Woman Says Customers Must Pay 20% in Tips to Servers; Most Netizens Find Her Claims ‘Ludicrous’

Discussions on tipping culture have sparked intense debates on TikTok and other social media platforms. One of the common yet contradictory clashes is when the content creators oppose the toxic tipping culture and yet advocate giving a minimum mandatory tip. Netizens are unhappy with the fact that they have to pay for the server's salary while the restaurant cannot increase their wages. A TikTok user (@carloandbailey) posted a video about the issue, amassing 1.3 million views and 14.8K comments. She starts her video by urging the tourists to tip saying, “When you go to the USA and you are a tourist and you're not used to tipping. But then you go to a restaurant and then you see the little tip line, if you put zero dollars and zero cents; a portion of that meal is going to be taken out of the server's paycheck.”

Further in the video, she accepted that the American tipping culture has gotten out of hand and needs some good reforms. Being an ex-server, she agrees that the restaurant owners must increase their wages but servers are completely relying on customer tips for now. Bailey then backlashes the foreigners who protest in the country by not giving tips. She asks them the question, saying, "Do you know how much the restaurant pays us outside the tips? I think when I worked at Texas Roadhouse, I just made $2 an hour." Her rant went on and she blamed the customers due to this protest of not giving tips. "They are denying the servers who are waiting on your back and call; you're denying them a meal or a tank of gas." She later urged the tourists to at least pay a 20% tip and said, "If you can't afford a tip, then don't go out to eat." 

@Carolina Mazza commented, "I honestly do not agree with you. This tipping culture in the US is becoming ridiculous. It is not our problem if the owner wants to keep the money all for themselves." @Mariaf commented, "I will never understand why the customer is still responsible for everyone’s paycheck." @Sunny bunny commented, "That’s crazy. But I’m still gonna write 0.00$ as a tip in front of the waiter. My boyfriend and I rarely get to go out and when we do it’s because we have JUST enough. Don’t like the pay, get a different job." @ Zee Zee commented, "This is absolutely ludicrous! Your anger should be directed at your establishment, not paying customers."

@Mel commented, "America has convinced people that it is not the employer's job to pay wages." @Emmi commented, "I'm sorry but it's just not my responsibility to tip as a tourist. Holiday is expensive enough. I don't plan on spending an extra 500$ for a week." @Kristen commented, "Not tipping is not a form of protest lmao. A form of protest would be not going to full-service restaurants or not coming here at all."

Bailey's video attracted a lot of negative yet criticizing comments for her contradictory opinions. The majority of the viewers wondered why restaurants are not increasing the servers' salaries, making customers liable to compensate the rest of the amount.

Follow Bailey in Italy 🇮🇹 (@carloandbailey) for more such videos on tipping.