In the United States, restaurant servers are not paid an adequate wage, relying instead on large tips from customers to make ends meet. This is why a waitress in New York City recently spoke out against a group of Europeans who left her with only minimal gratuity after ordering $700-worth of food – twenty percent being customary for Americans. Since she was counting on this larger tip to keep herself fed and housed, it’s easy to see why such behavior would be seen as particularly disappointing by those working within the industry.
Here in the United States, it’s customary to show servers our appreciation with a fifteen to twenty percent gratuity. But abroad, such as throughout Europe, the waitstaff is paid fairly and tipping isn’t expected – though leaving an extra tip for exceptional service is always appreciated!
In exasperation, waitress Madison Tayt took to Twitter to express her indignation at a group of European diners who failed to recognize the traditional American custom of tipping. She was livid that she received a meager tip totaling only seventy dollars on their seven hundred dollar bill – which should have been closer to one hundred and forty dollars.
“Lmao, I f**king hate Europeans sometimes, on God,” she wrote on a Twitter thread. “This table just left $70 on a $700 check after chilling for HOURS. My manager even asked about their service, and they were OVER THE MOON about their service, so he explained the customary tip is 20 percent, and they were like, ‘ok’ and left.”
She continued, “What’s even worse is they had one American at the table (the son’s [girlfriend] from the sounds of it) like B**CH DO SOMETHING.”
After her tweet exploded on the internet, Tayt promptly deleted it and tried to stay away from public attention. Thankfully, she did not disclose which restaurant she works in as a server, so her boss likely never came to know that she had publicly chided European diners for their minuscule tips given to waitstaff.
One individual remarked that Europeans are “basically the worst customers.” Tayt mentioned that she was willing to “overlook” any disparities between Europeans and Americans, so long as they “at least tipped appropriately.”
She continued, “I understand a lot of the qualms with European’s behavior in restaurants comes from cultural differences (camping at tables, being a little brusque or forceful, etc.), all of which I’d be willing to overlook if they at least tipped appropriately.”
Joe Stefanelli, the CEO of Cryptech Solutions, asserted that it is customary to leave a ten percent tip in numerous regions throughout Europe.
He said, “In Europe, ten percent is standard for excellent service. I just learned this in Amsterdam. I tipped twenty-five percent and was asked why I did that. Instead of trying to ban them, maybe you should get out and explore the world more. There’s more than just the US.”
Should international customers be expected to leave an American-style tip when traveling in the United States?
