The Lowest of the Low: Waiters Who Got Seriously Short-Changed

Almost everyone has had at least one truly awful server in their life who could not get any part of the order correct. And while it is not fun to be on the receiving end of poor service, sometimes there are reasons for their absent-mindedness. They could be short-staffed or struggling in their personal life; after all, servers are people too. And being disrespectful will not make the situation any better.

This messy message didn’t teach the server a lesson like this heartless customer probably thought it would. Next time they could try to be a bit more understanding and voice their disapproval in a more constructive way.

This customer decided to really give their server a hard time with their tip. It can’t be that difficult to write down 3.14, and, as the customer, you should put in the effort to calculate the tip. Clearly, they did not care about making their waiter’s night any easier.

This tip is certainly far less rude than many other examples, and the server should be thankful they didn’t get stuck with a more frustrating person, but it still didn’t make for an easy situation. Always think of your server when you’re leaving a tip!

Many diners have accidentally had a drink spilled on them or a glass broken, and the experience can be both startling and frustrating. But, this particular customer’s attitude was nothing short of outrageous, considering that this incident was no one’s fault.

The restaurant even paid for the man’s entire bill — food and drinks included — but apparently, that was not enough for this ungracious guy who decided to pour his drink on the table. There’s no need to be so trashy when the restaurant staff tried their best to make up for your “bad” experience.

This generous customer decided to leave a whopping $1.46 in change for their hard-working waiter, who was probably incredibly bummed out. They most likely would have preferred no tip whatsoever. 15-13 What may be even worse (if it can be believed) is that these customers actually thought that they were being generous in leaving this pathetic excuse for a tip.

No matter how many times it happens, it is nearly always perplexing how cruel people can be for no reason.

This waitress was left with a sad surprise when she went to collect the bill off of the customer’s table. The waitress probably thought she had been doing a good job, but these ladies made it clear they didn’t think so.

These women decided to not only leave no tip whatsoever but to leave a well-placed insult for their waitress. It is not clear what they believed the server did or did not do to warrant any tip, but they didn’t have to be unkind!

It can be a very fun day for restaurant staff when a celebrity comes to dine unless they are rude. It looks like Jackie Chan was at this particular restaurant, and, sorry Chan fans, but he was a bit rude.

Maybe the server did not know who was at the table, but the teeny tiny tip left by Chan was a little surprising. If this was really the famous action star) Jackie Chan really should be able to give a very generous tip to their server.

Most everyone knows that having kids equals many added expenses, but using them as an excuse for not tipping? This seems pretty weak and just plain wrong. After all, if you can afford to go out to eat, why can’t you afford to tip too?

While this person probably didn’t want to offend their server, their excuse certainly would not make them feel any better about not receiving any tip at all. We all have expenses, but hopefully, you can budget a tip for your evening out!

In another example of offering something in lieu of a tip, this customer decided to give their server some career advice. Talk about unsolicited advice! Certainly, the last thing a customer wants (along with no tip) is advice about their low-paying job.

It’s difficult to understand the motives behind the “advice” and whether it was meant to be rude or as some sort of genuine guidance. But motives aside, this move came across as inappropriate and impolite.

Many people have been low on cash right before their paycheck. If you find yourself in this position, you might want to wait till you get your check before you head to a restaurant. Servers understand what it’s like to be strapped for cash, but that doesn’t mean you should take advantage of them.

A simple frowny face scribbled onto a receipt is little more than a mockery to a hardworking waiter or waitress. Next time this customer might want to review their budget before they order a meal!

This ridiculous (or perhaps confused) customer decided to leave a sympathy card behind for their waiter. Did they want to mock their server? Did they sense they were “going through a difficult time?” Who really knows.

The only sympathy this server wanted was the sympathy for working in a demanding job with often lower wages. Clearly, the customer didn’t really care for the person waiting on them. Otherwise, they would have shown their generosity in the form of a tip.

This waitress noted that their restaurant doesn’t charge a gratuity for large groups. Even amongst this group of over 21 people, no one thought it appropriate to tip their server!

Maybe the group was too engrossed in each other’s conversations to pay attention to the tip? But that’s a pretty sad excuse for shafting your waiter. And besides, if you know what you owe for your meal and drinks at the end of the night, you should know what to tip your server.

Not only did this customer think they were doing some sort of good deed, they thought it would be good to trick their server into thinking they had left a generous tip.

Sadly, all this hardworking server received was a fake bill with a lot of preachy text written all over it. You would think that if the customer wanted their waiter or waitress to be open to their beliefs that they would be respectful enough to give them a tip!

