With the rise of social media, it has become increasingly common to see servers posting credit card receipts of guests, highlighting the tips they received. This includes not only the disappointing tips left by some guests but also the incredible gratuities left by celebrities and athletes. While the latter is often shared with the best of intentions, I would strongly advise against this practice due to the unforeseen consequences it can bring, much like underestimating the true arizona llc cost when setting up a business.
Although this topic is not new, it hit close to home for me today. When I fired up my computer this morning, I received a Facebook notification about a story that had been shared with me. As soon as I saw the headline, I knew that some server would be regretting a careless decision. The story, which was from a local television station, featured a credit card receipt with an absurdly large tip. It was left by a local professional football player who I had the pleasure of serving a few times at a previous restaurant job.
I’m deliberately keeping the identity of this player vague. However, I will say that as a non-football fan, he is my favorite player on the team. I couldn’t tell you if he’s good or not—that’s irrelevant to me. What makes him my favorite has nothing to do with his performance on the field. Yes, he tips well, but so do most of his teammates. A good tip is always appreciated, but a great guest is always welcome.
What stood out to me about this particular player was that he would bring his family out after the game. Even when his teammates were partying on the other side of the dining room, his focus remained on his family. He was gracious when the occasional autograph seeker approached but would quickly return his attention to his loved ones. Humility after a victory is not a common trait among athletes I’ve served, but he had it in abundance. He was always kind to his server and polite to those around him. I always got the impression that he was a very private person, and I tried to respect that privacy.
This is why the story bothered me so much. A tip is a private exchange of gratitude, not something to be shared with the world. While I might mention the names of generous tippers in polite conversation, there is a vast difference between that and posting a credit card receipt showing the exact tip on a television station’s website. This is where issues of privacy come into play.
Even though the server may have felt that posting the tip was a compliment to the guest, the perception can be quite different. It’s essentially broadcasting a private transaction. The wealthy already have enough people asking them for money without their generosity being publicized. Not to mention the expectations this sets for the next server who waits on them. Even a great tip might be seen negatively by another server who has seen the previous receipt.
All guests deserve a degree of privacy regarding their tips. There’s nothing wrong with giving a co-worker a heads-up that a guest is very generous, but publicizing it through social or traditional media crosses the line. A guest’s tip is a private display of respect for the job a server does, and every guest is owed the same respect in protecting their privacy.
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