A server who works for a restaurant on Fort Lauderdale Beach went viral after she posted a video about how she earned around $450 worth of tips in one night.
TikToker Genevieve (@genny_sleboda) posted the short clip to show why so many claim “serving is addicting.” The video has received over 236,000 views and 18,000 likes as of Friday.
@genny_sleboda this is why they say serving is addicting #servertiktok #servermoney #waitresslife #servercashout #tipout ♬ original sound – genevieve
“Here’s what I make in a night as a waitress,” Genevieve says in her video. “I had about eight tables, but my section never really got popping. It was a slow Sunday night.”
The camera then zooms in on her end-of-night report. “I totaled around $13,000 in food and around $650 in beverages,” she explains as she fills out the report. “I made $451.35 in credit card tips.”
“That’s not all mine to keep,” she adds as she begins tipping out other employees, including the food runner, busser, bar back, and bartender. “My total tip out was $111.”
“So, in total, my credit card tips came out to $340.35,” Genevieve continues, “but that’s not all; I made some cash. I made $68 that night.”
Genevieve concludes her video by explaining her final take-home in tips and how much it averaged per hour: “So, our total is $408, which means I made $40 an hour.”
Many viewers were blown away by her final take-home pay.
“That’s a slow night!!! A slow night for me is making $60,” one commented.
“I mean I wouldn’t mind paying $100 if I went home with $300+ that’s rent right there. I’m lucky to make $60 cash on a busy night,” a second said.
“The beverages include like all beverages right?? Not just alcoholic drinks?? Either way that’s still great,” a third added.
Additionally, some servers commented on how hard it is to switch careers when their pay is so high.
“This about my pay as a server it’s so hard to go back to anything else,” one commenter said.
“Sometimes I want to leave my office job that I got a degree for and go back to serving, the money is so good,” a former server agreed.
Others were impressed by Genevieve’s take-home pay but argued that her tip-out scale was far too high for them: “That’s pretty good money (esp for this time of year) but the tip out is a no for me.”
Though receiving hundreds of dollars after a shift can feel invigorating, waiting tables has a lot of drawbacks. One of the biggest issues is being paid below minimum wage. Some supplement their pay by changing roles whenever they do side work, but on average, servers are paid around $3 an hour.
The Daily Dot contacted Genevieve via TikTok comment for further information.
