Like the famous scene in Reservoir Dogs, tipping in the US has always been a hot-button topic. On the one hand, it’s important as it helps supplement the income of low wage workers. But on the other, it tends to put a lot of the pressure on the customers when it should really be the employer’s job to pay their staff a fair wage. Recently, a popular Kentucky influencer weighed in on the issue, declaring that if you don’t tip, you’re a ‘cheap [expletive].’ Unsurprisingly, the internet had plenty to say in response.
The video comes from TikTok influencer @Chazonator, who boasts 1.2 million followers. Based in Kentucky, Chazonator is known for sharing content on relationships, life, and LGBTQ+ issues. In the clip, the content creator targets those who refuse to tip when dining out at restaurants. He states, “I’ve been seeing all these videos on my FYP of all these cheap [expletive] people saying they don’t wanna tip their server. Tipping is an option. You know what else is an option? Staying the [expletive] home. Most of these servers are making less than $3 an hour plus tips. You gonna come up in there and use their good service and then you’re gonna [expletive] leave them high and dry.”
Interestingly, the Kentucky-based content creator has personal experience in the hospitality industry and offers his two cents on tipping culture. He shares, “I used to work at Red Lobster and Olive Garden, and I can tell you that if you didn’t tip one of our servers, none of us wanted to [expletive] take your table your [expletive] came back in again.”
Chazonator then shares a story about a table of six who racked up a $150 bill but tipped him just $1.27. He also calls out customers who nitpick the food in an attempt to avoid leaving a tip before he gets straight to the point, declaring, “If you’re not gonna tip, keep your cheap [expletive] at home and eat some [expletive] Campbell’s soup.”
As the video continues to circulate, social media users have flooded the comments to weigh in on the hot-button issue, with reactions largely divided. On TikTok, an Australian viewer wrote, “Why aren’t the servers paid properly. This doesn’t happen in Australia. People are paid well.” while a second commenter replied to this with, “The US is EXCLUSIVELY for billionaires and the uber wealthy. PERIOD. From an American of 59 years“. A third netizen on Reddit chimed in with, “If a tip is demanded and expected, is it really a tip anymore or the customer simply substituting the wait staff’s wages that the business ought to be doing in the first place?” Meanwhile, a fourth simply wrote, “If you can’t TIP stay home.”
While the discussion rages on, it’s clear that tipping culture is one of those things that’s still up for debate, bringing up questions about fairness, responsibility, and what it really means to value good service.
