Bengaluru Man ‘Forced’ to Pay Over Rs 400 Tip at US Restaurant, Asks ‘Why Do I Pay Extra?’

“Tipping is such a scam in New York,” expressed a Bengaluru man on X (formerly Twitter) after he was ‘forced’ to leave a tip of over Rs 400 tip at a restaurant in the United States. The Indian YouTuber claimed that the woman who waited on his table walked away with the remaining balance after he paid $50 in cash for a $45 meal.

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Ishan Sharma said that the waiter kept $5 (approximately Rs 419) as a tip for serving him. When he asked for his change, the waiter said that he had to pay the tip and left.

“I asked ‘Is it mandatory?’ and she just ignored me,” wrote Sharma on the microblogging platform, adding that his friend, who is a local, felt embarrassed by the situation. “And my friend (a local) felt guilty for not paying at least 20% tip!” he further shared.

“20% for what?” he asked, as he summed up the tipping system in the “insane”.

Take a look at the entire post here:

The post, since being shared on August 20, has clocked over 5.6 million views and numerous comments, with one saying, “I don’t know about America, but shouldn’t tips be given as a way of saying thank you but as a compulsion.”

Another added, “15-20% tip is a customary social custom in the USA. When in Rome do as a Romans do. If you strongly feel that tipping is wrong then don’t order food at a sit down restaurant.”

“You got away easy with only 10% as a tip. These days it’s become a norm to tip at least 15-20% or more,” expressed a third.

A fourth posted, “When I will visit USA in few months, I will just not tip anywhere. No matter how ugly they would behave with me. Technically there is no law that that will punish me or question me for not tipping. As far as morality is concerned, the debate can just go very long.”

“Please don’t convert in INR. When in Rome, be a roman. 2. Tipping is the culture there. So, no two ways about it. Standard is 10%. If I were in your shoes, I would have replied back saying ‘ah, ur greed has lost u a better tip. I asked for the change to give you a bigger bill’. He would have learned his lesson. Please do tip in US. It’s the culture. Don’t bring your Indian questioning there,” suggested a fifth.

While tipping is optional in the United States, it’s a widely accepted custom to leave a tip of 15-25% of the pre-tax bill at restaurants. The practice is deeply ingrained in the US service industry as servers, bartenders, and so on often rely on tips to supplement their income.