Debate as mum sends son back to eatery for ‘not tipping enough’

How much should you tip when you visit a restaurant? It’s a debate as old as time, and everyone has different opinions.

But one mum has sparked a debate online after sending her son back to a restaurant to give more money, because she was so unsatisfied with the amount he gave his server.

In a video which has now been viewed by over 2 million people, mother Danielle Foster was not impressed that her son only paid $10 (£8.37) when he went out for a meal that cost $104 (£87) with his girlfriend.

“I raised him better than this,” the mum told TikTok in the caption of her video, which featured her reprimanding the teen and demanding he go back and give the waiting staff more cash.

Watch the clip below: 

@d.foster.president

😑 legit he’s driving his ass back there im so sorry legit 😩 I raised him better than this 😑 #momsoftiktok #momofteens #coolmom #tippingservers #waiter #waitress #workfromhome #remotework #momof3 #workingmom

♬ original sound – Danielle Foster

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“You need to get my wallet, you need to get my Visa card, you need to go to the ATM, you need to grab a $20, and drive your ass back to that restaurant because on a $104 check, $10 is a shitty tip,” she said.

“Do you understand me? Go now. I’m not asking, I’m telling…

“Do you know that guy may have kids? Do you know on $104, he gets taxed on it?”

Reacting to the video, some people thought the mother’s anger wasn’t merited, whilst others praised her for teaching her kid about the importance of tipping.

The woman yelled at her son for not tipping (Credit: Alamy)

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“Good job Mama! I have talked to my kids in detail about how they better tip good when they start going out,” said one person.

Meanwhile, another said: “Awesome mum! I love her! I’m a server!”

“I love this! Teaching him right!,” said a third.

However, a fourth chimed in: “I mean I completely understand this whole thing, but is the yelling/ screaming really necessary?”

“Or America could just start paying their staff a liveable wage?,” someone else suggested, as a fellow TikToker concurred: “The fact that a [first] world country pays waiting staff pennies that they need to rely on the customer rather than the employer is ridiculous.”

Whilst there is often debate about how much to tip in the UK, the customary amount is usually between 10 and 15 percent, according to Visit London. 

This means Danielle’s son actually wouldn’t have been far off a decent tip over here. Still, it’s proof just how much the culture can vary from country to country, depending on wages, taxes and attitudes.

Would you have sent him back to the restaurant? It looks like the jury is still out on this one…