Man leaves a hundo on a $60 restaurant tab. Then his server flags him down—and gives the money back: ‘Why???’

Generosity can go a long way for those working in the service industry. But what happens when a server tries to flip kindness back onto their customers?

That's what one server, who allegedly rejected a tip from a young couple, tried to do. A TikTok content creator who goes by the handle Serving101 (@serving_101) posted a video that received more than 3,000 views. In it, he asked a question about an ethical dilemma he encountered in the workplace.

A late-night table

Serving101 said that a lot of his audience weren't going to believe his story, but he wanted to tell it anyway.  The content creator explained that a young family—a man, his partner, and their baby—came by for service around 20 minutes before his restaurant closed.

He said that everything went well. “ They order. Everything goes cool. And while they're waiting for the entrée, their salad is done. I've removed their plates already,” he added.

But there was a palpable tension in the air. Serving101 said that he was aware of the clock ticking. The couple also seemed to think they had a time limit to get out of the restaurant. The server decided to discuss the elephant in the room: the fact that the restaurant closed at nine.

Serving101 told them that they were closing their doors soon. He added, however, that they could stay as long as they needed to.

“It's more important to me that you have a good experience in the restaurant than I leave at exactly the closing time. Like, I'm cool with this. You worry about having a great experience. Don't worry about the closing time. I'm really okay with it. Trust,” he recalled saying.

Despite this, they got done right around closing time. Serving101 said he felt bad about this, as he wanted them to enjoy their meal. He started to finalize everything for them, getting to-go boxes, bags, and a check. He left them to pay.

Then he returned and realized they were already out the door.

A rejected tip

Serving101 said that when tables left without saying bye to the server, it usually meant that there was a bad tip waiting at the table. He told his audience this was fine; he usually doesn't concern himself with individual tips anyway. When he arrived to look at the tip, however, he realized they left a $100 bill on a table. In total, their dinner cost around $60.

After he realized just how much they left him, he went outside to find the couple. Then he handed them back $20 and told them to keep it; he said that as a young couple with a small child, they'd need the money.

“You're still leaving me a fat tip, and I'm very happy about it, but I don't feel like I'm using you,” he recalled telling them.

The man he served told Serving101 that he liked to be generous. But Serving101 insisted that they keep the $20. He decided on a compromise; he'd give the couple his business card, and they'd visit again in the future.

The couple agreed and didn't seem to be offended by Serving101's move. They told the man they'd be back.

But Serving101 had a question for his audience: Was it right to reject their tip?

Commenters add their thoughts

A majority of commenters agreed that Serving101 had good intentions. But they weren't too sure whether he made the right decision to refuse the tip.

“I have owned bars, restaurants and [been] in the casino business. I know about tipping. Your heart was in the right place but you were wrong. You should never bring up the amount of a tip to a customer. Large or small,” a commenter said.

Serving101 responded, “I definitely see that side of it and you are absolutely correct, discussing the amount of tip is improper. As I explained to them I have to sleep at night and I would get stuck on a 60% tip. It's just too much.”

Another commenter said, “why??? people like tipping , sometimes.”

Serving101 said, “I think 30%+ is enough. I mean I understand tipping big, I do it sometimes too.”

Other viewers said that they were happy the man was supportive. They told Serving101 that he offered “exceptional service” that day.

In response to Buzz News, Serving101 said that the customers haven't been back at his table, but that other people he has done the same with “have become regular guests.” He added that he was surprised that commenters told him to accept the tip. Despite the pushback, he also said he would do the same thing in the future.

@serving_101 What do you think was I right or wrong and doing this? My heart thinks it's right. The only thing is wrong with it is did I offend anybody? Helping servers make more money, be happier and have happy guests. ##waiter##waitress##servers##serverproblems##serverlife ♬ original sound – Serving101

The tipping dilemma

Sometimes, over-tipping can lead to negative consequences. In one circumstance reported by NBC News, a server was fired after receiving a $2,200 tip from a table of 30. Despite the customers at the 30-top wanting their tips, which added up to $4,400, to go to the two servers working the table, a restaurant manager insisted that all staff receive a portion of the funds. Based on NBC News' account, that led to at least one of the servers being fired.

A 60% tip, by contrast, may not lead to as much controversy. But it's not uncommon for servers to reject tips from certain customers. A server might have an admirable reason to do so, like Serving101. They might not want to take money from a customer who made them uncomfortable. Additionally, a tip might be too low or too high to justify taking, at least according to some employees in the industry. Either way, servers sometimes don't take tips from their customers, even if the customer wants them to have the money.