Customer Refusing To Tip Waiter When Check Arrived Praised

A waiter has been slammed online for requesting a tip, despite not doing any serving.

The post, titled “AITA for not tipping because my waiter didn’t ‘wait’ on me?”, shared by u/Status_Jackfruit6397, quickly went viral, gathering 15,000 upvotes in less than 24 hours.

Referring to the waiter as Brad, the poster notes how he took their order and “then disappeared,” only returning when presenting the bill.

“When the check came, Brad magically reappeared, circled the ‘suggested tip,’ and gave me a big smile like we’d been through something together. My guy, what am I tipping for? You didn’t wait on me—you just took my order and vanished like a part-time magician.

“So, I left no tip. Now my friends are calling me an a****** because ‘that’s just how restaurants work.'”

According to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey, nearly half of Americans (49 percent) say their decision to tip depends on the situation. Among U.S. adults who dine at sit-down restaurants—where a server takes their order—92 percent report that they always or often leave a tip. This includes 81 percent who say they always tip in these settings.

Newsweek reached out to u/status_Jackfruit6397 for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.

Newsweek spoke to etiquette expert Jo Hayes, who agrees with the original poster (OP) and states that they did the right thing.

“I applaud OP for acting in accordance with the way tipping culture is designed to operate. The better the service, the better the tip. The poorer the service, the poorer the tip. In this case, no service, no tip,” she said.

“Tipping is a big part of American culture—particularly restaurant and dining culture. Most workers in the service industry are paid less than the minimum wage—which is generally low to begin with—and workers rely on tips to boost their wages.

“It’s helpful to take a closer look at what a tip is and why we do it. A tip is a gratuity—a demonstration of gratitude for a service received. The better the service, the better the tip. The theory behind tipping culture is that it motivates staff/workers to offer a high standard of service.

“And customers are expected to behave in good faith—if they receive good service, they should tip accordingly. However, in situations such as this, where the server has done next to nothing, it’s completely understandable that the customer wouldn’t tip.”

Reddit Reacts

Contrary to the poster’s friends’ thoughts, other users think they did the right thing. So far, the March 11 post has over 1,000 comments—and the top one alone has 7,700 upvotes.

It said: “It’s fun to play dumb here. Hi Brad! Were you my waiter? I don’t think I’ve seen you before. My waiter checked on me and refilled my drink. Be sure to tell me where to find him so I can leave the tip with him.”

“Brad really thought he could coast through the shift and still cash in. Not today,” said another user.

A third commenter wrote: “I’m a waiter with over 10 years’ experience. Tell your friends that I said you are 100 percent NTA. The server didn’t take good care of you, so he deserved nothing!”

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