TikTok user Amelia Bedelia, who goes by @aserverinreallife, shared a video in which she broke down her earnings from a five-hour shift. The video sparked a discussion about tipping, with viewers questioning her response to the tips she received. In the video, the creator counted the checks and tips she received, saying she expected a slow shift but earned far more than expected.
Her breakdown showed that she received tips ranging from $6 to $160 on individual bills. For a bill of $165.08, the tip was $30, and with a bill of $377.01, the tip amounted to $80. She also said she received a $50.04 tip on a $244.96 check.
Viewers question the server's reaction to smaller tips after her $720 breakdown
But the way she described some of the tips drew criticism in the comments. After receiving $7 on a $48.99 bill, she called it a ‘whopping’ $7, and when a bill of $299.27 led to a tip of $50.58, she described this amount as "only" $50.
@aserverinreallife Should be leaving with $720! But this isn’t bad on what was supposed to be a slow night. We actually got a decent pop. 5-10 pm shift #fyp #serverlife #server #serverproblems #servertiktok
♬ (It Goes Like) Nanana - Peggy Gou
As shown in the video, the server received a $160 tip on a $781.72 bill. She also got $80 on a bill of $377.01 and $63 on a bill of $310.99. Bedelia said that by the end of her five-hour shift, she had earned $720 in tips. She also added that part of the income would be allocated to tips, so she was taking home $438.
But the $438 figure drew criticism in the comments. One commenter calculated that $438 over five hours equaled $87.60 per hour and wondered why Bedelia seemed unhappy with certain tips. Someone else said, “Tipping is optional,” and others maintained that customers should not be liable for paying a server’s wages.
“Complaining about a $50 tip is so crazy,” one person noted. Another user commented, “The audacity to say: they left only 50.”
The discussion also prompted comparisons between tipping practices in the U.S., the U.K. and elsewhere in Europe. Some said tipping is less important in their countries and that they would be happy to round up the bill.
Others defended the practice of tipping, arguing that servers have demanding jobs that involve delivering food and drinks and looking after several tables. The comments mainly focused on whether customers should be expected to contribute to servers’ income.
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the server's earnings, the details of the shift or the claims made in the video. The story is based on information shared by @aserverinreallife on TikTok.
