‘I Never Leave A Tip’: Iowa Man Goes To Restaurant. Then He Looks At His Receipt—And Realizes They Charged Him A ‘Non-Tipper’ Fee

There’s a growing anti-tipping sentiment among American diners.

Most are aware that tipped workers in the U.S. are often paid as little as $2.13, with the expectation that the gratuity amount will cover the rest to make at least a minimum wage. Still, some individuals protest the system by abandoning tipping altogether.

According to Iowa-based TikToker @captain.t.roll3, however, there may be consequences if you return to a restaurant where you previously didn’t tip.

In a TikTok video that has garnered over 1.1 million views, he films a receipt from a recent restaurant visit.

“Restaurant charged me a fee for being a frequent non-tipper,” he wrote in the video’s text overlay.

Then he explains the situation. “So I come to this restaurant pretty often, and I never leave a tip,” he says. “But I noticed on my receipt this time, they charged me an $11.16 non-tipper fee.”

He says that’s around 10% of the total amount. “This is insane,” he says.

“So I already signed the merchant copy, and this is the customer copy they gave me. I noticed that they charged me a non-tipper because I don’t usually tip when I go out to eat,” he wrote in the caption. “I’m gonna tell them to bring you back another copy of my receipt and remove this charge because this should not be legal.”

Viewers In The Comments Are Split

“Maybe don’t go to a [restaurant] if ur not going to tip,” one viewer wrote. “Theres always fast food.”

“Why are people in the comments condoning this?” asked another. “Tipping is OPTIONAL. It’s not like these servers work for free. They get PAID to take your order and bring your food. Why is tipping mandatory?!?”

“I never understood America’s tipping culture,” stated another. “I’m not the waiter’s boss, so why am I responsible for their salary? Tips should be earned through good service.”

Does A ‘Non-Tipping Fee’ Actually Exist?

A “non-tipping” fee isn’t a common or documented restaurant business practice. In fact, @captain.t.roll3’s video appears to be a satiric series of clips depicting different restaurant scenarios that tend to inspire debate online.

A similar charge customers may see, however, may be something like an automatic gratuity added to the bill. However, this fee is usually reserved for large parties of six or more people to make sure the servers are compensated fairly.

In such cases, a restaurant typically informs the party about the practice before they place their order, or it’s included as an asterisk on the menu.

For diners, it’s a good idea to check the menu, receipt, and any posted notices before paying. If a charge appears only at the end or wasn’t properly disclosed, you can raise the issues with the restaurant ot report to your local Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division.

How Do Servers Handle Non-Tippers?

According to people who have identified themselves as servers on Reddit, regular non-tippers are often remembered by staff.

One Redditor said that when a known non-tipper comes back, they still serve them, but only with the bare minimum. “You get the bare minimum and you can be sure the other 15 servers I work with will be told to do the same,” they wrote.

Another server said they try not to confront customers who don’t tip, since it usually creates more problems without changing the person’s behavior. Instead, they said they simply ignore it and move on.

In a restaurant owners’ forum, one suggested more formal solutions. For example, they wrote that restaurants can add a minimum gratuity to all checks or refuse to seat repeat non-tippers if servers no longer want them in their sections. They suggested telling those customers they would still offer takeout, but not dine-in service.

BroBible has reached out to @captain.t.roll3 via TikTok messages for comment.