Orlando woman sees her fellow server leaving with $400 tips and asks her the secret — turns out she was committing felonies: ‘I didn’t snitch on her’
You better take her advice.
Remember when you’re in a rush to leave a crowded bar on a busy night? You scrawl a quick tip for the server, and you dash out the door without a second thought. But a recent viral TikTok is a chilling reminder that your quick exit might be costing you a lot more than you realize.
A former server Mia (@incasethemayanswe) at the popular chain Winghouse is exposing a deceptive trick used by a former coworker to inflate her daily earnings. And it all comes down to a single pen stroke.
Mia revealed that while she was making a respectable $100 to $200 a night, one of her coworkers was consistently “leaving with bank.” Sometimes, she cleared nearly $400 in tips on a busy shift. But when the co-worker revealed how she was doing it, Mia was stunned. It might even prompt you double-check your bank statements right away.
The server was apparently writing her own tips
When Mia asked the co-worker how she was racking up so much tip money, she agreed to tell her. According to the co-worker, her trick was most effective on “fight nights.” These are those high-volume evenings where the restaurant is packed and servers are “clocking people out left and right.”
The coworker showed Mia a receipt where a customer had left a $3 tip but had left the “Total” line blank. Because there was a small space after the number 3, the server simply added a zero, turning a $3 tip into a $30 tip in a matter of seconds. And since the total was blank, she filled it in herself and processed the payment.
By the time a customer would notice the discrepancy on their bank statement, the server was long gone with the cash. It’s a breakdown of the trust between a server and a guest, all for an extra $27. But the co-worker proudly did it all the time. “She did that to so many people that night, I’m sure,” Mia said.
Is altering a tip actually illegal?
The short answer is: Yes, absolutely. What this server was doing isn’t just a “hack,” is a criminal offense. In most jurisdictions, altering a credit card receipt without the customer’s consent constitutes forgery, theft, and credit card fraud.
Depending on the amount stolen and the state’s specific laws, this behavior can range from a misdemeanor to a serious felony. If the total amount of fraud exceeds a certain threshold (often $1,000 or more), the server could face significant jail time and heavy fines.
Even for smaller amounts, it is considered a wire fraud or financial card fraud that can lead to an arrest and a permanent criminal record. But Mia did not inform the management about her co-worker.
“Before anyone asks, no, I didn’t snitch on her to management. I just didn’t feel like that was my place. It was a long time ago, I was like, I’m new here, I’m not trying to start shit with anyone.”
But she did not miss taking a jab at her. “Girl, you’re cute, you’ll look good in your mugshot, but was it worth it? No, probably not,” she laughed. And even though she did not snitch on her, she tackled the issue in her own way.
“What I did do is every single time I had a customer, I’d be like, hey, make sure you put in the total, we’ve been having some issues.”
The Total line is your only protection from a server waiting to rob you
If you want to take anything from Mia’s story-time, remember to fill out that total line. Because if a server sees it empty, they might see an opportunity to write their own pay check at your expense. If you don’t do the math, they might do it for you. And their math usually favors their own pocket.
So, remember the golden rule of dining out: write your tip clearly, never leave the total blank, and always, always, keep your receipt. And servers, don’t take any inspiration from Mia’s co-worker. Because she might not have snitched, but your fellow server might have balls just like yours.
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