There’s a pervasive rumor that if you don’t treat your server right, they’ll find a way to exact revenge.
Again and again, social media proves this trope wrong. Though there might be server crash-out after server crash-out video, in general, service industry workers are good people. They often go above and beyond for their guests. Until Gil Cano (@gilcanooo) popped into the TikTok feed with unrepentant confessions. Gleefully mischievous in his TikTok, the post has over 131,300 views as of publication.
Petty King Of The Dining Room
Speaking directly into the camera, Cano says, “I used to be a petty-a– server, bro. If you left anything at the table and dared to undertip me severely, It. Was. Mine.”
Next, he shares just a couple of things he tossed. “I’ve thrown out passports and prescription glasses; and I’d help them look if they came back looking,” he says.
He starts to mimic himself being super helpful. “Oh no, where is it? Where is it?”
Then the switch flips, “B—-, f— you!” he says. And the message is clear: You paid for the service you got.
‘Not Using My Full Potential’
The internet is riotously piling on with example after example of restaurant customers behaving badly and getting their comeuppance. Only one person in the comments tried on the old, “tipping isn’t obligatory,” argument. They got immediately shut down.
Lucas Chadwick (@lucas.chadwick) is especially ruthless, sharing, “I have thrown away AirPods, meta glasses, debit cards, idgaf. You left it, didn’t tip, that’s trash on the table. I do let them know it’s in the trash sometimes and watch them dig through it.”
Meanwhile, Beth Wagner (@bethwagner1976) helped make a group of high schoolers’ most memorable night even more unforgettable. “Group of kids going to prom, they tipped me .75 cents on a $150 bill. They left their tickets to the prom on the table after they left. Threw those tickets away,” she writes.
Another says, “I threw out car keys last night. Left them in the booth and they tipped 12%, no, you’re going to pay a locksmith.”
TikToker @glass_goddess710 just thinks, “Damn I’m not using my full potential.”
Is It Ethical To Throw Away Customers’ Stuff For Not Tipping Well?
Beyond ethics (dubious or otherwise), throwing away customers’ things if they don’t tip well could be considered theft or criminal destruction. The website for Florida attorneys Morgan & Morgan also says that in addition to a personal liability, a business could bear financial responsibility for trashed or destroyed property.
But what about the ethics of the situation?
“Patrons sometimes exploit their power, knowing a server’s wages are largely at their mercy,” observed Omar Shehryar, a marketing professor at Montana State University. He researches the ethical and moral dimensions of tipping in the United States. And it’s not just about paying the server.
According to Shehryar’s research, “One of the more surprising findings was that chefs believed many customers could not afford to eat at restaurants if the menu prices reflected the actual costs of the meal,” the report says.
So it becomes a complicated financial calculation. One chef that the researcher talked to estimated that most restaurants would need to increase food costs by about 30% in order to pay servers a higher wage. And though data does show that “increased wages would address some issues, a system overhaul would mean a huge shift in cultural and economic norms.”
For now, it seems that poorly tipped servers might only have petty revenge to help (from their POV) level the playing field.
‘I Exaggerated A Bit’
In an email reply to BroBible’s questions, Cano says, “So almost the whole TikTok was the truth. I exaggerated a bit. I WANTED to throw away a passport but didn’t. But boy did I want to.”
The glasses, though: those got pitched.
Except then karma caught Cano almost instantly (per his description). He says that the man whose glasses ended up in the trash proceeded to pull on gloves and dig through the bins until he found them. So the maliciousness was wasted.
Mainly, what Cano says he has done is “like wishing someone stubs their toe instead of wishing something truly harmful on someone.” He sees his actions as “just giving out slaps on the wrist” and maybe doing a karma balancing.
@gilcanooo Don’t bake baby cus I bite back #server #petty #crazystory