Server Confronts Customer Waiting For The Bathroom After She Left Small Tip

U.S. tipping culture has long been debated. Some believe that patrons should always tip 20%, regardless of their service, while others see the tip as an incentive for servers to do well and aren’t afraid to withhold their cash if they don’t. 

Yet one restaurant server, Shea Gomez, was shocked when a customer left a very low tip, despite her satisfactory and attentive service.

She confronted the customer waiting in line for the bathroom after she left a 9% tip.

“So, I work in the service industry, and last night I got a 9% tip,” Gomez recounted in since-deleted TikTok. “Not in this economy, honey. Not in New York City, one of the most expensive cities to live in.”

Gomez was unwilling to accept the low tip without an explanation, especially after learning from other servers that the woman had a pattern of tipping between 7% and 9% for her meals. 

Instead of accepting defeat and dropping the issue, Gomez cornered the woman and demanded answers. 

“I saw her waiting for the bathroom, and I said, this is my time. This is my time to let her know that I see her and I know who she is,” Gomez recalled. “I went up to her and said, ‘How was everything tonight?’ She said, ‘Oh, my gosh. It was so great,’ And I was like, ‘Awesome. You left me a 9% tip, so I just wanted to see if there’s any way I can improve.'”

RELATED: Male Server Follows Customer To Her Car To Demand A Tip After She Didn’t Leave Him Any Money

The customer’s response proved that she had no plan to tip higher than 9%, even if the service was exceptional.

Gomez claimed that the woman responded that there wasn’t anything wrong with her service, which seemed to be the end of the conversation. 

The server admitted that she wasn’t sure if asking the woman about her tip would change her tipping habits in the future, but hoped that she would reconsider leaving such a low percentage. 

To add insult to injury, Gomez and her co-workers later Googled the woman and learned that she owned her own company, likely meaning she could leave a larger tip but chose not to. 

Dining out is a luxury, so tipping servers, in America, of course, should be guaranteed. Unfortunately, restaurants do not pay their staff a livable wage. While that is obviously an issue that needs to be addressed, customers leaving a low tip will not help the servers pay their bills. 

RELATED: A New Study Reveals How Servers Can Convince Customers To Tip More Based On A Simple Trick

Many servers struggle to make ends meet. 

According to research from the Economic Policy Institute, a significant portion of restaurant servers struggle to make ends meet, with over 40% of restaurant workers living below the poverty line. 

The federal minimum wage for tipped workers is a measly $2.13/hour, but by law, restaurants must pay servers at least $7.25 an hour. Neither amount is enough for servers to pay their bills, afford groceries, or live life without tips. 

Even with tips, severs earn, on average, between $20,000 and $31,000 annually, according to Toast. Most Americans say they need a $200,000 salary to feel happy and secure. 

So, next time you go out to eat at a restaurant, make sure you have enough money to pay for your meal and tip your server an appropriate amount. 

Aside from being proper etiquette and the right thing to do, you can avoid unwanted bathroom confrontations with disgruntled servers. 

RELATED: Teacher Working At IHop Receives Surprising $2,000 Tip From Customers After Working A Double Shift

Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.