Internet Debates Customer's Tip on $271 Bill

A photo of a bill that showed a server did not receive a tip for a $271 bill was posted on Reddit and quickly went viral.

Keenan Patrick Buckley, or u/ImaginationFree6807 as he's known on Reddit, posted the photo to the forum "Anti Restaurant Work" before he crossposted it to "Antiwork" where it amassed more than 11,000 votes since it was published on Sunday.

"I should have just quit after this," read the title of the post.

Etiquette expert Lizzie Post, the co-president of the Emily Post and co-author of Emily Post's Etiquette, The Centennial Edition, told Newsweek that when someone goes to a restaurant and receives sit-down service, tipping is not discretionary.

"You leave a 15 percent minimum for sit-down service," she said. "That's non-negotiable and it's the way restaurants are set up."

If a customer experiences sub-par service, Post said they should leave the 15 percent tip and take their issue to the manager.

"That's the commitment you made when you sat down," she said. "Then you talk to the manager about why you're feeling upset about your service. That'll do way more than not tipping."

Post added that customers should consider reviewing the menu prices before going to the restaurant to ensure they can afford the full experience.

Buckley's photo showed the total amount—$271.40—followed by the section where customers can add their tip. The customer left a zero in that spot.

Buckley told Newsweek that the customers did not leave a cash tip.

"I was disappointed, they were a pretty rowdy table," he said. "I felt it coming, but I didn't think it would be nothing. I thought it just wouldn't be a great tip."

He said this occurred in March of this year in a New Jersey restaurant.

He's since left that job and now works as a singer at a resort. Looking back on his experience as a server, Buckley said the restaurant industry is "extremely exploitative," particularly to employees who are undocumented and face a language barrier.

Buckley added that his frustration about tipping culture does not lie solely with the customers but said servers should be paid more.

"There's a social contract going on when you go into a restaurant," he said. "You know the labor cost is being pushed onto you. You should honor that contract."

Buckley noticed his tips began to decline in May and June, which was right around the time he decided to quit his job.

Throughout his experience, he said he noticed it is a hit-or-miss type of business as far as how much money he can expect to earn from tips.

And, there were many instances where customers who were known to be wealthy did not leave a good tip for the server.

The post prompted Reddit users to debate tipping culture in the comments section.

"You're not gonna fix the system by stiffing your server," a Reddit user wrote. "What happened to solidarity? How is making your server go home with less than they earned gonna help?"

"USA needs to end tipping, servers are owed the minimum wage like everyone else and people can tip if they're so inclined," another Redditor wrote.

"As a restaurant goer I hate the tip culture," one Reddit user wrote. "Just charge me enough that your workers have a living wage."

Tipping culture has long been a hot topic to discuss on the internet.

A restaurant faced criticism for "guilting" customers into leaving a tip, while a waitress expressed her frustration after receiving a $2 tip on a $120 bill.

Another restaurant sparked a debate over its policy that stated if a customer cannot afford to leave a tip, they should stay home.

Correction 10/28/22, 10:45 p.m.: An earlier version of this article misspelled Keenan Patrick Buckley's name. Newsweek regrets the error.