A Boston server ran into an ethical dilemma while working a shift. If she decided against doing the right thing, she could’ve gone home $600 richer.
Tania (@taniarose1028) quickly realized that one of her customers may have made a grievous mathematical error on the tip line of their check.
The customer wrote that they were leaving a $60.00 tip on a $288.37 bill in the tip line. But the total line said $888.37, which would imply they wanted to leave a $600 tip.
Tania assumed that the customer did their math wrong, so she didn’t ring in the $600 tip. Tania wrote in her video’s on-screen text, “In fairness I could give myself a $600.00 tip but i wont.”
Her TikTok post on the matter has more than 1.2 million views, with her commenters discussing how they’d interpret the customer’s writing on the receipt.
“Our policy is go off of total,” one person said.
Another person added, “I def woulda put 600 bc that is the total lmao always go off the total.”
In the comment section, however, Tania said that the restaurant probably “would have got a call” about the tip amount.
Tip Vs. Total
While many servers in Tania’s comment section said that they rely on the total line rather than the tip line to determine what customers want to leave, the answer as to what most servers rely on is actually case-by-case.
Food & Wine says that restaurants can go with what’s written on the tip line or the final total and still be in the right. Some restaurants may pick the tip that’s beneficial to the customer when there’s a discrepancy, while others may opt to pick the tip that’s beneficial for the server. It truly depends on the restaurant and server.
What Should Customers Do To Avoid Making Tip Mistakes?
Tipping errors can be incredibly costly. The simple addition of an extra digit on a receipt or an accidental miscalculation can add up, leading to a surprising charge hours or days later.
Customers can even make mistakes when tipping in cash. For instance, a customer once tipped a restaurant $1,000 during a drunken outing, which he came back for the very next day. While that restaurant gave the customer the full sum back, others are not so lucky.
To prevent tipping errors, servers recommend that customers fill in all of the blanks on their checks. That way, they cannot be filled in by the server. In addition, many online sources recommend customers write out their tips and totals very carefully to avoid any complications with extra numbers.
If a customer makes a costly mistake, there are ways to rectify the situation. They can call the restaurant or their banking institution to explain the error. But, if the math on a tip is correct, Food & Wine notes that most restaurants can keep the tip, regardless of a customer trying to take it back.
BroBible reached out to Tania via TikTok direct message for comment. This article will be updated if she responds.