Man Says Restaurant Manager Confronted Him & His Family For Only Leaving 6% Tip On A $600 Bill
He said the entire situation was embarrassing.
Dean Drobot / Shutterstock A man stirred up a debate after revealing that he and his family were confronted by a restaurant manager who was unhappy with the amount of tip they paid.
In a TikTok video that has since been deleted, a man named Jose shared that he and his family had been out at a restaurant. When the time came time for the tip to be paid, the amount they topped didn't equate with the total of their overall restaurant bill — at least according to the manager.
He said the manager confronted him and his family for leaving a 6% tip on a $600 restaurant bill.
Jose explained that he and his family had gone out to a restaurant in Seattle, Washington, for his birthday. In total, five people attended Jose's birthday celebration, including himself, where they each had drinks and shared two appetizers.
"At the end of the night, they bring the tab and one of my family members decides that they want to pay for my tab," Jose recalled. "So they pay, sign the bill, and the waitress goes to the back."
A few minutes after the waitress took their bill, Jose saw somebody else coming up to their table, who he assumed had been the manager. Once the manager approached their table, he told Jose's group, "We noticed that you only tipped 6%," and asked if it was because they were unhappy with the service.
Jose continued, saying that as soon as the restaurant manager called them out for not paying what they considered a sufficient tip, the family member who paid the bill immediately became embarrassed.
"My family member who paid ... his face went red. Like, they were calling him out in front of all of us that he only tipped 6%," he said, adding that the bill had come out to be around $600.
In response to the manager's question, Jose and his family admitted that the service had been good and that they had planned on leaving more tips in cash before they left.
"What do you do?" Jose asked. "Like your family member paid for everybody's tab, and then this person comes up and calls them out for the amount of tip."
After the manager walked away once Jose and his family promised to pay more of the tip in cash, he noticed that all of the other servers and employees in the restaurant began ignoring him and his family.
Jose's video received an influx of comments from people who slammed the restaurant's manager for confronting them over the tip.
Under Jose's video, hordes of people flocked to the comments, where they gave their thoughts, and revealed what they would've done in that situation.
"If the restaurant calls me out for the tip left, I will ask them to change the tip amount to 0," one user wrote.
Another user added, "Very unprofessional for them to bring it up in front of everyone," while a third user agreed, writing, "Now I'm embarrassing everyone and getting my tip back."
However, other users pointed out that the restaurant's manager had only been trying to understand if their server had given them good service or not.
"The manager/staff are trying to correct for a poor experience, which the low tip signaled," they wrote. "That's good service."
Restaurant managers are responsible for ensuring their customers have a good experience — and that their staff is fairly compensated.
In a 2023 survey conducted by USA TODAY Blueprint and OnePoll, which surveyed 7,000 Americans, 48% of people admitted to being tired of asked to tip, with 63% of people adding that these days, tips are expected in far too many places. Despite more than half of people feeling as though it's not their responsibility to ensure employees are paid, the survey noted that over half of people feel pressured to do so.
That said, “If you’re going to a restaurant, you know that part of your experience is going to be gratuity,” etiquette expert Diane Gottsman told CNBC, because in most U.S. states, front-of-house restaurant workers like servers and bartenders don't make regular minimum wage. Instead, tips are their main source of income.
Though a 15% to 20% tip is customary, the final amount is largely based on quality of service. While it may feel "embarrassing" to have a tip amount questioned, as this family experienced, it's a manager's job to step in and ensure his staff's service is up to par above all else.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.