“Black People Don’t Tip”

Let’s not sugarcoat here. There is an extreme stereotype in the restaurant relationship between customer and server that has claimed to be that “black people don’t tip.” Let’s pick this subject apart a little bit.

Did You Know: There is a Facebook like page called “I Hate Waiting on Black People” with approximately 378 likes and counting.

First off, let me start by saying that yes, I know that there are some black people that enter into a restaurant automatically not planning to tip and/or planning to create an issue in hopes to receive food for free. I am not here to that say that this does not exist. I was a server once before and I have experienced multiple situations like this, BUT I have also gotten some of my biggest tips from black people. In fact, one of the largest tips I have ever received (that was WELL past the recommended 15% — 20%) was from a table of black people. Therefore, I am not here to make excuses for the ones that do not tip, I am here to pick apart the disgusting automatic stereotype that black people will not, and do not, tip.

What is the recommended tip amount for dining at a restaurant?

The recommended tip amount when dining out is a minimum of 15% of the total amount of your bill.

Why tip?

Although tipping is not mandatory, it is an act of kindness and gratitude. Servers are paid an average of about $2.15 an hour. This is because it is believed that if a server receives their recommended 15% of every bill, their tips should be well over the amount it would be if they were paid minimum wage. Tips are a way of thanking your server for not only “waiting on you hand and foot”, but to thank them for great service.

My mom would also say “that’s how servers make their money” whenever I would ask why she tipped so high. I never understood this until I became a server. Therefore, tipping your server is like paying for your service. If you don’t tip, yes, you paid for your food, but your 30 minutes to an hour worth of service was basically free. Also, considering that servers have to “tip out” (which means servers have to pay a fraction of their tips to the bus boys and bartenders for cleaning their tables and making their alcoholic drinks) if you don’t tip, your server nearly paid for your food at the end of the night.

I have no idea why some black people come in with the automatic intent not to tip, but you have to understand that that is only the case for about 20% of the black people you will encounter while serving. So for the servers who feel that ALL black people don’t tip, here are a few reasons you probably didn’t get a good tip or a tip at all from the other 80%

1. Having a very unwelcoming, nasty attitude because you already assume they won’t tip.

Two words of advice: It shows. We can tell when you don’t want to serve us or automatically think we won’t tip. We can tell when you just came from the kitchen venting with anger to your friend about how you don’t want to wait our table and then come to us with a fake smile. One rule of being a server is to make the customer feel welcome. Considering that you most likely continued this same attitude throughout the meal, you have already decreased your tip and it decreases even more as the meal goes on.

2. Not checking in as often as you check in with the table full of white people next to us because you assume we’re not a valued customer.

You think we don’t realize that you’ve brought drinks, asked how those drinks were tasting, got the orders, put them in, alerted the table that the food will be out shortly and THEN decided to make your way over to us after looking our way at least five times? We notice. You don’t think we notice that we have been waiting on a refill for 10 minutes already and in within that time, the table next to us have already received 2 refills per person? Then, after bringing us our food, we don’t see you again until we are ready for the check, but the other table has received “How is the food tasting?”, “Can I get you anything?” at least twice throughout their meal. We notice. There goes another decrease in your tip.

3. Not treating issues with our food the same as you would treat a white customer.

There is hair in my food. I tell you and you go in the kitchen, remove the hair, then move my food around to make it look new as if I’m too stupid to notice after waiting for 5 minutes. A white woman in the table next to me, has hair in her food. She tells you. Not only does that entree get removed from her bill and a manager comes out to personally apologize, but she also waits at least 15 minutes and out comes her steaming hot, smoke in the air, fresh, new plate of food.

I tell you there is something funny tasting about my drink. You say “Sorry about that.” and bring me another. A white woman in the table next to me tells you something tastes funny about her drink. You respond, “Oh my god, I apologize. Is there anything else I can get for you? Another flavor? Just a water? Perhaps, a soda?” There goes another decrease in your tip.

A few of my friends and I were waited on by a server last night who treated us like all three ways above and MORE as I patiently observed her treat a table of white people with the utmost respect and highest quality of service. I kindly wrote a note on my receipt that read:

Don’t underestimate others. Your tip started out at $15 or more. Had you treated us with the same respect as the table next to us, you would have received it.

By the end of the meal, you wonder why your tip is $0? Look back on the difference of how we were treated throughout the meal. You think because you put on a fake smile and checked on us 2 times throughout the entire meal that you gave adequate service? No. Most of the time, you don’t get a tip because we observe and realize that we got the scraps of your serving abilities. We realize that you did not go above and beyond for us as customers. How can you expect an above and beyond tip?

And for the servers that give us the benefit of the doubt and still give great service, it happens! Some people just don’t tip or don’t tip well. I have had many white people stiff me as well, so it has nothing to do with black people. I guarantee you that if you begin to treat black people with the same respect as you do a table of white people, treat them as PEOPLE in general, and not as a nuisance to your day, you will see much better tips coming your way on their end.

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