Waitress claims group has terrible excuse for trimming down their $100 bill, and it puts their children in the middle: ‘Don’t let your kid order’

A waitress posted a TikTok video in which she said a party of 15 left no tip after a meal she described as costing well over $100. Jamie, who identified herself as working in Virginia, claimed the group received good service but still wrote “cash” on the tip line without leaving any money. She stated that she watched the party leave and immediately cleaned the table herself, confirming no cash had been left behind.

Jamie explained in the video that she earns $2.13 an hour and relies on tips. She described the group as consisting of adults plus two children. According to her account, she introduced herself, took drink orders, and later handled food orders without any complaints at the time.

She said the two children asked their parents for permission and then requested Shirley Temples specifically in kids’ cups. Jamie claimed she prepared the drinks that way, set them down, and heard nothing from the table. She later saw the mother holding the same drinks in adult cups and said the mother explained it was part of the aesthetic so the cherry could be seen.

Server recounts drink mix-up and request to remove ordered appetizer from final bill

Jamie apologized and noted the kids had specifically asked for kids’ cups. She said the mother rolled her eyes. After the food order was placed, she brought the meals and set them down in front of the children and parents, again receiving no comments from the group.

Once the party finished eating and drinking, including alcoholic beverages, Jamie said she printed the checks and handed one to the father. She claimed he glanced at it and told her to remove one appetizer because his child did not order it. She responded that the child had ordered it, and the father replied that the child “didn’t mean to,” so it needed to come off.

Jamie described looking at the table and seeing that the appetizer had been finished with nothing left. She said she removed the item anyway because the customer is always right. After the group left, she checked the tip line where they had written “cash” and found no money left. On-screen text in the video read “$183 to be exact.”

She stated that she felt the table was looking for every little reason not to tip her. Jamie added the line “Don’t let your kid order” and suggested the group had probably planned not to tip before arriving. In the video caption, she wrote that not getting tipped comes with the job but there was no need to be rude, and that the party received great service. Her frustration echoes other complaints from servers stuck cleaning up after kids.

Many viewers expressed strong reactions to the lack of a tip on a large party. One commenter focused on the size of the group and wrote, “no tip on 15 top is absolutely terrible i’m so sorry.” Another viewer connected the incident to the children present and stated, “That is horrible behavior and what are they teaching their children.” Large groups stiffing servers is not a new problem, as in another case where a server was told no tip was possible.

Some commenters shared their own tipping habits in response. One person wrote, “My husband and I always tip 25%. No matter what. I’m so sorry people do that to you!” Others suggested practical changes for servers in similar situations. One commenter proposed, “At this point, wait staff should be able to wear microphones and play back the conversations with guests like this.”

Not every reaction supported posting about customers. One viewer cautioned against discussing clients publicly and wrote, “i don’t think you should be talking about clients on such a large platform with due respect.” Another commenter stated a personal policy against tipping and explained, “Everytime I leave my house heading for a restaurant to eat I do know I’m not tipping and I don’t need to make any excuses for it. I write on the tip line that I don’t pay the wages of restaurant workers.”