When ordering food at a restaurant, it’s not uncommon to place your order via tablet. Restaurants like Chili’s and Olive Garden have embraced this system, allowing guests to browse the menu and place their orders via tablets on tables rather than through a server directly.
But not every customer has been thrilled with the addition of tablets from companies like Ziosk to their dining table. One customer claimed that their Ziosk would not let them tip anything other than 20%. Others have questioned how such devices calculate their totals.
Now, another internet user is calling out the ordering system after recounting a negative experience at a restaurant that uses Ziosk.
What’s wrong with this tip?
In a video, TikTok user Jared (@thehardpillguy) recalls a recent experience at a restaurant using Ziosk machines. Though he does not specify which restaurant it is, his clip has garnered over 1 million views.
According to Jared, he was eating at this restaurant, and when it came time to pay, he noticed that his total was $51.16. The Ziosk suggested a 30% tip, which the machine listed at $18.83.
“And I’m usually a big tipper anyways, especially if the service is really good…and in my mind, you tip off of the subtotal. not after the tax amount—but that percentage didn’t make sense,” he explains.
Confused, he tried calculating the total himself. Including the tax, 30% of his total was actually $15.34, while 30% of his subtotal was just $13.09.
“I don’t know if there’s a metric here that I just don’t understand, I didn’t really get,” he concludes. “But for the machine to say, ‘Hey, if you want to give this percentage, it’s this amount,’ when it’s actually wrong. It seems a little shady to me.”
This isn’t the first time
The strange calculation of tips is a common complaint by Ziosk users.
According to Intel, a Ziosk calculates tips “on the original full total after taxes and before discounts.” Many customers prefer to tip on the subtotal.
However, some have alleged that even this claim is inaccurate. For example, one internet user claimed that their tip was inaccurate, even accounting for taxes and discounts.
Previously, a spokesperson for Chili’s parent company told the Daily Dot that “the suggested tip is calculated based on the total after taxes and before any adjustments to the check such as comped items, redeemed coupons/rewards, or other discounts…so, the suggested amounts/percentages are inclusive of any comps and discounts our Guests received.”
“If a Guest is a My Chili’s Rewards Member and redeems a reward/gets a menu item comped, the suggested gratuity is based on or includes the total check amount before the comp. Fortunately, the tip is adjustable so our Guests can customize or choose the amount they prefer using the ‘Custom Tip’ option,” they added.
@thehardpillguy The math just isn’t mathing with these self pay Ziosk machines, what do you guys think? #thehardpillguy #ziosk #selfpay #ai ♬ original sound – The Hard Pill Guy
‘Their greed is hurting everyone involved.’
In the comments section, users expressed their frustration with contemporary tipping practices.
“I’ll never understand why I am expected to pay the waiter/waitress a bigger tip for bringing me a $20 steak as opposed to a $10 burger,” wrote a user.
“We need to stop paying tips and it forces the businesses to pay their employees a decent wage. Their greed is hurting everyone involved,” added another.
“Ziosk is taking a cut,” suggested a third. This appears to be incorrect, as Ziosk makes its money by renting the machines themselves to the restaurant, per the Washington Post.
Update 7:24am CT, March 6: In an email to the Daily Dot, Ziosk wrote the following: “Ziosk’s pay-at-the-table solution enables restaurant operators to configure settings for tips in a variety of different ways to best meet their needs. While configuration is up to the discretion of the restaurant using Ziosk’s technology, settings include options to calculate tips based on before-tax subtotals or after-tax subtotals, before or after discounted and comped items, and options to exclude certain items from the tip calculation. That being said, a seamless guest experience is paramount to our company, and we have reached out to the creator to learn more about this specific case.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Jared via Instagram and TikTok DM.
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