A user on TikTok has gone viral after sharing a video about customers staying at a table for six hours, only to leave a tip of just $3.
In a video with over 1.9 million views as of Sunday, TikTok user Courtney (@courtneyxsekeres) walks up to a table and picks up $3. The audio overlaying the video simply says “nice.”
“When your table sits there for 6 hours straight and leaves you $3,” she writes in the text overlaying the video.
@courtneyxsekeres Thx !!! #waitressproblems #serverproblems #server #fyp #thanks ♬ Bejeweled – Taylor Swift
While it’s unclear whether Courtney is recounting a real event or simply making a joke, many users in comments used the video as an opportunity to share their thoughts on tipping in general.
“Honestly there shouldn’t be tips,” one user wrote. “They should just pay [their] staff more money.”
“I’d rather pay more for food and not have to tip,” added another. “That way there’s no social obligations and the staff in the back can get some extra money too.”
“I wish places could just pay their employees a living wage,” echoed a third.
For context, in Ohio (where Courtney appears to be based), the tipped minimum wage is now $5.05 per hour; a 2021 article by an Ohio-based NBC affiliate notes that “a single adult in Ohio with no children would need to make $13.16 an hour to support their household.”
TikTok users questioned how the amount of time spent at a restaurant is connected to a potential tip.
“What does the length of time a patron is there have to do with your tip amount?” asked a user.
“Never knew we had to tip for how long we stay,” stated a second.
In response, some users offered an explanation.
“If someone’s getting 6 hours of service. It’s polite [to tip],” shared a user. “I would say at least 25%.”
“There should be a rule where after a certain amount of time sitting, a 20% gratuity is automatically included,” suggested another.
We’ve reached out to Courtney via Instagram direct message.
