And when someone objects, saying it was only a joke doesn’t automatically erase the discomfort.
Perhaps the waiter realized that his comment had gone too far. Perhaps he hadn’t considered how it would sound to a group of customers who believed they had already tipped fairly. It is also possible that he was frustrated about the amount and tried to cover that frustration once someone challenged him.
We couldn’t know exactly what was going through his mind.
What we did know was that the evening no longer felt the same.
People who had been laughing and talking moments earlier were now discussing the interaction. The awkwardness lingered, and the simple pleasure of sharing dinner with family had been replaced by an argument over an expectation nobody had agreed to.
That was disappointing, especially because the dinner itself had been perfectly pleasant.
*Was a $60 Tip Really That Insufficient?
The question that stayed with us was surprisingly simple: How much are customers expected to leave these days?
On a $585 bill, a $60 tip works out to approximately 10.3%.
