A Dothan, Ala., country-music DJ out at a buffet register encountered a waitress who wouldn’t get a spoon for her 4-year-old grandchild—so she pointedly decided not to tip her.
The TikTok documenting the incident came from Amie Pollard, half of the Pollard & Dave morning show duo at B105.3 (WECB-FM). The video, posted Saturday, generated nearly 130,00 views and about 3600 likes as of Monday morning.
In it, Pollard shows her and her grandchild seated at an outdoor patio. She pauses from eating crab legs to record a short monologue to post to TikTok.
She observes, “When you’re at dinner, you ask the waitress to bring you a spoon and she tells you it’s up by the cash register. Yeah, your tip’s there, too—for somebody else.”
The on-screen caption underscores her message by asking, “Do y’all feel what I’m talking about?”
But not every commenter was feeling it.
Viewers are split
“Omg go get your own spoon,” one scolded. “So entitled.”
Pollard, noting that she didn’t want to leave a 4-year-old alone at the table in the outdoor dining area, responded, “I did after she didn’t get it… which is why she didn’t get a tip. If I have to do it all myself, why would she need a tip?”
Another said, “To be a white woman in America and complain about not getting tf up to get your silverware … the luxury to complain.”
But another came to the public figure’s defense, saying, “You really don’t know Amie not only a very generous and giving woman. She would NEVER make unreasonable or ‘entitled’ requests. Find something better to do with your time like watch her videos maybe.”
And another said, “I agree with you. It’s not a huge ask. Staff should be helpful when possible.”
Pollard, providing further context, wrote in the comments, “I tip the same … full service or not. I know it’s a buffet but I don’t mind tipping like I normally do in a regular restaurant. I forgot the spoon and the baby was trying to eat with a fork. He couldn’t.”
She also added, “She could clearly see it was just me and him at the table, she was too busy chatting it up with her buddies and checking her cell phone to worry about waiting on table.”
@amiepollard1 ♬ original sound – Amie Pollard 1
The Salty Waitress, a columnist for The Takeout, writes regarding the matter, “Tipping at buffets is tricky because they vary from place to place in terms of how much work staff does. At some places, they only bring your water or soda. At others, they might clear plates, check on you a few times, refill drinks, etc. Also, tips for buffet servers are sometimes shared with the food runners who refill the buffet’s chafing dishes. So it’s up to you to keep a little bit of an eye on how much work your staff is doing. And tipping’s golden rule still applies: If they do a great job, leave a few extra bucks.”
The columnist also clarified that 10% is the Emily Post-approved standard for tipping at a buffet.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Pollard via her online website form and TikTok direct message.
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