“If you tip a server at zero, they’re responsible for the restaurant”: Server explains why it’s hard to tip service workers

Everyone is familiar with the traditional tipping model: diners pay a voluntary amount, yet are socially expected to tip at least 15% for good service. But contrary to popular belief, tips are not free money.

Not only are they taxed, but depending on the system a particular establishment uses, not all of it goes to the person who receives the tip. If one goes at all, in some cases.

Now, you may have heard of tip sharing, a common practice restaurants and bars implement based on the idea that gratuity is paid for the entire dining experience. This means that the server has to share a portion of his tips and give them to other staff members.

But the server and TikTok creator Abigail (@flabigailfartin) Argues that not only is tip-sharing flawed, it’s milking those who are most vulnerable and the servers themselves.

In a series of TikTok videos, Abigail demonstrates why tipping poorly or not at all is such a problem, as well as other dubious aspects of the tip-sharing policy at work that most people have no idea about. Don’t know.

Server and TikTok creator @Flabigailfartin shows why tip sharing is so hard and what happens when you give a bad tip.

Image credit: flabigailfartin

Image credit: flabigailfartin

Image credit: flabigailfartin

Image credit: flabigailfartin

Image credit: flabigailfartin

The author later posted another video with a more detailed explanation: Let’s say he made $3,000 in sales, that means a 3% tip share is $90.

Image credit: flabigailfartin

According to TikToker, servers typically expect to get a 20% tip, so if your bill is $40, 20% of that would be $8.

Image credit: flabigailfartin

So, for every $100 a customer spends, $3 goes to the tip share. If the tip is 20%, meaning $20, the server actually only gets $17, because it’s going to share the 3% tip.

Image credit: flabigailfartin

This is why servers hate “hardness,” which means a customer tipped $0.

Image credit: flabigailfartin

Because whether you tip or not, argues @Flabigailfartin, they still owe the restaurant a 3% tip share that they have to pay out of pocket.

Image credit: flabigailfartin

Here are full videos showing why tip sharing is bad shared by @Flabigailfartin on his TikTok channel.

@flabigailfartin #Green Screen #tipshare #tipyourserver #How it works #servertok #waitressproblems ♬ Original Voice – A Crazy Swan 🙂

@flabigailfartin Reply to @julissagomez57 *Disclaimer This may not be true for every restaurant. Some stores have different percentages, systems, or don’t participate in tip share at all* #tipshare #How it works #servertok #waitressproblems #fyp ♬ Original Voice – A Crazy Swan 🙂

And that’s what people commented about the videos.