Guests Rack Up $570 Bill and Tip What They Think Is an Appropriate Amount. Then the Server Leaves Them a Note: ‘Just so You Know…’

Most people are used to tipping by percentage when they go out to eat. But when the bill climbs to something like $600, some diners start to wonder: Do servers still expect you to drop another $120 just for the tip?

A reposted photo that has been circulating online for a few months recently resurfaced on TikTok, this time through creator @dloveslife2. The post has been viewed over 6.6 million times.

The picture shows a restaurant bill that came to $577.36. The tip the customer wrote at the top is $60.00, which is just over 10%.

On top of the bill is a handwritten note, presumably written by the server, that says, “Just so you know… I was expecting more like $120 tip on a bill this size. Thanks.”

@dloveslife2 asked in the caption, “This is not my receipt, but I did find this on the internet [and] [wondered] if that tip is too small?”

“We calculate our tips at either 20% ideally or if we have to (because we don’t have the funds) 15% or rarely 10%,” they added. “At the bar we typically tip beyond the percentage.”

Commenters Were Divided

These kinds of posts, where the server is portrayed in a negative light, tend to get a lot of attention. So much so that there are TikTok accounts that appear to make these scenarios up for engagement.

There is no way to verify from the reposted image alone who wrote the note or what happened before the customer paid the bill.

“Tip is based on service. Not the total Bill!” one person wrote.

Another challenged the American percentage tipping logic.

“Just a question, if I go to a restaurant in the US and buy ONLY a 2000$ bottle of wine, am I expected to give a server 400$ for just bringing out the damn bottle ??” they wrote.

Others thought the tip was low, but still did not like the note.

“$60 is basically 10%, and bare minimum when tipping really,” one commenter wrote. “15-20% is average. However, leaving the note is just rude.”

What Are the Arguments For Percentage Tipping?

To start with, in the U.S., many servers rely on tips for their livelihood. Under federal law, employers can still pay tipped workers as little as $2.13 an hour in direct wages, as long as tips bring them up to at least the federal minimum wage.

The argument for percentage tipping is that a high-end or high-bill restaurant usually does not just mean someone carried a plate from the kitchen to the table.

More expensive restaurants often involve more trained service, more courses, more attention, more wine service, and more staff behind the scenes. Servers may also have to share part of their tips with bussers, bartenders, food runners, or other support staff.

In the restaurant industry, that’s a tip-out. In many restaurants, a server does not just keep everything that the table leaves. They may have to tip out other workers based on the table’s sales, not based on the tip they actually got. So if someone spends $577 and leaves $60, the server may bring home only 20% of that.

“If you can’t afford the tip you can’t afford the meal. A place charging $600 for dinner has top tier waiters who need top tier pay, probably more waiters to share tips with, and same for back of house,” one Reddit user wrote.

The Mary Sue has reached out to @dloveslife2 via TikTok comment for comment.

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