Customer Removes The 18% Gratuity That Was Automatically Added To Their Restaurant Bill
He criticized the restaurant for automatically adding gratuity in the first place.
FG Trade from Getty Images Signature via Canva Pro Many people have strong opinions on tipping in restaurants, with some individuals pointing out that food service workers depend on them to survive, and others claiming that tipping culture has gotten out of hand and they shouldn't be required to leave additional money.
The debate continued on the subreddit "r/EndTipping" after a customer shared that they refused to leave a tip, despite the gratuity being automatically added to their check.
The customer removed the gratuity that was automatically added to their restaurant bill.
In the Reddit post, the customer posted a screenshot of a receipt they received after dining in at a restaurant.
Photo: Reddit
"Please note that an 18% gratuity has been added to your check," was printed on the bottom of the receipt. "Please feel free to increase, decrease, or remove the gratuity. This gratuity will be paid to your server, is voluntary, and added for your convenience."
The total amount of the bill was $73.94, which included the 18% gratuity of $10.65. But instead of leaving the tip as it was, the customer crossed out the gratuity and paid the price for just his meal, which was $63.29.
People in the comments section had mixed options on the customer's refusal to tip.
Some were on his side and pointed out that restaurant patrons shouldn't be required to pay anything toward their server except the price of the meal they ate.
"People shouldn't have to 'opt-out' of anything. There should be no tip line, extra buttons to click on or push, and no cashier standing there watching if you are tipping or not," one Reddit user wrote. Another user added, "I can't deal with this. I avoid eating out because I don't want to deal with it and the experience and food is never worth the cost."
However, other people insisted that they didn't see an issue with an 18% tip and argued that this customer was in the wrong for taking away the tip entirely, especially when it wasn't the server's fault that this rule had been implemented in the first place.
"Yes, tipping culture sucks. Tips being automatically added to a check is ridiculous as well. Tipping $0, however, did nothing but screw over a server trying to earn a living. The owner of this restaurant still got his money, so what did this accomplish?" a third user chimed in.
A fourth user added, "I can't imagine being so poor that I would do something like this. If you can't afford to tip you can't afford to eat out. Horrible."
Most Americans have a negative view of tipping servers.
According to Bankrate, roughly two in three U.S. adults have a negative view of tipping. Forty-one percent of Americans said they believe businesses should pay employees better rather than relying so much on tips, 32% said they’re annoyed about pre-entered tip screens, and 30% feel that tipping culture has gotten out of control.
Similarly, 15% of people surveyed admitted to being confused about who and how much to tip and 16% said they would be willing to pay higher prices if we could do away with tipping.
Despite how annoyed people are about the current tipping culture, some haven't stopped. Almost half of U.S. adults who dine at sit-down restaurants typically tip at least 20%.
In an interview with CNBC, Thomas Farley, an etiquette expert, explained that restaurant servers should be given the standard 15-20% tip — the latter if it's a dine-in experience. "I do not believe it’s justified to ever not tip someone for lackluster service. I believe you should always leave a tip," said Elaine Swann, another etiquette expert.
The argument that restaurants should pay their servers a livable wage is a valid point to bring up, however, servers should suffer because that's not the reality. They don't enforce the rules, and to survive and afford basic necessities, tips are a major part of their income.
If you dine in a restaurant and receive service from someone who is bringing you your food and drinks, they are entitled to at least a 20% tip at the end, and withholding it is rude and unsympathetic.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.