Server Adds 20% Tip for Group With 4 Kids. Was She Right?

Tipping is generally optional for diners, but many people report feeling more pressure to tip and tipping larger amounts in places where they didn’t previously do so.

For example, one Subway customer claimed he was treated badly after not tipping a bottle of water. Others have found that restaurants have miscalculated the recommended tip amount, forcing them to tip more than they were used to.

However, there are times when an additional tip is mandatory: Many restaurants add a service charge for large groups, but this is controversial as there is debate within the industry about the definition of “large.”

A recent video has sparked debate on the topic after a man said he automatically received a large group tip even though four of the diners were his children.

Six-person rule

In a video that had more than 79,000 views as of Sunday, TikTok user Matt Krueger (@rental.cashflow) said he went to a restaurant called Wake & Bacon with his four children. At the end of the meal, Krueger noticed that a server at Wake & Bacon had automatically added a 20% tip to the bill.

“The menu says that a 20 percent gratuity is automatically added to the bill for groups of six or more,” Krueger says, “but the problem is, our kids are 7, 5, 3 and 11 months old, so we only ordered three meals.”

Krueger said he understands tipping is automatic at large parties, but is perplexed that the practice is implemented when the majority of the guests are children.

“So just out of curiosity, if you were a waiter or worked in the restaurant industry, would you charge an extra 20 percent tip for two parents and four small children, including a baby, because of the rule of six?” he asks viewers.

In the caption, he added, “The kids shared the same food as the adults, the baby didn’t eat much (still breastfeeding). The worst part was the service was not good at all. She was rude to us and didn’t ask how we were doing while eating. This was a restaurant, not a fine dining restaurant.”

The audience is not on his side

Posted by Ryan Dobbs toast Explain why restaurants may decide to add automatic gratuities for large groups.

“Traditionally, this system is in place for larger parties because serving a large table is the same as serving eight or more tables at the same time,” Dobbs writes. “While it is extra work for the server, automatic tipping ensures that there is a consistent tip amount so that the server does not lose out for the level of effort they put into serving the party, especially if splitting the bill.”

The commenter felt that the family met the criteria implied in the large party fee even if the group did not order six meals.

“And yet you ordered six drinks and then asked for extra plates to serve your food on silverware? Six drinks wasted?” one user questioned.

“Six seats filled,” another person pointed out.

“She’s right, she still had to tidy up after you got home at 6pm,” a third said.

When one user questioned whether she would have received the 20% tip if the server hadn’t automatically added it, Kruger acknowledged in the comments that she would have only given her a 10% tip.

“I’m sure she got 10%. She was very cold from the moment we walked in. Bare minimum service,” he wrote. “But shouldn’t the ‘gift’ of a tip be at my discretion?”

The Daily Dot reached out to Kruger via Instagram direct message.

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