California woman says manager followed her out of the restaurant after she didn’t leave a 20% tip: ‘I would have asked for the $50 back’
A woman has the internet talking about tipping after she says a manager confronted her group about their gratuity.
In a video with over 348,000 views, TikToker Michelle Kennelly (@kennelly_michelle) asks, “Since when has tipping anything under 20% become socially unacceptable?”
According to Kennelly, she and her boyfriend were on a double date. When the meal finished, the total was around $320 to $330. Kennelly says that the group paid the bill, then left $50 in cash as the tip.
After paying the bill, things initially seemed fine. However, as the group started to leave, Kennelly says they were approached by the general manager.
“He goes, ‘Is everything OK?’” Kennelly recalls. “We’re like, ‘Yeah.’ It was said in a weird tone, to which of course we go, ‘Yes, of course everything’s fine. Is something wrong?’ He goes, ‘OK, just asking, just checking in.’ It was a very weird vibe and it kind of threw off our conversation.”
The group then finished their drinks and began to leave. As they departed, the manager returned.
“‘Excuse me, you know that you’re supposed to leave a 20% tip?’” the manager allegedly asked.
Her Tipping Thoughts, Explained
According to Kennelly, she says that, once the drama started, she calculated her tip percentage. She says that it amounted to 16%. Still, she says the amount her group left was reasonable.
“I’m very aware that at high end restaurants, they have mandatory tips included in the check. Or, if it’s like a party of six and over, they always have like a 20% mandatory tip included,” she explains. “I get all that, but that wasn’t the case here. There was four of us. The tip was not included in the bill. So, we just left a $50 tip, not calculating how much percent that is from the total. $50 just seemed, like, reasonable.”
While Kennelly says she understands the importance of tipping for servers, she says the situation could have been handled significantly better. Eventually, her boyfriend asked to get the cash tip refunded and instead be charged a 20% tip on his card.
“You just came up to us, ruined our night, ruined the vibe. And now you’re saying it’s not a problem, when clearly it is,” she says of the manager.
“Very interesting situation that could have been handled a lot more professionally on their end,” she concludes.
How Much Are You Supposed To Tip?
Over the years, the amount that people are expected to tip has gone up significantly.
According to CNN, in the early 1920s, a 10% tip was expected at high-end meals. Over time, that percentage grew to 15% for all meals, with author Nathaniel Meyersohn noting that 15% was a standard tip in the late 20th century.
Today, expected tips have increased. Most restaurant servers expect to receive a tip of 20% or more.
Just because it’s expected, that doesn’t mean it’s common, nor does it mean that customers are required to do so. In fact, a 2023 Pew Research survey found that 57% of U.S. adults tip 15% or less at a sit-down restaurant.
As for why tipping is still required in the first place, most restaurants in the United States are not required to pay their servers a significant wage. In fact, federal law only requires businesses to pay tipped workers $2.13 per hour, unless they don’t make enough in tips to meet the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.
Commenters Are Divided
In the comments section, users were split. Some argued that Kennelly should have tipped more, while others countered that it should not be the customers’ responsibility to ensure a business’s employees get paid.
“Sounds like an amazing GM standing up for his staff,” said a user. “20% minimum always unless service was bad.”
“Tipping is so dumb. Why are we paying other ppls wages? Shouldn’t employers be paying their employees? Why tf r we expected to do it?” asked another. “I don’t tip, period!”
“Nah bc wtf i tip 15-18% anywhere,” stated a third. “More than that is insane sorry.”
“I refuse to tip. Why am I giving you a bonus for doing your job? No ones tipping me for doing mine,” declared a further TikToker. “Im sorry but carrying dishes back and forth is not worth a tip, I don’t even care.”
@kennelly_michelle what do you think about this situation? ? #fyp #storytime ♬ original sound – Michelle Kennelly
The Mary Sue reached out to Kennelly via email.
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