‘Who is the tip for?’: Customer calls out food truck OWNER for asking for 20% tip

Photo by@better.call.hall/TikTok Angela/Adobe Stock Alessandro Biascioli/Adobe Stock

A man says tipping culture is “off the rails” after he was prompted to tip on his meal by the owner of a food truck.

On TikTok, with more than 474,000 views, Jerry (@better.call.hall) tells his tale and expresses his annoyance regarding the current tipping situation in the U.S.

“Have you seen the video of the guy that said, ‘If I have to pay before I get my food, I’m not tipping’? Well I’ve adopted that policy, I took that to heart,” Jerry begins.

Jerry explains that after getting dinner at a food truck the night before, the owner flipped his POS system around. It prompted him for a tip.

“Who the f*** is the tip for?” he says.

Jerry continues, “You own this food truck. You set the prices of your food. You generate your own paycheck. If you want more money, raise the price of you f***ing food.”

Jerry reveals that during his teenage years and the early part of his twenties, he took on every kitchen-related position in a restaurant. He clarifies that back then, tips were given to workers who earned less than the minimum wage, and these tips were meant to help them earn a decent living. Therefore, he argues, it doesn't make logical sense to tip the owner of a food truck in the same way.

“Imagine that anywhere other than a food truck. You go into your local TGI Fridays and when you’re done eating, you leave a few bucks on the table and say, ‘This is for the franchise owner for the good work they’re doing.’ No! You wouldn’t f***ing do that,” Jerry reasons.

“I would rather pay $15 for whatever I’m getting than pay $12 and then feel guilted into tipping the other $3,” he argues as the video ends.

Viewer's Thoughts on this

In the comments section, users shared their own opinions about tipping culture.

“My rule is if I stand at a counter or sit in my vehicle to order, fill my own drinks, or bus my own table, no tip. A tip is for service during a meal, not the preparation of my order,” one user expressed.

“I understand tipping small business waiters. But why can’t corporation restaurants just pay a livable wage and not rely on their OWN consumers to cover their employees’ salaries?” a second viewer questioned.

“I stopped going to any restaurant because of this,” another comment.

“I think a lot of the apps that these places use automatically show a tip screen. They are not always expecting a tip. Some are embarrassed that it asks,” another user countered.

What is ‘tipping fatigue’ and are POS systems to blame?

The practice of tipping in the U.S. remains a subject of intense discussion. The National Restaurant Association points out a downside to the widespread use of point-of-sale (POS) systems in eateries, stating that these systems "prevent customers from easily finishing a payment without specifying a fixed tip amount in either percentage or dollar terms, or by offering the choice to skip a tip."

Constantly being prompted to tip by digital systems in all kinds of stores, restaurants, and businesses has led to “tipping fatigue” – customers are feeling pressured to tip in untraditional tipping situations and being asked to tip higher percentages and dollar amounts than they may actually be comfortable giving.

To alleviate this stress and guarantee a pleasant dining experience for customers, the National Restaurant Association suggests that eateries clearly outline their tipping guidelines to their customers. They advise on whether to recommend dollar amounts or percentages for tips on their POS systems, with smaller dollar amounts being more suitable for quick service restaurants, and percentages for sit-down dining. Above all, providing outstanding service to every customer is crucial.