Single Mom leaves no tip

Wow! If she could afford to spend $138 at a restaurant I'm sure she could afford to give you a little sumpin sumpin. That's just rude!

Wow, it definitely seems tacky to write on the tip line "Single Mom, Sorry"! If you're going to go out to eat, you should figure in the tip as well as the actual cost of the meal - otherwise don't go out.

Can't afford a $5 tip, but can afford a $138 dinner.

Does not compute.

Why should the waiter be fired? This receipt doesn't even show the name of the restaurant, nor the date. All pertinent information other than the amount has been fuzzed out for security and anonymity's sake. I would say the waiter/waitress was probably a bit peeved that this single woman who is sadly lacking in manners had the gall to spend that much money and not leave any kind of tip whatsoever.

I always plan to leave 20% when I go out to eat, and if it's not within my budget at that time, I choose to go somewhere cheaper or not go out at all. Wait staff make less than minimum wage in many states, if not all, and doing this is making the person lose out on his or her pay. I have found that when returning to a restaurant that I have patronized previously, if we get the same waitperson, we get excellent service. It is just plain rude to not leave some kind of tip, even if it's a mere 10%.

That is just horrible. Does this "single mother" realize waitresses get paid, on average, $2 an hour? I waitressed for two months, hated it, never again. But I gained such a respect for those who do. To do such a thing on such a massive bill is horrible. To me, if you cannot afford the tip, you cannot afford to go out to eat. Those people LIVE off you tips, so quit being cheap and tip!! I always tip at LEAST $5, as long as the waitress or waiter is not incredibly rude.

I could never, ever , ever, get my head around this whole ' tipping ' culture you have there. why not pay restaurant staff a fair and reasonable salary so they aren't tip dependant for their income? that way, a tip would be a boost to their income and inspire higher levels of service, and not the ONLY means of their income.

In the UK, tipping is totally discretionally..you get great service, you give what you feel that service deserves...but the staff certainly do NOT make minimum wage, as is the case in North America...and the service levels are no where near CLOSE to the standards in north america.

The US tradition of leaving cute messages on the bill has also arrived in the UK, but the UK is NOT a service driven country and a waitress or a waiter in the UK dosn't understand that scribbling a little smiley face with 'thanks' next to their name on the bill is not their ticket to earn a tip...only great service should earn them a tip.

I feel bad for the OP for being denied an income...but if she was paid an equitable and fair salary to begin with, then she wouldn't have been denied her income.

That's how I feel. I can't comprehend how it's legal to pay them less than minimum. Because they get paid tips? It's a hard job, and people are VERY touchy about food.

Maybe the server is a single parent... absolutely pathetic excuse!

i don't know if that person should be fired for putting it online, besides the signature, which does not tell you the persons name legibly. I'm not sure if that would be legal grounds to fire anyways.

I will tell you this, I've left completely different amounts of tips, for different reasons, NEVER because of a "personal" reason, like being a single guy that has to pay rent on his own, or some other b.s.

I've left tips that cost more than the meal, if the waiter/waitress did an awesome job and really made me feel good dining there. I've also left a quarter(25 cents), rather than leave nothing. I was taught if you leave nothing, it's possible they(waiter/waitress) might just think you "forgot' to leave a tip. I leave the quarter so they know I didn't forget, and i only do that with horrible service.

Sometimes I feel a lot of waiters/waitresses just flat out expect a decent tip, regardless of the service, as though they'd become so use to getting a tip regardless. Sorry sweetheart, you have to earn my tip, but if you do, you might be going home saying, ":some guy left me a tip that was bigger than his whole bill'. Same for the fella's, treat me right, and I'll tip you as good as that waitress, period.


side note: Why do as a society feel obligated to tip only at non fast food restaurants? I've never worked a day of fast food in my life, but could possibly agrue they work harder than waiters and waitresses, just my opinion.

It is completely horrible in my book. I've never been a waitress, but I have friends who have been and it is a very hard job, they deserve tips and the customer even acknowledged that the service/food were "great". How is it she can afford a $138 meal but not a 10% (minimum) tip? And what if the server is a single mom as well? It is just awful.

I would not spend $138.00 going out to eat.

i dunnoo.... we don't know what kind of service was recieved. It is probably a cultural thing because tipping is a bit more discretionary in the uk than usa, but if the waiter gave a poor service, she shouldn't have to pay imo. that said, she should have been honest wit that and not used the 'mommyyyy' excuse. a case of stfu parents maybes??? xxx

My skeptical senses are tingling. I've seen this story around, but I'm having a hard time believing it.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/01/single-mom-leaves-outrage_n_2051354.html

$138.00? no tip? oh i get it,she had ten kids.

This actually makes sense to me now. We have no background of this story, only a receipt. Maybe she was taking all 10, or maybe 6 kids out to eat for one of there birthdays or other occasion, and she mentions being a single mom because the waiter/waitress would be able to clearly see she was "alone" besides having the children with her. Should she not be able to take her kids out and have a decent meal because she has to worry about a tip amount or if she could afford one. Should she not spend every last penny she had to spare on that meal, and have her kids and her have a memorable time.

I'll be the first to admit, sometimes we are way to quick to judge, and this girl I quoted, made me think of it a different way, and at the same time, I can not say for sure that's what happened either.

Just a different way to possibly conceive how the situation really was

BULL!!! A bill that large should have had tip added in...

I've been a waitress in many different places, and it is true waiters/waitresses should earn their tips. It is also true that customers need to comprehend that their servers are human and are usually working hard to do so. If this customer could "only' afford a 138 dollar bill, they should have either eaten less, had the others who eat with them help with the tip, or not eaten at the establishment. Being a single Mom is not an excuse for rudeness like that.

Everyone should really work as a waitress or waiter for a whole in their life, just so they really understand what a pain in the a** this job is, and how painful it can be. This really may cure people like this person of their attitude of nonchalance.