to do my job over if your meal was delicious,” a commenter shared.
“As a former server, I 100% agree. If I get bad service bc of the server and not outside factors it’s a zero tip,” another said.
The Daily Dot reached out to @repairman67 via TikTok comment.
