‘I’m gonna start doing this’: Server shares what it really means if you leave check face-down

TikToker Saydie (@realslimsaydie) sparked a heated debate about tipping culture after revealing what it really means when a check is left face-down.

The viral video begins with the text: “Anyone else so scared when the check is facedown?” She proceeds to add more context by saying, “They left the tip slip face down. You know what that means…”

She continues, “Let’s see if I’m right. I haven’t looked at it yet” before counting down to reveal the check.

“OK, ready? Three... two… one,” she says.

When she flips the check over, the tip is revealed to be $15 on a $93 bill—about 15%, which is on the lower end of typical tipping standards. For Saydie, the tip is “just satisfactory.”

“Yeah, not the worst, not the best,” she comments.

Her video implies that if a check is left face down, that customer didn't tip well.

The tipping debate

According to NerdWallet, the general guideline for tipping is usually between 15% and 20% of the bill, though tipping standards remain a subject of ongoing debate.

A recent study from Bankrate found that nearly two-thirds (66%) of U.S. adults have a negative view of tipping. Many argued that businesses should pay employees better instead of relying on tips. Some even said they’d be willing to pay higher prices if tipping were abolished.

The rise of 'tipflation'

Forbes argues that the growing frustration with tipping is a result of "tipflation"—a phenomenon marked by widespread increases in tipping expectations. 

This includes restaurants, stores, supermarkets, cafes, airports, and many other establishments that have implemented digital payment checkout systems, prompting customers to select a gratuity rate—sometimes exceeding 30%. Forbes suggests that this “creates an uncomfortable interaction with a sense of pressure being exerted.”

@realslimsaydie

♬ original sound - Saydie ????????????

What do customers think?

Saydie's video has over 1.2 million views with thousands of comments, many of which echo sentiments from the Bankrate study.

“Tipping culture needs to go away. I don’t care if y’all think we should give you 20%. I think you should get a different job,” one commenter wrote.

“Damn, inflation hit tipping too…10% used to be standard,” said another.

“Tipping is so out of control, dawg. At this point, just leave nothing. it’s their job to do that work anyway,” added a third.

Others weighed in with, “People expecting 20% is insane. And yes, I’ve worked as a server at plenty of places. If I got 15%, I was happy.”

One commenter shared, “You just can’t win with servers ... that’s a generous tip!”

Saydie responded, “Never said the tip was bad, I was just saying I was expecting worse,” further explaining that face-down checks often signal a lower tip.

But others argued that a 20% tip should be the minimum standard.

“These comments are really surprising to me. I thought 20% was the ‘minimum,’” one user commented.

Saydie replied, “They’re surprising me too ... I feel like calling a 16% tip ‘not the worst, not the best’ isn’t crazy, especially since most people at my work tip 20%.”

The Daily Dot reached out to Saydie for comment via TikTok comment.

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