The Sneaky Move You Need When Your Friends Don't Tip Enough At A Restaurant

Tipping culture has shifted tremendously over the past 50 years. Additionally, since the start of the pandemic, people have started tipping on more services than ever. The concept varies depending on location, and while there are set etiquette rules for what some places deem a proper tip for sit-down service, at the end of the day, it comes down to personal discretion. Still, the general rule of thumb is to tip your restaurant server somewhere between 15-20%, the former for service deemed average and the latter for great.

If you're out to dinner with friends or family and someone offers to pick up the tab, it's a nice gesture. That is until you realize they left a measly 10% tip on what was nothing short of perfect dinner service. When that happens, you might start to panic — but don't. All you have to do is make up an excuse to find the server, briefly explain the situation, then tip them the proper amount.

Whether it's pretending you forgot your phone or purposely leaving those leftovers at the table to return, step one is to find a reason to head back to your table after everyone else has headed toward the exit. This way, you can scope out your server, cash in hand, and slip them the remainder of the money you think they deserve. Darren Cardosa told Food & Wine that pretending to have left something at the table is the

easiest way to hunt down your server without receiving questions from your dinner group. However, in a credit-focused world, you may not always have cash on you to fix a terrible tipper's mistake; there is still no reason to panic. In most cases, servers have some sort of cash app. Simply ask for their Venmo, and you're good to go. It might seem odd to ask a stranger for their mobile payment account, but the server will likely be excited to know you've taken cues from a gratuity guide.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, the service industry was shattered. As a result, people began tipping more than usual on things like pickup orders or basic services to pay it forward. But now that things have returned to more of a normal state, people have started asking whether all the tips are necessary. Part of that is also due to the rise in digital payments, such as when a barista or takeout cashier swings an iPad around, prompting the user to tip (or not) with everyone in line behind them watching. Etiquette experts weighed in with AP News to discuss the phenomenon — and some of them have had enough. "...I fear that there is no end," expert Thomas Farley told the Associated Press.

Ismail Karabas, a marketing professor at Murray State University, said of customers, "They don't like to be asked for things, especially at the wrong time," referring to an unexpected tip request at checkout. 

Ultimately, people seem uncertain about tipping for limited services, such as to your local Starbucks barista, but the standard remains at restaurants that the expected tip is 15-20%. Thankfully, if you're ever with a lousy tipper at dinner, you now have a sneaky method for righting the wrong.