‘I got you girl’: Woman compliments server’s ‘exceptional’ service during $150 dinner. Then the server sees what she left behind
Being a server sounds ideal in theory. Throughout the entire shift, you’re working your tail off trying to please various personalities, temperaments, and patience levels by catering to their every whim, all in hopes of scoring a decent tip.
But sometimes, guests’ behaviors don’t mirror their generosity.
For instance, one California server went above and beyond for a group of what she deemed ‘extremely obnoxious and difficult women,’ but was surprised with a 50% tip. On the other hand, another server based in Missouri bent over backwards for her two female guests who showered her with birthday cheer and kindness, only to be met with a measly 75-cent tip, the remaining change from the bill.
For this Illinois server, one of her guests expressed their appreciation for her extra effort by leaving a less-than-ideal cash tip.
“I’m a server and I want to talk about something and it has nothing to do with the quality of a person, OK?” server Mary Bauer (@bauerbabe21) begins her video. “It has been my experience that I will often, not always, get tables of Black people, and they do not tip very well. It has a lot more to do with their demeanor than it does with the color of their skin.”
Then, she uses her most recent encounter as an example.
Shift Story Time
“I got this table. It’s a couple. Woman, man,” she says. “So, she asked me questions about the Sangria we have and what we used to flavor our Sangria.”
Without hesitation, she imparted a secret ingredient: puree. The content creator even searched for the specific type, per the female guest’s request.
“So, I go into the back of the kitchen and I get a picture of the type of puree we use. Then, I go on Amazon and I find the puree we use,” Bauer recalls. “I come back to the table and I’m like, ‘This is the puree we use. This is where you can buy it.”
When the couple ordered their appetizers and entrees, they stumbled across a problem. Immediately, she attempted to fix it.
“OK, I go back to the kitchen, I get the kitchen to make fresh fries and I bring out fresh fries for them,” she says. “The fries are still wrong and there’s some issue where she needed an extra sauce side.”
After they complained to her about it, the server went the extra mile to settle it. “I go to the manager and I say, ‘Hey. I wanna take care of these people. They’re really upset about their fries. Can you comp their appetizer?’” she recounts asking her manager, which was a success.
Afterward, the woman had her eyes set on a display decanter. “She’s like, ‘I want one of those decanters,” the content creator says. “And I was talking to her about it.”
The woman seemed to really appreciate the gesture Bauer gave her and wanted to reward her handsomely. “She’s like, ‘Girl. You’ve been amazing. I’m gonna take really good care of you. I got you on the bill,’” she recalls.
Did The Customer’s Tip ‘Take Care of Her?’
“So, the bill was $150. The decanter ended up being $200, so their bill was $350,” the server says. “I was like, ‘She’s gonna take care of me. I’d be thrilled if I got a $30 tip.’”
However, it was nothing but disappointment. “She left me $17 in cash. A $17 top on a $150 bill that covers my tip out and a little extra,” she says. “That’s not a problem.”
On the other hand, the issue Bauer had was feeling misled despite the woman singing her praises. “My question is, why is she saying, ‘I got you, girl. You were so amazing. This is exceptional service?’” the content creator asks. “She’s not tipping 20% on the bill before the decanter, and she’s acting like tipping me $17 is doing me a favor.”
Before wrapping up, Bauer still couldn’t fathom it. “You don’t tell someone, ‘I got you. I’m gonna take care of you if you’re not gonna do it,” she says. “What am I missing? Is this rejecting tipping culture?”
Who Is In The Wrong?
Bauer’s video accumulated over 11,000 views. Servers who entered the chat backed her, claiming that hearing those words was an instant red flag.
“Anyone that has ever said those words out loud ‘I’m going to take care of you’ has in fact done the opposite! Those words are never a good sign,” one viewer commented.
“I was a server for years. It comes with the territory. Excellent tippers don’t even talk to you about the tip. When I was serving the excellent tippers balanced out the bad ones,” another agreed.
“You are 100% accurate. Anyone working in the service industry already knows this,” a third echoed.
Moreover, others defended the female guest, trying to view the situation from her perspective.
“Maybe she doesn’t usually tip- so ya, I think she was going above and beyond what she usually does,” one commenter remarked,
“To her that was a sufficient tip, some people are just bad tippers,” a second concurred.
Was It Really About The Tip Amount?
In a follow-up video, Bauer decided to rehash this discussion, contradicting everything the subject of her original clip said.
“I do not have experiences where I go out of my way for white customers and they don’t tip me well,” she began. “My question is: why is it that I get Black people who are poor tippers?”
Next, she detailed her point. “Let’s just say that the ratio of white tippers are bad tippers is much lower than the ratio of Black tippers that are bad tippers,” she said. “So, my point with the video was, what is it about Black people that makes it the case? I’m not talking about the quality of a person. People deserve respect and dignity regardless of how they choose to tip.”
Yet again, the content creator flip-flopped. “I guess the bigger question is, it’s not about dollars. Like, she had the money. She spent $150 on dinner. I went out of my way to help her,” she said. “If that’s the case, then it has to do with what she thinks I deserve or expect.”
Still, Bauer couldn’t wrap her mind around it. “The thought process is that the more dollars you spend, the more the server is doing. I went out of my way and accommodated her on multiple fronts and she chose to tip me poorly,” she stated. “I don’t have experiences where I go out of my way and I do extra for white customers and they don’t tip me well, at least 20% of the bill.”
The content creator concluded by reiterating her question: “Why is it always Black people?”
Who Are Considered The Worst Tippers?
Without a doubt, there will always be less generous tippers in the restaurant industry. Likewise, customers’ perception of decent compensation isn’t universal. Every server’s experience is different, and their clientele’s tip patterns vary, but there is an encounter nearly all have had: those who brag about being good tippers usually aren’t, as The Mary Sue previously reported.
While there aren’t recent statistics about racial differences in gratuity, Bauer’s home state of Illinois ranks in the top five with the stingiest tippers. Oregon reigns at No. 1 at 13.10%, followed by Virginia at 13.58%, New York at 13.72%, Alaska at 14.11%, and Illinois at 14.37%, according to The New York Post. Below are more statistics:
Finance Buzz found that the younger generation tips the least overall, with only 56% of Millennials doing so and 35% of Gen Z at 35%.
Women are considered to be the most reliable tippers at 71% as opposed to men at 63%, per The Hill.
@bauerbabe21 Am I the problem? I'm open to criticism but this was a bit ass backwards to me.
♬ original sound – Mary
The Mary Sue reached out to Bauer via email and TikTok comment.
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