Server Does The Most Waiting On A Group Of Dads, Essentially Turning Into An Entertainer. They Promise A Big Tip—Then She Sees The Tip Line

Knowing how much a diner’s tipping behavior depends on their experience with service, a server is likely to go above and beyond with most of their tables.

This can be as basic as smiling a bunch and showing that they care about the customer’s experience.

Sometimes, it’s smaller things like writing “thank you” on a check before the tip comes, complimenting the way they look, or making the interaction feel more personal somehow.

But sometimes, no matter how good a server thinks it went, the tip amount is so disappointing that it may discourage them from trying so hard next time.

That’s what one server on TikTok, creator @kenziegrossyeah, says happened in a recent video on the platform, which got over 388,400 views.

What Lengths Did She Go To To Entertain Them?

“I served a group of dads tonight and we got along like this,” she says, crossing her fingers.

According to the server, she was not just taking orders and dropping off drinks. She was performing.

“I was singing for them, I was dancing for them,” she says. “’Cause I’m a monkey at a circus.”

She then calls herself a “court jester,” which is probably painfully familiar to anyone who has ever worked for tips and felt like they had to put on a show to make rent.

At one point, she says one of the men started laughing and promised her a big tip.

“He’s cracking up, he’s like, ‘I’m gonna tip you a hundred bucks. Easy,’” she says.

Then he apparently realized how that sounded and tried to clarify.

“Not easy like. Not like you’re easy,” she recalls him saying.

“I was like, I got what you meant the first time, Paul,” she says.

After several rounds of drinks, she says she was fully expecting them to follow through.

“Mind you, I’m thinking, they’re gonna give me their firstborn children,” she says.

Then the check came.

“What do I get?” she asks. “Oh, oh, oh, 10%.”

To make it worse, she says the tip was dropped into her hands with nickels, pennies, and quarters.

“It’s like, oh, great, another quarter,” she says. “I can buy that extra gumball I’ve had my eye on.”

“I danced for you,” she concludes.

In the caption, she added, “I think it’s time to probably relax.”

Servers Chime In In The Comments

In the comments, other servers said they knew exactly what she meant.

“Got 20 cents on a $200 bill on saturday,” one commenter wrote.

Another said the friendliest tables are not always the ones that tip best.

“This always happens and then the standoff ish tables randomly tip 22%???” they wrote.

Someone else had a similar story from the same day.

“Got $15 on a $150 tab today,” they said.

Another viewer was over the whole system.

“Tipping is very degrading. hope servers organize soon and get past this terrible era,” they wrote.

Are People Tipping Less In 2026?

While tipping has spread across industries where it didn’t used to be so common, with hairdressers, movers, and even butchers prompting customers to tip, customers may actually be tipping less overall.

According to Bankrate research reported by 8NewsNow, “the share of Americans who typically tip at least 20% at sit-down restaurants slipped slightly in recent years.”

Additionally, a Popmenu consumer survey on tipping from 2025 found that roughly 4 in 10 Americans say they are tipping less overall, often citing inflation and rising living expenses as the main reason.

This is problematic for servers, especially in states where employers are allowed to pay them as little as $2.13 per hour, expecting tips to make up the rest. While most of the time they do, working as a server means never being really sure how much you’ll make in a week or a month.

@kenziegrossyeah I think it’s time to probably relax #server #serverlife #serverproblems #restaurant #serviceindustry ♬ original sound – ⚡️???????⚡️

The Mary Sue has reached out to Kenzie via email for comment.

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