TikToker sparks debate after not being served at restaurant due to lack of tips

A TikToker shared that she was not being served at a restaurant because of not tipping in the past, sparking debate.

Content creator buelistic went viral after responding to a TikToker who stated that “nobody is obligated to tip.” In her video, which has over 757,000 views, she agreed, and shared a personal story which has sparked a debate around tipping.

As a tattoo artist, buelistic said she encourages all her clients to tip tattoo artists, but she acknowledges that it’s not a requirement. The content creator then shared how she and her friends were denied service at a restaurant due to not previously tipping.

“So yesterday I went to a restaurant with somebody that I love, and we decided that this time we would turn our duo into a trio and we invited one of our friends,” she began. “When we sat at the table, none of the servers showed up and one of the managers came by and told us that they would not like to serve us anymore.”

According to the TikToker, the manager’s reason for not serving them was because of tipping. She clarified that as a tattoo artist she makes sure she tips everywhere she goes, but her friends may not always do that or “have the finances to do so.”

“But do you feel like this is a good enough reason to deny service to somebody for the rest of their life if it’s based off of tips and the service isn’t always up to par?” she asked her viewers. 

TikToker sparks debate around tipping

TikTok users were divided on the topic, but many believe that tipping is a choice, and not an obligation.

“Tipping is not an obligation, that is my choice to tip or not based on service that I was provided,” one user commented.

“Not an obligation so it should not be frowned upon if you do or don’t tip (especially if they start including the tip in the check,)” another user wrote.

Others slammed customers who do not tip.

“But I do think NOT tipping when it comes to wait staff is tacky. If you don’t have money to tip stay home,” one user commented. “If the service isn’t up to par.. why come back? Yeah I’ve banned people who don’t tip,” another one shared.

Some users shifted the blame to restaurants and the service industry in general.

“It’s not on us as the customers to get dogged out because their employers don’t pay them a proper wage,” one user argued, prompting the TikToker to agree with them. 

“Servers should not need to rely on tips, but the reality is establishments incorporate it into their pay… so sometimes base wage is $2/hr,” someone else shared.