Greedy waitress chases down customer and calls cops because he didn't tip her: 'Who said he's obligated to tip?'

Daily Mail UK ^ | October 20, 2025 | Martha Williams

[Morgana]

Tipping culture in the US appears to have become so extreme that some staff now think that customers who do not leave a gratuity are breaking the law.

At least, that's what some restaurant workers seem to think, judging by a viral video this week that shows a dramatic confrontation between employees and a customer.

The clip has reignited a broader debate over whether tipping in America has spiraled out of control, raising questions about 'tipflation,' social pressure, and the expectations placed on diners.

It shows the tense aftermath after a man allegedly left a restaurant without tipping his wait staff.

According to the post, the bartender and server chased after the customer, even blocking his car with their vehicles, demanding he 'tip properly.'

The clip shows the visibly shaken man stepping out of his beat-up Honda as the two workers confront him.

'What do I do?' he asks, while his children, including a baby, sit inside the car.

One of the staff filming the scene can be heard saying, 'My brother's a cop, you gotta go back there now, bro. Seriously.'

[Brian Griffin]

I grew up in the 1960’s.

The practice was 15% for good sit-down service. I would downgrade to 10% if not up to par in the 1980s but having worked as a few weeks as a waiter in the 1990s, I’m not so ready to do that nowadays.

Don’t expect more from me unless the service was extraordinary or the meal low-priced. Low-priced meals are now history.

People like taxi drivers, hotel room service workers, grocery delivery people, and barbers might get tipped too.

There was a practice of tipping regular service people like trashmen and maids at Christmas time.

Taxi drivers shouldn’t expect a tip from me unless the fare wouldn’t cover traffic delays. Fare is usually rounded up to the dollar.

For meals delivered to my house, my tip would be $2 for a small meal and $3 for a meal that required extra work or had to be delivered more than a mile. If I was charged a stiff delivery fee, expect only $1 at the door.

[ansel12]

Is there a video in this article?

[tumblindice]

Tips aren’t even taxed now. It’s something like a preacher chasing a member who ignored the collection plate out to his car.
“10% of your gross weekly, cough it up pal!”

[TheThirdRuffian]

I use cash to avoid tip BS at counter serve places.

[motor_racer]

Entitlement culture. People don’t think they have to earn the tip.

[Dr. Sivana]

In the ‘80s (when I first started paying for my own meals), a proper tip was 10% before taxes

Maybe where you grew up, but in Connecticut in the '70s, 15% was standard, 20% for very good service.

I still tip 15%+ (except for the time when the waitress brought me sweet tea instead of the unsweetened tea I requested. She then came back with ANOTHER sweet tea. She got 5%. Incompetent, but not malicious.)

[kosciusko51]

I didn’t grow up in an affluent area. 15% was only for exceptional service.

[kosciusko51]

Also, I think at the time, many places were surprised if high school or college students tipped at all.

[bgill]

The fast food window wants a tip. Here’s a tip, I’m not your boss. It is the manager’s job to do employee evaluations, not the customer’s. I never got tipped for doing the job I was hired to do. I agreed to the salary and I did the job. That is the way all jobs should be. Restaurant owners need to add the price of the tip to the menu and pay their employees what they are worth.

But I’ll still be cooking at home.

[bgill]

Take outs want tips, too. Sonic has it on their order machine before you get your food. Guess it is really a ransom to get a burger spit free.

[bgill]

Read an article it is up to 30% at some places.

[goodnesswins]

Yes...signing up online for a couple of charity benefits in our town...THEY AUTOMATICALLY ADDED TIP + processing fee. Hub had to figure out way to remove tip.

[kosciusko51]

Dang.

[Dr. Sivana]

Also, I think at the time, many places were surprised if high school or college students tipped at all.

My mother was a waitress for a while. She worked nights from 6PM to 2AM on weekends at an upscale restaurant. If a party slipped out, she was on the hook for them.

I was a Pizza Hut cook, when it was largely a sit-down full-service restaurant. I saw the waitresses working hard, and maintaining a pleasant demeanor during rushes. As a diner, a good waitress makes the dining experience more pleasant. Now, back in the '70s and '80s the waitress scale was $1-$2 and change per hour. Now it still is, even as everything cost 6x-10x as much. If I do not have money for a tip, there's Wendy's (free senior drinks!). I do not tip if I have to walk up to a counter and order (e.g. Panera). I tip for personal service. 'tweeners are IHOP and Waffle House, where they serve your table, but do not let you pay at table (unless you happen to have the right amount of cash, and walk out after leaving it on the table). I am not crazy about the fast casual, where the waitress leaves you a device for paying, etc.

[bort]

The man just wanted dinner for his family but couldn’t afford to tip. It’s not his job to pay her wages it’s the restaurants.

---

Oh, come on. Everybody over the age of 12 knows that servers earn 90% of their income from tips and that you are morally obligated to tip (unless the service is miserable). It must be very frustrating to serve a low-life who uses your services and doesn’t tip.

[MayflowerMadam]

“Waitresses make $2 an hour”

Try $12 - $16 an hour.

With the current minimum wage rates, increasing the cost to eat out to a ridiculous amount, tipping should be eliminated altogether. If a waiter does a remarkably great job, slip him a $10 or $20 on down-low.

[sauropod]

A workervis worth his hire. Leave a tip.

[GingisK]

My wife has an interesting practice. If she uses a coupon to lower the cost of a meal, the entire savings is added to the tip.

[Ancesthntr]

I am sick of the entitlement mentality in service industries. A tip is for good service. You have to earn it. But if you have earned it, then a customer is morally obligated to pay it. The tip is on the price of the meal BEFORE sales tax, and the standard tip is 15%. More for better service, less for lesser service. IMHO, you also have to work for no tip at a restaurant.

I don’t tip at a fast food joint if I am picking up - no one gave me advice as to what to order, and no one carried a tray to my table and actually served me.

I find the “mandatory“ tip of 18% for parties of 6 or more to be obnoxious - 6 people are going to have a larger bill, and a standard tip will be larger as a result. Oh, and what if the service is lousy? I once had a huge argument with a manager about that after some bad service. He insisted that I pay it, as it was printed on the menu. I said that a tip was for good service, which I did not receive, and that rather than berating me, maybe he should talk to the waiter about treating customers better. I invited him to call the police, which he never did. I also told him that if this is how you deal with customers - trying to shake them down instead of making their dining experience pleasant, then the whole place deserved to go belly up. Needless to say, I have never been back.

[catnipman]

“There was a practice of tipping regular service people like trashmen”

we leave a case of Fat Tire for our guys every Christmas ... it’s a small mom and pop outfit, and we get a kick out of their excitement, plus they’re not picky about what we throw away ...

we also like to hand out gift envelops at Christmas to delivery folks ... we have a regular UPS driver and regular USPS mail lady, but it’s kind of random for amazon folks, but these aren’t great jobs and small acts of kindness can mean a lot ...