Waiter serves birthday reservation that made a special request. They order 2 Amaretto sours with dinner. Then he sees their tip

A restaurant server uses a recent birthday reservation as an example of why it’s so problematic to dine out and not tip.

TikTok creator Joe Gring (@joegring) is a restaurant server based in Reading, Penn. In the video, Gring uses a table from the previous evening as a teaching opportunity for restaurant patrons.

Gring explains that the reservation was for a couple celebrating the woman’s birthday. When the table arrived, they ordered two Amaretto sours, an appetizer, two entrees, and a third cocktail. Each time Gring asks, the couple says everything is fine. He does note, though, that their first language doesn’t appear to be English.

Pennsylvania Restaurant Server Gets a Birthday Reservation

Everything is going great, Gring thinks, until the end of the transaction.

“I drop off the check. They thank me. They take the customary birthday pictures. They leave,” Gring says. “I clear everything up. I look at my tip. And they left me no tip.”

Obviously, this is not an ideal outcome. Most restaurant servers make what is known as the “tipped minimum wage” of at least $2.13 per hour. The idea is that the employee will make enough in tips to bring their overall take-home pay up to the overall $7.25 threshold. And it’s even more complicated than that, according to Gring. That’s because restaurant servers are expected to tip out other staff members that help during the course of their shift. 

The ‘Meat of the Matter’ on Tipping Culture

“This is where the meat of the matter is,” Gring says. “That is fine if you don’t tip me. But I think what a lot of people don’t understand is you’ve ordered three drinks. I have to tip the bartender out on that. That comes out of the tips from the other guests.”

On top of that, Gring says, if it had been a Friday, he would’ve also had to tip out a busser and a food runner. “So while you may not believe in tip culture, you’re essentially taking money out of my pocket because of something you don’t believe in,” Gring says.

@joegring Joe Gring: FIY: Non-Tipping #joegring #nontipingcultute #serverlife #tipshare ♬ original sound – Joe Gring

Is It Wrong to Eat at a Restaurant and Not Tip the Server?

In the comments section of the video, viewers reacted to the idea of going to a birthday dinner at a restaurant, ordering food and alcohol, and then not leaving a tip at the end.

“If you go out and sit down and someone serves you, you need to tip,” one person said.

“After traveling in Europe, most restaurants have happy servers making good money without tips,” a second person argued. “Tipping needs to go away in the [United States] and servers need to be paid a decent wage.”

“I want to believe that with English not being their first language, perhaps they aren’t aware of American tipping culture?” a third person said.

The Mary Sue contacted Gring via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. 

Have a tip we should know? [email protected]