Former Waitress Sparks Debate After Explaining Why Tipping Isn't About 'Entitlement' In Viral TikTok Video

You can tell a lot about a person based on how they treat people who work in the service industry or in retail.

That includes not only one-on-one interactions with employees and restaurant servers, but also how someone speaks about tipping after a dining experience.

TikToker NiKOL Johnson, who was a waitress while early in her acting and modeling career in New York City, just trying to pay her bills on time, pointed out in a recent video that she'd noticed an uptick in the number of people who treat restaurant servers poorly, don't tip them, and call them "entitled" for "expecting" more money.

Based on her experience, restaurant servers aren't entitled at all—they're simply trying to survive like the rest of us.

Johnson explained:

"If you've never worked as a waitress, then you really don't understand tipping."

"Most people don't realize waiters and waitresses are not even making minimum wage."

"They're working off a system where tips aren't extra. They're essential."

"They are what make the job actually worth it."

"They're how they pay their rent, their groceries, and just survive."

"And what I can tell you firsthand, it's not just carrying plates."

"It's long hours on your feet, constant pressure, emotional labor, and still showing up with a smile no matter what your day looks like."

"So when I see the disrespect towards servers, it really hits differently, because I've been on the other side of it."

"I know what it feels like to be ignored, to be talked down to, to be treated like you're invisible."

"And I always think, if the roles were reversed, would people still feel the same way? Probably not."

"Once you've lived it, once you understand it, you realize tips aren't about entitlement."

"They're about survival."

You can watch the video here:

Fellow TikTokers wholeheartedly agreed that serving is, in fact, a service that should be paid for.

@nikolcosmetics/TikTok

@nikolcosmetics/TikTok

@nikolcosmetics/TikTok

@nikolcosmetics/TikTok

@nikolcosmetics/TikTok

@nikolcosmetics/TikTok

Some TikTokers who are current restaurant servers shared how difficult it is to make ends meet.

@nikolcosmetics/TikTok

@nikolcosmetics/TikTok

@nikolcosmetics/TikTok

@nikolcosmetics/TikTok

@nikolcosmetics/TikTok

@nikolcosmetics/TikTok

People who have their minds made up about how "easy" it is to serve at a restaurant are quick to claim that tips shouldn't even exist or be placed on the customer to provide.

While tipping might be built on a questionable foundation, it doesn't change the fact that the general public demands the services provided by restaurant employees, meaning someone must be paid to provide that service.

If we're not going to adequately address paying service jobs a livable wage in the U.S., then that's just the way it is.