In the United States, servers rely on tips for a sizable portion of their income. According to some studies, as much as 70% of a server’s take-home pay may come from customer tips—meaning that if a server gets a table with a large order, they can generally expect a pretty substantial payday.
While this may usually be the case, tips are optional. As a result, servers can be surprised by customers who place big orders and leave them with a paltry gratuity.
This recently happened to TikTok user Lex (@alexisalcott), who recounted a negative experience in a video with over 325,000 views as of Tuesday morning.
“Eating a brownie in the bathroom because a table of 20 decided to proudly give me 10$ on a 600$ order,” she wrote in the text overlaying the video.
@alexisalcott if your broke just lmk and ill give you a diff server
♬ MAKE SOME NOISE YALL – pat !
“…they were there my whole shift and I was running around for hours and than I made 10$ total for that night of work,” Lex explained in a comment.
Although the customers violated American tipping customs, which dictate that one should tip at least 15% on their orders, users in the comments section were divided about whether Lex should be upset with the customers or employers who fail to pay servers a living wage.
“I never understood the tipping culture,” wrote a user.
“I don’t get how it’s not the business and owners responsibility to pay the worker,” stated another. “How is it up to the customer to pay them?”
“Do restaurants not pay you in America? Do you only get money from tips like what???” questioned a third.
Historians are divided about why the United States has such a pervasive tipping culture. Some claim that its history can be tied to, ironically, attempts to seem European, while others say the idea stems from a history of racial oppression. Regardless of how the practice started, Americans are sick of it, with a survey from earlier this year finding that “two-thirds of Americans view tipping negatively now,” per ABC7.
That said, as tipping still plays a prominent role in American life, commenters encouraged diners to continue to tip, even if they disagree with the notion conceptually.
“I just tipped 10$ on a 20$ order by myself and went home contemplating if that was enough lol,” said a user.
“I never tipped until i started to work as a waiter. Now i tip like 30% the order,” shared a second.
The Daily Dot reached out to Lex via email.
