People Want to Tip Less After Seeing Server’s Hourly Pay: “Tipping Culture Is Out of Control”

When Amanda talked about how much she makes per hour with tips and her base salary, some people on TikTok thought servers should get lower tips. But before we get into that, let’s talk about where Amanda works and how much she usually earns as a server.

Amanda, known as @amanda4xx on TikTok, is a server at a Texas Roadhouse in New York.

The prices there are similar to other chain restaurants, like Applebee’s or TGI Fridays. For example, you’d pay about $22 for a steak meal.

It seemed like it was a slow day for Amanda, who only had a 3-hour shift. While we’re not sure exactly when her shift began from the video, we do know from the receipts that she worked on Friday, August 4, 2023, starting around 6:00 p.m.

Since it was a dinner shift on a weekend, it’s likely to have been busy and promising regardless of the duration of her shift. Here’s a breakdown of Amanda’s earnings, rounded to the nearest dollar:

• $12 tip on a $48 check
• $20 tip on a $101 check
• $9 tip on a $46 check
• $30 tip on a $130 check
• $7 tip on a $49 check
• $22 tip on a $113 check
• $32 tip on a $127 check
• $12 tip on a $62 check
• $25 tip on a $74 check

Amanda mentioned that most of her tips were paid via credit card, and the restaurant owes her $95.14. With her hourly pay of $9.00, Amanda’s total earnings for her shift amount to $150.14, which averages out to $59.00 per hour.

The comment section saw some truly questionable opinions.

“Tipping culture is out of control,” said one commenter, while another added, “Today I left a $7 tip not realizing it wasn’t 10% of what I had ordered and felt so bad. Not anymore tho! Thank you. I’m definitely overtipping.”

A few people mentioned they’d rather tip the cooks instead of the servers, suggesting they believe cooking is harder work. This sparked confusion about the idea that waiting tables is easy.

A retired cook joined the discussion, acknowledging that tips would be nice but pointing out that cooks don’t usually get them. He emphasized that cooks should be paid more, even though they already earn a higher wage than servers.

Despite the negative comments, Amanda remained undeterred.

In her next TikTok video, she promised to reveal her earnings from another shift, and she followed through. After working for 4 hours, Amanda essentially earned $50.00 per hour. It seems like the criticism didn’t affect her tips at all.

Amanda’s determination is impressive. Despite facing criticism, she keeps pushing forward as a hardworking server. Her story makes us think about our views on tipping. What do you think about tipping culture?