Our reader Amelia recently sent us a letter detailing her recent restaurant experience raises important questions about tipping etiquette, customer service, and how to navigate conflict.
Here’s her full story:
I (30F) went out to a nice restaurant with my husband (30M) last night to celebrate his big promotion. Everything was going well until the very end, when the waitress completely ruined it with her entitled attitude.
I added a $10 tip to the $85 bill when the check arrived. The waitress scoffed and yelled, “Ten bucks?,” as she took up the cash. You know, this is not the 1950s anymore.
I was taken aback. She spoke in such a harsh and condescending manner. My husband’s eyes became wide with shock.
“Pardon me?” I said, immediately irritated. “I believe that 10 dollars on an 85-dollar note is more than reasonable.”
The waitress gave a dramatic eye roll. “Cheapskate, the customary tip these days is 20%. Are you unable of calculating that?
I couldn’t believe her snotty attitude. That $10 was over 11% which is a decent tip by any measure. Her entitlement really rubbed me the wrong way.
“You know what,” I snapped, losing my cool. “With that kind of nasty attitude, you don’t deserve a tip at all!”
I quickly grabbed the $10 money from the table and reached over. The waitress’s mouth dropped wide, and she began yelling obscenities at me, calling me names, and making a big disturbance. Other diners looked around at the chaos. My spouse felt ashamed.
The unhinged waitress was still screaming at me, so the manager had to come over and take her away. In the end, we were forced to depart without leaving a gratuity.
Her arrogant, smug conduct really enraged me, though I will confess I probably overreacted. She did not deserve anything more after being so rude to a customer. Others, however, are debating in great detail whether or not I should have ignored it rather than creating a scene. What are your thoughts?