Woman Lost Her Job Over Her Reaction To Not Receiving A Tip On A $735 Takeout Order
While some people believe that tipping on takeout orders is unnecessary, others argue that restaurant employees rely on tips to make a living wage.
lunopark / Shutterstock An Outback Steakhouse server found herself at the center of the ever-divisive debate on tipping practices after her frustration about a low tip caused her to lose her job.
The employee was fired over her reaction to not being tipped on a $735 order.
Tamlynn Yoder previously worked at Outback Steakhouse in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida as a takeout employee after working in the restaurant industry for 10 years. She was in charge of taking orders over the phone, packaging and bagging them, and bringing them out to customers’ cars for curbside pickup.
During one of her shifts in February 2018, the Christ Fellowship church in Palm Beach Gardens placed a takeout order consisting of 75 items totaling $735. 25 steaks, 25 potatoes, and 25 chickens to be exact, Yoder told WPBF 25 News. When the group arrived to pick up their order, which took over an hour to prepare, she helped them load up the meals into the car.
However, when the group left, Yoder was shocked to realize that they had left her no tip on the receipt even after all of her hard work.
Being a member of that specific church herself, the incident was even more hurtful for her. The infuriated takeout employee took to Facebook to vent about her unpleasant experience with the customers. However, she never expected the outcome she received when she returned to work the following day.
“I was told that I was being fired and that they refunded the full $735,” she says. Her post caught the attention of a member of Christ Fellowship Church, who contacted Outback Steakhouse. The restaurant claimed that Yoder had “violated their social media policy.”
Tipping culture in the United States has increasingly come under fire as more and more people experience 'tipping fatigue'.
Tipping is a cultural norm in the United States, with many service industry workers relying on tips to supplement their wages. However, tipping practices can vary widely, leading to confusion and frustration for both customers and workers, especially when it comes to takeout orders, which many suggest shouldn't require a tip as customers are required to go to the restaurant themselves to pick up their order instead of being served by a restaurant employee.
Takeout orders often require less work on the restaurant's behalf in terms of service, but restaurant owner Marina Charny told Real Simple that customers should still consider leaving a 5% to 10% tip on takeout orders (as opposed to the suggested 18% - 20% tip for dine-in service).
“There are times when you can definitely tip a little more,” Charny explained. “For example, if the server is extra attentive to you while you wait for your order," Charny said, or as in Yoder's case, when the order is larger than usual.
The church retroactively compensated the employee with a generous tip.
Unfortunately, Yoder wasn't fired for not receiving a tip or for being upset about it, but rather for violating the company's social media policy, which prohibits posting "content that refers to guests/customers in a derogatory manner."
But despite being publicly criticized for not tipping, the church attempted to make things right with Yoder.
“We are sorry to hear about this situation and our leaders have been notified about it,” they reportedly wrote in a Facebook statement. “We value our local business partners and those who work in their establishments — many of whom are members of our church — and it is customary for us to leave a generous tip whenever we pick up a takeout order.”
The church compensated Yoder with much more than a usual tip as well as a list of takeout jobs that were hiring.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.