‘The hearts and smiley face would’ve made me violent’: Server who is 7 months pregnant gets ‘no tip’ written on her table’s receipt. So she confronts them

Server Madelyn (@madelynxtaylor) has touched hearts on TikTok with her video garnering 148,000 views as of Christmas Eve. In her video titled, "Ohmygosh i forgot to add that i went to the bar to get a drink for a guest and that one of the girls saw me and flipped me off while smiling and laughing," Madelyn shares a poignant tale of her trials and tribulations working as a pregnant waitress.

"I worked as a waitress during my pregnancy," she starts. "Majority of customers were extremely kind... However, there were a select few that couldn't care less about me."

The pinnacle of her challenge was an encounter with a group of girls who seemed determined to make her shift difficult.

"We had a group of four girls...they were obviously older than to be ordering off a kid's menu, but they got them anyway," Madelyn recounts. "Then they only asked for cups of ice so they could pour their own drinks in."

Madelyn shares her shock when she found written on their receipt "No tip" with "hearts and smiley faces" after serving them for her entire four-hour shift.

The TikTok community's response to Madelyn's video has been a mix of support, empathy, and varying opinions. One user wrote, "I’m so mad your manager didn’t handle this for you. They should have removed them from the establishment. Immediately."

Another user expressed empathy for Madelyn's emotional state, writing, "I would’ve actually cried my eyes out and had to be isolated for days after that."

Madelyn responded to this, sharing, "Someone volunteered to take my opening shift the following day."

Yet, not all comments were supportive.

One top commenter criticized Madelyn's decision to have a child, writing, "If you CHOOSE to have a child and start crying over not getting a tip it’s clear you can’t afford a good life for that child." 

Another tried to provide a reasonable explanation for ordering off the kids' menu, writing, “I order off the kids menu because i have stomach surgery soon and need to have smaller portions," to which Madelyn replied, "That’s totally valid I order off of the kids menu too. but I tip 20% of what an adult meal would cost."

Madelyn's story speaks to the complex tipping culture in the U.S. Her experience is a stark contrast to European practices, which favor higher wages with less responsibility to tip, whereas the United States is the opposite. Her tale emphasizes the importance of tipping in the American service industry, especially for workers like her who rely on these tips as a significant part of their income. Shockingly enough, although it varies state by state, the minimum federal tippable wage still sits at $2.13.  

Regardless of what one's own beliefs are on the state of tipping culture in the restaurant industry, there's something to be said of Madelyn's decision to work as a waitress while so far along in her pregnancy.

Madelyn's video appears to be more than just a story; it's a call to action for empathy and generosity. Her ordeal with the group of girls who left no tip is a reminder of the need to understand and appreciate the hard work service workers provide.

@madelynxtaylor ohmygosh i forgot to add that i went to the bar to get a drink for a guest and that one of the girls saw me and flipped me off while smiling and laughing #fyp #fypシ #pregnant #restaurant #serverlife ♬ original sound - Madelyn Taylor

And with so many folks losing their jobs right before the holidays, either due to companies deciding to clean house for the new fiscal year or different reasons entirely, a bit of kindness during this time could go a long way.

On the flip side of the coin, however, it's easy to understand why so many customers are miffed when it comes to tipping. One Reddit post claims that food service workers prefer gratuity-based compensation models as it ultimately yields them higher payouts, hence the increased presence of tipping options at retailers and establishments that traditionally didn't offer tip options on transactions. It also seems to be the reason why the non-tipping restaurant model ultimately failed and servers opted to work at other establishments that relied on gratuities from customers to bolster their paychecks.

The Daily Dot has reached out to Madelyn via TikTok comment for further information.

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