In general, tipping is optional for diners. However, many have reported that there is an increasing pressure to tip, and tip more, even in places where they previously didn’t tip.
For example, one Subway customer claimed that he was treated poorly after he did not tip on a bottle of water. Others have caught restaurants miscalculating suggested tips, seemingly attempting to get them to tip more than they would have previously.
However, there are some times when an added gratuity is not optional. Many restaurants add a service charge for large groups, though this move is not without controversy as there is a dispute in the industry about what constitutes a large group.
A recent video has sparked a discussion on that topic after a man says he was given a large group automatic gratuity even though four of the diners were his children.
The six-person rule
In a video with over 79,000 views as of Sunday, TikTok user Matt Krueger (@rental.cashflow) says he went to a restaurant called Wake N’ Bacon with his four children. At the end of the meal, he discovered that the server had added an automatic 20% gratuity to their bill.
“Now on the menu, it does say that for groups six or larger a 20% automatic gratuity will be added to your bill,” Krueger says. “But here’s the thing, we only ordered three meals because my children are 7, 5, 3, and 11 months.”
While Krueger says he understands automatic gratuities for larger adult parties, he’s confused about the implementation of this practice when the majority of diners are children.
“So, I’m just curious, if you work as a server or in the restaurant industry, would you charge two parents and their four little kids including a baby that extra 20% gratuity because of the six people rule?” he asks his viewers.
In the caption, he adds, “The kids share one adult meal, and the baby doesn’t really eat much (still nursing). The kicker, is that the service was not great at all. She was rude to us and did not check on us during the meal. This was a restaurant, not an upscale restaurant either.”
@rental.cashflow A waitress charged us an automatic 20% gratuity on our bill, because we have six people in our family. But, those six people include kids that are 7, 5, 3 and 11 months… The kids share one adult meal, and the baby doesnt really eat much (still nursing). The kicker, is that the service was not great at all. She was rude to us and did not check on us during the meal. This was a restaurant, not an upscale restaurant either. Do you think this was fair? #20percenttip #automaticgratuity #rudeservice #tippingculture ♬ original sound – Matt Krueger | Rental Cashflow
Viewers aren’t on his side
A post by Ryan Dobbs for Toast explains why a restaurant may decide to add automatic gratuity for large groups.
“Traditionally, they are implemented for large parties, because serving a larger table can be like serving more than eight tables at the same time,” writes Dobbs. “It’s extra work on the server, and the automatic gratuity ensures servers earn a set tip amount to avoid getting short-changed for the level of effort put into service for the party, especially if the bill gets split up.”
Commenters felt that, even if the group did not order six meals, the family met the standards implied by the large party fee.
“Did you still ask for 6 drinks extra plates to split the food up more silverware. did they make the mess of 6,” a user questioned.
“6 seats were taken,” noted another.
“she’s valid for that. she still had to clean up after 6 when u left,” stated a third.
When one user questioned whether the server would have received a 20% tip had she not added it automatically, Krueger confirmed in a comment that he would have only tipped her 10%.
“She would’ve gotten 10% – from the moment we walked in the door, she was very cold to us. Bare minimum service,” he wrote. “Though, shouldn’t a tip ‘gift of money’ be up to my discretion?”
The Daily Dot reached out to Krueger via Instagram direct message.
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