*Reddit has become a sounding board for frustrated diners airing their grievances about tipping, with many detailing the tipping point that leads them to leave nothing—or a symbolic “troll tip” to make a statement.
A recent thread started by user Brandon (u/darkroot_gardner) on the r/tipping subreddit asked, “How bad does the service have to be for you to leave zero tip?” The post ignited a firestorm of nearly 400 responses, with users recounting experiences that pushed them to abandon their usual tipping habits.
For many, inattentiveness is the ultimate dealbreaker. One diner shared a story of eating alone at lunch, only to be ignored: “eating alone for lunch and the server ‘forgot’ about me and spent all her time at a table with a large party.” After waiting 20 minutes for the check and needing another server’s help, they left no tip.
Another user described a similar ordeal, waiting 15 minutes for water and another 15 for the bill in an empty restaurant, noting, “If I have to wait 15 minutes for water, and 15 minutes for a check after asking for it in a non-busy restaurant… then my tip is going drastically down.”
Some diners use small tips to send a message. “If I leave a 5% tip, that’s pretty much a message that says you suck,” one commenter wrote, while another admitted to leaving “1 cent to make a point.”
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A lack of courtesy is where many draw the line. As one user explained, “The only instance I wouldn’t tip is if the person serving me is rude or has an attitude.”
The discussion also highlighted cultural differences. One American user complained, “In America, the servers just drop off the food and run… It ruins the dining experience; it’s all about greed. I tip zero now because the system sucks.” Conversely, a British commenter found U.S. servers overly attentive, saying, “a lot of servers wouldn’t leave my table alone… Much prefer it in Europe, where they are not fishing for tips.”
Brandon, who started the thread, told Newsweek, “I am generally anti-tipping… While I wish for and advocate for tipping to end and the base wage to be increased to a living wage instead, I still always tip at full-service restaurants and bars, usually around 15%, mainly as a sort of social obligation.”
He occasionally tips 20-25% for exceptional service on special occasions, adding, “I wanted to hear what approach others take towards tipping, especially since a 2023 Pew research poll suggested the actual quality of the service might not even be so critical for many people.”
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