A routine meal at an Applebee’s ended awkwardly for a group of four diners when their server apparently confronted one of them outside the restroom, demanding to know why she hadn’t been tipped.

The episode was described in a post by Reddit user Own_Bat_5065, who explained that the table had minimal interaction with the server throughout their visit.

Missing Service

“Our waiter maybe stopped by once to check how were we doing and we asked for water, we never saw her until when we were almost done eating,” the original poster (OP) wrote.

Despite it being a slow evening, they said the service lacked attentiveness.

The group requested separate checks, each totaling between $12 and $17. One diner tipped $5, another $1 and two left no tip.

As they waited for a friend to return from the restroom, they witnessed the server challenge him near the door.

“She confronted him and her exact words were, ‘So what was wrong with my service? Huh?’ in a snarky and angry voice,” the OP recalled.

“The server then said, ‘So why did you give me zero tip, something must’ve gone wrong’.”

‘Lazy servers’

Online critics weighed in with their own opinions, ranging from annoyance at the confrontation to calling for managerial intervention.

“Straight to the manager and let them know what their staff are doing,” a Reddit user advised.

Another person chipped in, “At that point you ask for the manager and demand they comp the bill… Sure, they will try to confront you quietly, sometimes they try to embarrass you publicly.

“But they will shrink away… if you start screaming at the manager that how the hell can they employ lazy, entitled servers that try and publicly shame people if they don’t tip enough?”

The confrontation speaks to broader frustrations around tipping culture in the United States. According to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey, nearly half of Americans say whether they tip depends on the situation.

At sit-down restaurants, 92% say they usually tip—but the expectation is often tied to the level of service received.

“I applaud [the] OP for acting in accordance with the way tipping culture is designed to operate,” etiquette expert Jo Hayes said in an interview with Newsweek.

“The better the service, the better the tip. The poorer the service, the poorer the tip. In this case, no service, no tip.”

Hayes pointed out that tipping should reflect gratitude for quality service—not be treated as mandatory regardless of experience.

The incident described by user Own_Bat_5065 is far from isolated. In another situation reported by Newsweek, a customer recounted how a server, “just took my order and vanished like a part-time magician.”

When the check arrived, the waiter reappeared, circled the suggested tip and smiled. The customer asked: “My guy, what am I tipping for?”

‘That was our service’

In reply to an invitation to comment from Newsweek via Reddit, Own_Bat_5065 said they wanted to emphasize that the group did indeed tip.

“We split the bill into four and we decided due to the lack of service we would not tip well,” the OP continued.

“I also wanted to add that may not be important, but as we were leaving the restaurant looking back, I saw the manager looking back at us. She did not try to get to us and apologize and I am certain she saw and heard the commotion.

“We were already leaving and in shock still, so I did not think to comment about it.

“Also we saw her at the beginning to take our order, and I don’t recall it being the same person that brought our food, this being another person’s job, and we saw her 15-20 minutes later to ask about water, which we then didn’t see her until the meal was already done.

“That was our service.”

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