Tipping culture in the United States is perennially up for debate, and some people feel that entirely too much emphasis is put on how much we do or don't tip, especially at cafés and restaurants.
One mom recently made a TikTok explaining that she sent her son back to a restaurant he'd visited because he had tipped poorly by her standards — but it turns out not everyone agrees with her.
Danielle Foster explains exactly what happened in her video. The text reads, "When my son goes on his first date…and goes mom the service is good. It was a $104 check and he said he tipped him a lot of money. $10.00. Yes he’s on the way back to the restaurant."
In the video, Danielle is also heard asking her son to take her card to an ATM to get an extra $20 to take back to the restaurant. After her video was met with criticism, she explained a little more back story in the caption.
Danielle wrote, "First he’s 16, and he just got his license. So it was him and his girlfriend of 1 year first official date. Second this my kid, he’s a good kid. Fixed a mistake; which I’m proud of! Super proud of him!"
One commenter completely agreed with Danielle's decision. They wrote, "Good job Mama! I have talked to my kids in detail about how they better tip good when they start going out."
Others agreed. One person added, "As someone who works in a tip based job… i love this…," and a third contributed, "Great parenting!!!! Every parent should teach this as a former server!!"
But not everyone was on board.
One person commented, "Why does the cost of food determine tip amount? $10 for an hour of filling [water] is good money?"
Another person said, "Is service worth more just cause the bill is more? Surely $10 is a good tip for a table of 2 regardless of the size of the bill."
The video opened up a conversation about tipping culture in the United States, where many servers are not even paid $3 an hour. This is in contrast to many countries in Europe, where tips are not expected because servers are paid a living wage.
As explained on EF.com by a former server, "I was working 30 hours per week but just earning a $200 monthly paycheck. Unimaginable for many, I know. Why such a slim paycheck? Flashback to the tipping credit history lesson I gave you: that’s why. Some nights I made upwards of $800 cash in tips, and thank goodness I did. Without my tips, I couldn’t even pay my rent."
