It’s no secret that a server’s livelihood in the U.S. is often supported almost entirely by tips. It’s one of the few jobs that still falls under federal “tipped employee” laws.
This means that in some states, employers are allowed to pay servers as little as $2.13 per hour, far below the federal minimum wage of $7.25.
That setup is rare elsewhere. In much of the rest of the world, tips are encouraged but treated as supplemental. The minimum wage has no exceptions, and tips are not considered part of a worker’s base pay.
Because of how tipping works in the U.S., it continues to spark controversy. Most people tip servers, delivery drivers, and other service workers, but there are some who openly say they never do. However, anyone who has worked as a server knows how much damage even one poorly tipped table can do, even if it only happens once a week.
That’s why one woman, who says she previously worked as a server herself, could not let it go when she realized she had made a mistake. After accidentally tipping just 10% instead of her usual 20%, she decided she had to go back and make it right.
‘I Have To Make This Right’
TikTok creator Sarah Barthel (@sarah_barthel) shared the story in a video that has garnered more than 206,500 views. The clip starts with her admitting how uncomfortable she feels. “Oh my god, you guys, I am so embarrassed,” she says.
Barthel explains that she went out to dinner with friends the night before and put the entire check on her card. “I don’t know what I was thinking,” she says, recalling the moment she signed the receipt. “I was not thinking clearly because I tipped this poor man 10%.”
Given her background, she says she empathizes. “I used to be a server,” she says. “The base for me is 20%.” She explains that even when service goes poorly, she still tips at least 15% because delays or issues often have nothing to do with the server.
Barthel says the bill came out to somewhere between $400 and $500 at a nice restaurant. “He was the most fabulous server,” she says, describing how attentive he was throughout the night. She recalls him cracking jokes, checking in often, and even bringing out a dessert when one of her friends got engaged. “And he got 10%,” she says, clearly frustrated with herself. “He was probably like, ‘What did I do wrong?’”
She says she realized what happened the next morning. “I was like, oh my god, what have I done?” Barthel says. That is when she decided to go back. She explains that she grabbed cash and planned to return to the restaurant to give the server the rest of the tip “that he rightfully deserves.”
She even calls him out by name in the video. “If your name is Asher and you work at Jack and Harry’s in Dallas, I am so sorry,” she says, adding that the low tip was not intentional.
The TikToker Returns To The Restaurant
Barthel films herself walking into the restaurant “in track pants and Uggs,” asking another employee if Asher is working. When she finds him, she apologizes immediately and hands him the tip in cash. “I am so sorry. I was not paying attention,” she says. “You were a wonderful server.”
Back in her car, Barthel says the relief sets in. “My conscience, it’s clear now,” she says. She adds that Asher told her she did not need to come back, but she felt strongly about it. “No, you actually don’t understand,” she says. “That was horrible.”
How Tipped Workers Are Treated In Dallas
In Texas, employers can pay tipped workers $2.13 per hour, with the caveat that tips bring their total earnings up to at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25.
In practice, that means servers rely heavily on customer tips to make ends meet. According to Indeed, servers in Dallas earn an average of $19.36 an hour, about 8% above the national average.
Still, that figure falls short of what is considered a living wage. The MIT Living Wage Calculator estimates that a living wage in Dallas, Texas, sits at $23.06 per hour.
Commenters Praise The TikToker
In the comments, viewers applauded Barthel’s decision to return to the restaurant.
“I’m so proud of you for going back, we need more of you!!!” one person wrote.
“I’d rather die than a server to think I’m a bad tipper so I feel this in my freaking soul,” another added.
“This is amazing! You’d be surprised by how many people (usually from an older generation) who think a 10% tip is generous,” someone else commented.
“You were DEFINITELY raised right. What an amazing human you are!” another wrote.
@sarah_barthel Accidentally tipped my server 10% so had to go make it right 😭😭😭 #dallas #dallasrestaurants
BroBible has reached out to Barthel via email to learn more about the experience.