Tipping culture is alive and well in America, and things are only getting worse. While it’s expected that you’ll tip for good service at a restaurant, for instance, what’s not expected is for a hefty fee to be automatically added to your bill without you having any say in it.
That’s what happened recently to TikToker @binkssofamous after she found that a $44 gratuity had been added to her tab when she was out to dinner.
The TikToker was eating out at the Sugar Factory.
After staff members handed her the check, she was floored after she saw the added money.
“What is gradtity and why is it $44? Who is gradtity?” she asks in the video.
The waitresses then laugh awkwardly as they explain that the money is actually the tip that has been automatically added.
“A tip? Y’all can put that [expletive] on now?” she comes back with.
The clip, which has more than 5 million views and counting, is captioned, “Nahhh the @Sugar Factory got me a lil TIGHT!!!!!”
The clip got people talking about tipping at the restaurant.
@binkssofamous Nahhhh the @Sugar Factory got me a lil TIGHT !!!!! Tf is GRADTITY !!!!!!!! #fyp #foruyou #binkssofamous #binksandtakeeya #binkssofamous #viralvideo
One person pointed out that Sugar Factory automatically adds a 20% tip to every bill, which they felt is “insane.”
Another person agreed, saying, “I feel like tip culture should only apply to food delivery, and transportation.”
A third commenter insisted that tipping should be completely voluntary, writing, “Gratuity should be paid according to the service that was given. It should never be expected. We tip high, but not if the service is [expletive].”
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There were plenty of people who didn’t see the problem.
After all, service staff are paid peanuts, and while the customer shouldn’t necessarily have to pick up the slack, tipping being customary isn’t news to Americans — you should know what to expect when you go out.
“People complaining about gratuity being added automatically have obviously never been a server,” one viewer pointed out.
“Working in this industry, I totally understand. Gratuity is split between servers, runners, cooks, etc.,” a second pointed out.
A third put it simply: “It is literally written on the menu that it is added! And the service is always fantastic!”
What do you think?
