Tipping as an aspect of dining out or otherwise enjoying services provided by another person is a polarizing topic.
While there are folks on both sides of the issue when it comes to leaving a tip optionally, the non-optional tip—a gratuity—is even more so frustrating for customers who are not prepared to pay one.
Many restaurants will enforce a gratuity for parties over a certain size based on a percentage of the bill, ensuring that servers are to receive a tip for their service—but not every customer is aware of that from the start.
One customer of the Sugar Factory, a restaurant offering a variety of food, cocktails, candy and desserts, was shocked to see that the restaurant had charged her a $44 gratuity for her party. In a video that has drawn more than 2.7 million views on TikTok, user @binkssofamous says she was surprised by the added gratuity on her bill.
“Who is Gratuity and why is it $44,” she asks one of the servers in the first of two videos about the incident. When the server informs her that it is the tip for service, the customer simply asks if they really do just add that onto a check before appearing to settle down as the video is cut off.
A second video shows the high-energy crowd at the restaurant. In the caption, the user said she believes she may have been scammed. “Get u lit then added gradtity to my bill,” the caption reads. “I know exactly why they added that damn tip on my bill.”
@binkssofamous Nahhhh the @Sugar Factory got me a lil TIGHT !!!!! Tf is GRADTITY !!!!!!!! #fyp #foruyou #binkssofamous #binksandtakeeya #binkssofamous #viralvideo ♬ original sound – Binks So Famous
The Daily Dot has reached out to @binkssofamous via email regarding the video.
Some commenters wrote that the poster’s reaction to the bill was exactly the reason a 20% gratuity is required at the Sugar Factory and restaurants like it, and sided with the servers in the situation.
“Her reaction alone is exactly why gratuity is added,” one commenter wrote.
“I get it,” another commenter wrote. “she was probably gonna leave like $2 as a tip.”
“That tip you never would leave,” a commenter wrote.
Others shared that they had mixed feelings about automatic gratuities in restaurants, but understood why they were there—some just did not want to be asked to tip on top of their required tipping.
“Gratuity is necessary in large groups,” one commenter wrote. “I got a gratuity once for a burger and fries for me. It was weird.”
“Funny they be adding that gratuity and still have the nerve to be asking for more tip,” another commenter wrote.
“My restaurant does automatic 18% for groups of 7 or more and I think that’s pretty fair,” a commenter wrote. “Auto gratuity for every table is a bit much lol.”