Server called out for ‘shady tipping practice’ after leaving strategic note on bill

A guest at a restaurant was left puzzled when they received the bill for their food.

It's often a source of great frustration figuring out exactly how to calculate a tip. Is it 20%, 15%, even 10%? Opinions can differ wildly.

While in Canada - where the restaurant in question was located - tipping is not as deeply ingrained as in the US, it can still be a faux pas to not tip.

But on this occasion, the guest was perplexed when they saw what their server had done on the bill.

They took to Reddit to explain the situation, writing: "I went to a St. Louis Bar and Grill with a few of my friends and when we got our bills, we noticed that the server had written 'Thanks!' in the middle of the bill.

"We later realized that she was covering up the part that said 'Tip (15%)' as she had written on the same exact spot for all of our bills."

Reddit/fatyoshi22

They continued: "She had not mentioned to us that tips were already included so I assume she was covering that part up so we would tip on top of it.

"Honestly, it would have worked if she didn’t slightly misplace her writing on my friend’s bill (partially revealing the words underneath).

"When we realized what she was doing, we did not tip on top of the total and she was visibly angry about that."

The guest concluded: "I know that times can be tough and that tipping is super important. But this just seems shady and potentially illegal to me."

People took to the comments to share their views on the incident.

Grace Cary / Getty

One person wrote: "I definitely think that was shady. Every restaurant I’ve ever worked in I’ve circled the word gratuity and written thank you NEXT to it.

"I would never write anything anywhere on a bill that would cover up any portion of the itemization, fees, taxes, or total. There’s plenty of blank space all over that bill that she could have written ‘thanks’ instead."

Another posted: "I (did) work in the restaurant for 25 years. My restaurants never did this, but I’ve caught servers trying to pull this c**p. Shady servers.

A third person pointed out the size of the table, writing: "Says table of six, it might be restaurant policy to auto gratuity for six or more guests. Not that uncommon or shady. It's usually clearly stated on the menu."

UNILAD has contacted St. Louis Bar and Grill for comment.