Bartender Forced To Split $16k Tip Customer Left Her With Rest Of Staff—And The Internet Isn't Happy

WOW! A customer at The Stumble Inn, a restaurant in Londonderry, NH, left a $16,000 tip on a $37.93 tab earlier this month. \n\nThe owner, Mike Zarella, says he plans to split the tip between all 12 staffers that worked that day= $1333 a piece! @Stumbleinnnh #7newspic.twitter.com/UWHE7thh0P

— Amaka Ubaka (@Amaka Ubaka) 1624454494

So he unilaterally decided to steal $16,000 from the server who received the tip. Is that even legal?

— KD (@KD) 1624469003

When they try to split my $16k tippic.twitter.com/Rc3I9uX0Wc

— delone (@delone) 1624473202

\u201csplit the tip between all 12 staffers that worked that day\u201dpic.twitter.com/oQuAovMu3C

— TikTok: (@TikTok:) 1624590719

There's no way. I'd be pissed if that was MY tip lol tipout appropriately but my boss ain't gonna literally steal my blessing and give it to everyone else. Thats my blessing to give! But however, if it's tip pool... bet lol

— Kendall (@Kendall) 1624469480

Owners all of the sudden know how to handle proper and fair wages when it comes to somebody else money huh?

— Montrell Thigpen \u24c2\ufe0f\u272a (@Montrell Thigpen \u24c2\ufe0f\u272a) 1624470150

Also it sounds like he is trying to pad his bottom line so he doesnt have to break even the other wait staff if they dont make enough tips to break min wage.

— Pfizer Permanente (@Pfizer Permanente) 1624489360

My wife jus told me at some restaurants the waiter and waitresses have to \u201ctip out\u201d the hostess and the bartenders\u2026why is someone you aren\u2019t paying enough responsible for paying other staff members?!

— Dano2\ufe0f\u20e3\u274c\ud83c\udf0d (@Dano2\ufe0f\u20e3\u274c\ud83c\udf0d) 1624504245

I\u2019d simply ask \u201cwould this be getting split by 12 if it was $100 tip? No? then don\u2019t touch my 16k bitch....I\u2019ll be sick tomorrow so make sure y\u2019all got coverage\u201dpic.twitter.com/eUoon2CVrP

— Fenty\ud83d\ude18\ud83e\udd70 (@Fenty\ud83d\ude18\ud83e\udd70) 1624488006

This is why I ask wait-staff for their CashApp or some other money app. If YOU gave me good service I want YOU to get the tip!

— Jon DeSade (@Jon DeSade) 1624482265

It\u2019s just as legal as it is to pay servers $2.25 an hour sadly I would really be sooo hurt if they just took all that money for me from me

— Your mother (@Your mother) 1624646609

No one should\u2019ve know about the tip but the person leaving it, the person receiving it, and the person writing the checks. Period. Give that server their full tip.

— Brown & Bougie (@Brown & Bougie) 1624470408

The customer didn\u2019t tip the restaurant, they tipped one person. If this was me, & I read this on the news I would go up to the restaurant like \u201cno. If the server wants to do that then they can, but if you force them to, then I\u2019m not authorizing that\u201d. then I\u2019d tip the server cash

— Kaila \u263a\ufe0f (@Kaila \u263a\ufe0f) 1624538891

These reviews have me CRYING. I wanna know what the owner doespic.twitter.com/5Xz4tsle5T

— j (@j) 1624592416

Y\u2019all they are reviewing the place on Google pic.twitter.com/6s0Q1anNgb

— JayR (@JayR) 1624556052

\u2022everything operated as normal outside of the staff also deciding to include cooks on the tip \n\u2022the owner received none of the $16,000 amount #7news

— Amaka Ubaka (@Amaka Ubaka) 1624635239