Server Says That When She Doesn't Charge Customers For 'Free' Food Items She Expects That Amount Added To Her Tip
It's the "unspoken code" between servers and customers.
TikTok A server has stirred a debate after revealing that she expects a bigger tip from customers for reducing prices on their bills.
In a TikTok video, Indie, who works as a server at a restaurant, explained that there is an "unspoken code" between restaurant employees and customers that she assumed most people knew about.
She claimed that if she doesn't charge customers for 'free' food items, she expects that amount to be added to her tip.
In her TikTok video, which has boasted over 640,000 views, Indie shared her expectations when it comes to customers leaving her tips after she's served them.
"I thought there was an unspoken code where if I leave food off your ticket order, things that you asked extra [for], [like] extra bacon, I thought maybe that would tip maybe $1 maybe $2,” she pointed out.
However, that seemed to not be the case, and often, people would either leave a bad tip or no tip at all.
Indie continued, saying that after helping out customers by avoiding extra fees, they'd often tip her "nothing."
"People want the most for free," she stated.
In the caption of her video, she added that the incident had recently happened to her at work, and the woman she had been serving "pulled a Bible out and read it for over an hour."
Many TikTok users agreed with Indie's mentality of 'if you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.'
"This is the code. My bartender picked up a beer for me, the cost of that beer went into her tip," one user wrote.
Another user added, "If you [compensate] me a $10 item, you get $10 added to your tip. Period."
“I literally gave a server over $25 for leaving one item off. It was over 40% of the bill. Do people not realize this?” a third user remarked.
However, other users pointed out that they sometimes don't look closely at their bill to see if things were taken off on items they've ordered.
"I always tip 20% but I will admit I don't pay attention to the total so I'm sorry if I didn't do an extra tip," a following user admitted.
A fifth user wrote, "I don’t always look at the itemized receipt," while another wrote, "Friend, I have anxiety and just look at the total to leave immediately."
"I feel like if ppl haven't worked in service they wouldn't really know this but I agree," a following user added.
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.