Audio By Carbonatix
As any frequent diner will eagerly tell you, tipping has taken over the dining experience. One generally used to only expect to tip at a sit-down restaurant. Now, people find themselves being prompted for tips in more places—and in higher amounts—than they ever have before.
Experts call this growth in tipping culture “tipflation,” and one can find evidence of it across social media. No matter what platform one is on, there are stories of people being prompted for 30% tips when buying a coffee, heftier tips for things like haircuts, and even being prompted for a tip during online checkout.
Tipping has become so common that simply not tipping can become something of an accidental statement, as Dallas, Texas-based TikToker Ben Mehl (@bennyonthetiktok) recently noted in a TikTok video.
What Went Wrong With This Starbucks Customer’s Order?
In his video, Mehl recounts a recent experience at Starbucks.
According to Mehl, he was visiting a Starbucks location’s drive-thru and decided to order a tall coffee and a Venti-sized cup of water.
“So, I get to the front. After, like, four or five cars, the lady who’s at the register says, ‘Wait a minute—what did you order?’” the TikToker says. “And I said, ‘A tall coffee and a Venti cup of water.’ And she says, ‘Oh, I just gave that away.’”
Mehl says he simply laughed off the error, telling the woman working in the drive-thru that he can wait for the order to be remade. A short time later, his order was completed, and he paid and picked it up. He did not leave a tip.
“And she says, ‘Oh, no tip?’” the TikToker recalls. “And I’m like, ‘You gave my order away!’”
When Is It Appropriate Not To Tip?
While many commenters agreed that Mehl was justified in not tipping on his order, some may wonder if such actions are appropriate if one receives poor service.
Technically, tipping in the United States is not mandatory. Still, it’s often considered best practice at sit-down establishments. And most people suggest leaving a tip of between 15% and 25% on a meal.
There’s some debate about whether one should tip on drive-thru orders at all. A recent survey found that only 12% of those polled described themselves as willing to tip at a drive-thru. Another study found that, for coffee houses specifically, around a third of customers don’t tip at all. A quarter leave a tip of 15% or less. Many have a “no sit, no tip” policy for themselves. That means they only tip at places like sit-down restaurants, where they receive constant service throughout their time there.
Other etiquette experts note that, while it’s OK to dock tips for poor service, one should be considerate if it was really the server’s fault before doing so.
In short, one could argue that Mehl was justified in not leaving a tip. Or, at the very least, his lack of a tip should not have come as a surprise to someone working in the food service industry.
@bennyonthetiktok Such a weird interaction with this barista who gave my order away today. #coffeetiktok #coffee #coffeetime
Commenters Say Mehl Is Right For Not Tipping At Starbucks
In the comments section, users offered their thoughts on Mehl’s situation and tipping in general.
“Questioning the no tip is weirder than not tipping,” wrote a user.
“Im not tipping in a drive thru. Period,” offered another.
“I’m kind of getting tired of having to do my job properly so no, I wouldn’t have tipped,” detailed a third. “If I gotta pay tf attention at my job, everyone else should as well. I’m getting mad being nice and tipping well over 15% only to realize I’m missing stuff in my orders.”
“I’m done tipping PERIOD,” declared a further TikToker. “There’s so many people saying ‘stay home if you only tip this amount’ or ‘tips are needed they don’t make enough’ They don’t know what service I received. Im just gonna start using a foreign accent and NOT tip at all since we’re the ONLY dumb country that does so!”
BroBible reached out to both Starbucks and Mehl via email.