A waitress once sparked a heated debate online after criticizing tourists for leaving a ten percent tip on a $700 bill.
Tipping is a huge part of culture here in the US, there's no denying it. But sometimes, there are boundaries as to when a worker can ask for a tip from a customer.
And a result, there have been a few heated confrontations online, including one delivery driver who was fired for his response to a tip.
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Earlier this year, a waitress from New York made the headlines over the hot topic of tipping culture.
You probably don't need a calculator to know that results in a tip of $70, which, considering you could buy a whole other meal for that amount, is a pretty decent amount of money.
However, when you are talking about percentages - many have questioned whether it is enough.
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Well, Waitress Madison, who works at a restaurant in the Big Apple, doesn't think so.
She took to X, formerly known as Twitter, earlier this year to vent her frustration over the tip left by a table of tourists who'd come to visit the Big Apple from somewhere in Europe.
They could have enjoyed some cheap meals of heavenly 99c pizza slices and hot dogs from street vendors, but instead they opted for some pricier dishes that racked up a check of $700.
In her post, Madison said the customers were 'chilling for HOURS' at the restaurant, after which her manager asked if they'd enjoyed their service and they responded to say they were 'over the moon'.
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In spite of their enjoyment, the customers left a ten percent tip of $70.
"[My manager] explained the customary tip is 20% and they were like “ok.” and left," Madison wrote.
The tip prompted the waitress to say she 'f**king hate[s] Europeans sometimes', with her frustration likely coming in part from the cultural differences in tipping between Europe and the US, where tipping is more heavily relied upon for earning.
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Madison's frustration sparked debate online as Twitter users discussed whether the tip was enough, with many people responding to argue $70 was plenty.
"Only Americans would complain about a $70 tip," one person wrote, while another commented: "Tip culture almost borders on entitlement because why are you shaming people for giving you $70 for doing a job you're already paid to do?"
However, Madison argued that people who don't work in the US don't always understand that servers in the US make a lot of their wage from tips, adding: "We KNOW it’s bad. you’re not saying anything Americans aren’t painfully aware of. but you still need to tip while we fight this fight."
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One person responded to Madison's post to argue there is a 'massive cultural difference' between the US and European countries, though added that if the customers had spent $700 on food they probably could have dropped a little bit more cash for their server.
"I don't think you are wrong, if they spend 700 on food they very likely could've tipped you. I think the main reason we don't tip it's because our wages are low but that doesn't apply to this case," they wrote.
Madison thanked the X user for their support, noting that she works in 'fine dining' so the customers definitely weren't 'poor'.
She also added that she wouldn't have received the full tip regardless, writing: "I have taxes, tip out, and credit card fees also taken from my tips. so i won’t be receiving a full $70 nor would i have received a full $140."
Topics: TikTok, Food and Drink, Money
Callum Jones