A TikTok video posted by @bridgetgoes, which garnered nearly 855,000 views and 3,533 comments, details what she described as one of the worst restaurant experiences of her life. Bridget said she had visited the restaurant multiple times and had always enjoyed its food and customer service. During this visit, she planned to make a review video to promote the restaurant on her page. However, she said she felt neglected by her server and ultimately left a zero-dollar tip because of the service she received.
Bridget began by explaining that she was excited to highlight the restaurant's positive attributes in a review video because she had previously enjoyed both its food and service. She added that whenever she films a restaurant review, it is obvious that she is recording. However, she never expects free food and always pays for what she orders.
She went on to explain that the host was warm and welcoming when she arrived and seated her immediately. However, she noticed that the restaurant was extremely busy. According to Bridget, it took her server 12 minutes to come over and greet her.
When he finally approached her, he simply filled her glass with water and asked, "Hi, are you ready to order?" Bridget said she expected him to at least apologize for making her wait 12 minutes, but he did not.
She then placed her food order, and the server assured her that it would be out shortly. To her surprise, the food arrived just 11 minutes later, which she acknowledged was fairly quick. However, she said the food runner dropped off her meal and "ran away." Bridget added that her server did not check on her at all during the next 20 minutes she spent eating.
Bridget Says She Felt Neglected by Her Server, Leading Her to Leave a Zero-Dollar Tip
Throughout her meal, Bridget said nobody came to refill her water. She tried to get her server's attention by waving at him, but her attempts were unsuccessful. She explained that she did not want to shout, clap, or snap her fingers because she considered that rude behavior.
Bridget said she noticed the server attending to tables around her while seemingly ignoring her. She suspected that he might have been overlooking her because she was dining alone, as servers sometimes assume that solo diners will not leave good tips. However, she clarified that she would have tipped well if she had received good service.
Eventually, after 25 minutes of feeling ignored, Bridget managed to get her server's attention and immediately asked for the check. When he brought it over, she sensed that he realized he had neglected her and finally asked whether she had enjoyed her meal.
Bridget said she told him she had enjoyed the food, handed him her card, and received the receipt when he returned. She then left a zero-dollar tip.
More than anything, Bridget said she was disappointed that the poor customer service had ruined her plans to make a positive review video. She also did not want to leave a negative review of the restaurant because she had enjoyed her previous experiences there.
Instead, she approached the host and explained that she understood the server might have been having a bad day, but the experience had ultimately ruined her plans to promote the restaurant in a positive light.
Reacting to the video, many commenters had mixed perspectives on the issue. Some said that the server did his job and she was wrong for not leaving a tip, while others said that he made her wait too long before greeting.
One commenter wrote, "Zero tip is for horrific service and/or rude server. He brought your food, brought your bill. Did you want an extra song and dance? I get that he should've check in at some point but 0 tip is crazy."
Another commenter said it's possible that the server didn't want to be filmed. They wrote, "Yeah, if someone's filming I'm not trying to serve that table. I don't want to be posted on the internet at my job."
A separate commenter, who claimed to be a server, said that 12 minutes is way too long to wait to be served. They wrote, "As a server, a 12 minute wait to be greeting you is insane to me. The rule is usually two minutes. Some places allow up to five minutes."
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the claims made by TikTok creator @bridgetgoes, which are based solely on her account of the restaurant experience shared in her video.
