Man asks if he's wrong to not leave a tip after getting 'horrible service.'
When this patron is upset with their service, they ask Reddit:
'AITA For not leaving a tip after getting horrible service?'
I live in California and recently returned to working in-person. My job’s hours have recently been erratic because of this. Yesterday, I got out of work around 8PM and was too tired to make myself dinner. I figured I’d stop at a restaurant for dinner which would also help a local business that’s had a tough year. I got to the restaurant a bit after 8:30 but I had looked it up beforehand and knew it was open until 9 which I thought wouldn’t be a problem.
However, as soon as I sat down the waitress was clearly rushing me and actually told me to not order a burger because “they’ve already shut down the grill”. I informed her that the restaurant’s posted hours were until 9PM and that it wasn’t my fault they were shutting down before that. She gave me a bunch of attitude but then shrieked “fine” before storming off.
The burger took a long time to make, probably because they shut down the grill too early, and I didn’t get it until after 9. While I was eating it, the waitress was constantly hovering over me which I didn’t appreciate after a long day’s work. By the time I was finished and paid it was around 9:25. I thought the waitress was rude and inconsiderate so I didn’t tip her (I pay for good service not to be berated).
After all this, the waitress confronted me while I was walking to my car and kept calling me an asshole. I feel like this further justified my not leaving a tip but some folks at my work today actually took her side! What do you all think? Shouldn’t a restaurant’s posted hours mean they welcome customers before then? Shouldn’t going on a tirade against a customer mean you don’t get a tip?
Let's find out.
vanhalen writes:
Nta. I work in this industry and shutting your shit down before you close is bad practice. So is what the server did. Not like complaining to a manager would have done a thing. I just wouldn't eat there in the future. They're gonna fuck with your food next time lol.
overgrownfetus writes:
YTA. It's far from unreasonable for restaurants in the UK not to seat new customers about half an hour or so before closing time and you were rude on top. Even on the assumption that you're relaying what she says correctly, she's most likely on low wages and you're making an unreasonable demand well at 20:30, so you can't exactly blame her for getting annoyed with you for expecting the restaurant to have to start everything all up again.
Refusing to tip given how bad the wages are and that the tip are the de facto wages is AH behaviour- and this from somebody who wishes tipping culture could be replaced with $15-$20/hour wages for restaurant staff. You could have got fast food, a sit-down restaurant isn't going to prepare it that fast.
alcopolitics writes:
Yta. Overwhelmingly so. I love how you keep mentioning how you worked so hard and had such a long day, etc. You don’t think everyone at the restaurant maybe also works hard and had a long day, and didn’t feel like staying late and cleaning the grill a second time. And then to stiff on top on that.
Customers like you are why restaurants can’t find employees currently. Because who would want to the bone, serving belligerent cheap customers for peanuts. Service staff are people too, who work plenty hard. Difference is they’ve had to do it in person this whole time, while you got to kick it at home. There’s a thing called empathy, try it sometime.