A server using the handle @mia.tamale02 shared a story on TikTok about a large party from Idaho State University that she says did not leave a tip on a bill totaling over $700. The video, posted by a creator who appears to be Mia Taualii, details the experience she and a fellow server had while serving the group of approximately 40 university employees.
Taualii stated in her video that the group had a reservation and that she and another newer server were assigned to their table. She described the service as taking “about an hour and a half of our time.” She said the bill came to “over $700.” According to Taualii, the group’s behavior during the meal was positive. She said, “And everybody was super nice, they were very respectful, very patient, and everything went smoothly. There were no hiccups, no mess-ups, everyone was having a good time, we made sure to keep up on refills and all of the bottomless sides.”
However, Taualii claimed that at the end of the meal, the group did not leave a gratuity. She said, “and they tipped us nothing.” She recounted the explanation she was given by the person who paid the bill. “And the guy who paid said that he couldn’t leave a tip because of the card that they were using, and there are so many rules using a P-card for the Idaho State employees,” Taualii stated in the video. She expressed her disbelief, calling it “the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard because what do you mean you can’t tip?”
Server describes manager support and partial compensation from an employee
Taualii expressed frustration about the lack of a tip, particularly given the dedicated service. “We just provided you a service for an hour and a half, not taking any other tables because we closed off our sections to give you the best possible service and experience we could, for you to not tip us,” she said. She described the situation as “so diabolical and so disrespectful,” adding, “We were obviously frustrated because who wouldn’t be?”
In her video, Taualii said her managers provided compensation after the incident. “Our amazing managers gave us like $50 gift cards because she felt so bad that we just got stiffed on a $700 bill, which was so rude,” she stated. She added, “Um, so thank you so much. I love our managers.”
Taualii also said that the following day, she received a payment from one of the employees. “And the next day, one of the employees felt bad and Venmo’d me $80 that I split with the other server, of course, because it wouldn’t have been fair for me to keep the whole $80 for myself,” she recounted. She summarized the total compensation they received: “So basically, we got $40 each for a bill of over $700 from an Idaho State University employee group. So thank you for that.”
The video’s caption provided additional context, stating, “i now have beef with idaho state university bc why go out to eat knowing you can’t tip??? 😤 #serverlife #idahostateuniversity #restaurant #servertok #storytime”. The video’s description noted that Taualii appears to be the young woman in the video, sitting on a gray couch and addressing the camera directly.
Viewers in the comments section offered their perspectives on the situation
The video attracted comments from viewers discussing the situation. One commenter wrote, “It’s true using a stat Pcard they can’t tip using that. However, they should have tipped themselves or figured out something else to do about it.” Another commenter stated, “i paid that school A LOT of money a few years back….i know they have tipping money.”
A question about restaurant policy was raised in the comments: “Why wasn’t the gratuity automatically added?? For a table of 40 that should have been added. I’d talk to management about that cuz every restaurant I’ve ever been to and or worked at a table of 10 or more it’s automatically added. Why doesn’t your restaurant do the same?” Another commenter focused on the employees’ options, writing, “Also you knew that about your card and you’re telling me all of them couldn’t have brought cash to split the tip??” A similar sentiment was expressed in another comment: “could’ve tipped out of there own pocket.” The question of automatic gratuity for large parties is a common point of contention in the service industry, as seen when a YouTuber flooded a subway with 50 people at closing time.
One commenter directed their remarks toward the group’s leadership, stating, “that department head should be super embarrassed over his staffs behavior… like that’s just gross… I’m assuming these people were all grown too 🤦🏼♀️”. The comments section provided a range of reactions to the story shared in the video.
