Servers On Reddit Are Sharing How They Reacted To No-Tip Customers
In the United States, tipping your servers is standard practice. While some people view it as optional, tips are essential for servers and other restaurant workers to make a living wage (via Fast Company). In fact, leaving bad tips is one of the biggest things that restaurant servers want you to stop doing. Despite its standard practice, tipping has plenty of customers divided and a DoorDash driver's message about tipping in a TikTok video even gave viewers the perspective of a food delivery driver who relies on tips to make a living. While the driver personally delivered a note to the offending customer, a post on Reddit's r/ServerLife gives us an insight into the world of restaurant servers who don't receive tips.
The original Reddit user who created the post (and is also a server) explained that when they don't receive a tip, they usually don't say anything. But in a more egregious case recently, in which a $200 bill was tip-less, they spoke up. While they didn't push for rectification, they passively mentioned it to the customer and said it was fine if they couldn't tip or didn't want to include a gratuity. While the customer eventually gave the original poster a $20 tip, other users chimed in with a slew of responses to this practice, resulting in a passionate back-and-forth.
How servers handle bad tippers
The comments of the Reddit post on r/ServerLife generally agreed that the server did the right thing, and the situation was handled well. One commenter wrote, "You are the hero every restaurant needs." Another commenter pointed out that the Redditor who posted the thread only received a $20 gratuity on a $200 bill when they used this tip negotiation tactic. This amount only added up to a 10% tip, but the original poster wrote back saying that almost all of the $20 they received was tipped out, meaning that the server has to give some of their tips to other restaurant workers, like bartenders or bussers (via Fit Small Business).
The top comment comes from a general manager, who said that when guests don't tip, they leave notes in the reservation system and inform those guests there isn't any availability if they call the restaurant to book again. Many users flocked in to congratulate the manager for creating this system. These gratuities play a crucial role for servers and the original poster illustrated this point by mentioning that their base server pay is only $4 an hour. Ultimately, if you go to eat out at a restaurant or order delivery, be prepared to leave a tip.