A former server went viral when she posted a short victory clip of herself getting back at her employers.
TikToker Meghan (@meaganwhencough) filmed a clip of herself singing along to “Hater’s Anthem” by Infinity Song. A text overlay reads: “When the restaurant I was working at was stealing my tips and underpaying me so I’d pause their Uber Eats tablet for receiving orders.”
@meaganwhencough If im not getting paid no one is #hater4L ♬ Haters Anthem – Infinity Song
Tip theft is sadly a common occurrence in U.S. restaurants and credit card payments often play a big role in that. Since electronic payments are processed through the restaurant’s system, servers lose direct control over their tips. As cash transactions phase out, more managers are gaining oversight on how tips are distributed.
Restaurants have also come under fire for underpaying work staff and refusing to pay overtime.
TikTokers applauded the server’s actions in the video, which has been viewed 392,000 times. Many shared stories of similar acts of revenge.
“Was a car salesman cheated out of commission. I stopped sellin’ four a month before quitting. Pissed off any potential sale and cost ’em way more than I lost,” one user said.
“I unplugged the card machine,” admitted a second.
“Me turning the time to over an hour for delivery and suddenly we got very few,” another responded.
Some viewers shared their own experiences of tip theft.
“When customers asked, ‘Where do tips go?’ I used to say, ‘Oh yeah our boss steals them so just pay the bill,’” one former server said.
“I used to go to work with a shopping list and rob the fridge [because] the money they weren’t paying me was gonna be for groceries anyway,” a second admitted.
“No because I work at a family restaurant, and the old grandma who refuses to die constantly takes our tips,” a third added.
Though it may seem frivolous, a server can sue their employer for stealing tips. Recently, a New Hampshire-based owner paid $911,568 in back wages to 99 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor investigation.
“I got my tips skimmed for three weeks… My lawyer came into work with me one day… He found me an hour later with every cent I was owed in cash,” a user shared.
The Daily Dot reached out to Meaghan via TikTok comments.