While sloppy and not too enjoyable to deal with as a server, at least this man was honest about his condition. The customer was not rude, but his incoherency explains why he struggled to order and appeared to be craving one of everything on the menu.

It’s assumed that the worker put down the “name” of this mentally compromised customer who, unfortunately, wasn’t up to order their own meal. Hopefully, they were at least coherent enough to enjoy whatever they ordered!

Talk about mixed messages. It’s not entirely clear if this diner severely miscalculated the bill or if they wanted to offend their waiter. It’s hard to imagine they could really be this bad at math, so, unfortunately, it seems like they were trying to send an unfriendly message to their server.

The added ‘keep the change’ seems to be dripping in sarcasm given the fact that she did not even give enough money to cover her meal and took the time to write the phrase down.

It’s just not a good idea to belittle your server for their choice of job. If they didn’t do their job as a server, your finer dining experience would just be a fast food experience. The waitstaff is simply trying to make a living like anyone else, so why belittle them for it?

Suggesting that your waiter or waitress look for another job will just irritate them and make them feel bad about themselves. When is it ever the customer’s place to give inappropriate life advice?

Customers rarely take the time to write anything extra down when they pay, so it’s just shocking that this person wanted to share their vulgar thoughts. It’s sad to see the careless actions and disregard for others in this photo.

Although the server submitted this photo, they did not rip into this thoughtless customer with unkind words themselves. Instead, they chose not to add any extra negative remarks to an already negative experience. Because this photo certainly speaks for itself!

Another celebrity known for their lackluster tipping habits is NBA star LeBron James. James reportedly gave a measly $10 for an $800 meal. While he was chastised for being so stingy, James hasn’t seemed to change his ways.

A server that repeatedly waited on the NBA star said that James always seemed to forget to add a tip. If celebrities and athletes spend their money so easily on other things, it’s too hard to believe they’d forget to tip their server.

This customer was definitely a jerk, but at least he wasn’t extremely awful. The customer did not give any money towards a tip, but perhaps they thought they might have been helping the server out for the customers they would tend to in the future.

But, leaving behind the flippant command “take that” definitely sounds like the customer did not have the best of intentions or care about helping anyone. The server did take “it,” however, and put it on social media for the world to see.

This picture leaves a lot of unanswered questions and certainly must have left the poor waiter or waitress with some too. It definitely took some time to leave this rude message, and it makes one wonder what service the customer could have considered worth this rude gesture.

Regardless of what the customer thought was so unforgivable about the restaurant’s service, their rudeness is far louder. Certainly, there are better (and far more mature) ways to voice any complaints without being cruel?

If, as a customer, you think you can just flatter your waiter, and that’s enough of a tip, you’re sadly mistaken. This waiter was touted for his great attentiveness and service, but these customers did hardly anything to show their thanks.

In fact, for this particular trip, the waiter literally received a third of 10%! Ironically, it’s truly insulting to not properly tip your waiter after you’ve commended them so strongly for their work. What gives? Clearly not these customers...

Imagine, as a server, returning to your table and finding a laundry list of suggestions to improve the service. That would make anyone feel pretty lousy. The customer must have thought their suggestions would be best received left at their table instead of just leaving some extra cash.

This audacious (and rude) customer must have also thought their suggestions were actually going to be listened to. But, if you’re really dissatisfied, it’s best to politely speak with a manager instead and save some paper.

It appears that some people may not understand what being “broke” really means. If you can afford to buy a $16 dinner but can’t add a few extra dollars for a tip, you probably are not “broke” in the true sense of the word.

Your waiter knows that you are not broke if you just bought a meal; he does know, however, that you are incredibly cheap. If you are really, truly broke, you should be enjoying your meals at home because, hey, you don’t have to tip yourself!

Not only is it incredibly rude to leave just a couple of pennies as a tip instead of no tip at all, but “hun” added to the end of the message drips with condescension. “Ur tip, hun.”

Apparently, this customer was unsatisfied with how their steak was cooked, but they had the opportunity to tell their server so they could make that right. It’s always best to communicate your wants and needs to the waitstaff; it’s their job to serve you!

Those who attended college (and are even still paying for it) will relate to this one, but should he really be going out to eat if he can’t cover the tip? After all, there are plenty of ways to save money and budget appropriately while still having money to go out.

If you are a financially challenged student, then you probably should be saving your money and not going out to eat in the first place. Don’t use it as an excuse to be rude to a server who did their best.

While not rude or mean, this customer was a little bit tacky in his attempt to get the special attention of the waitress. Paying for your food probably isn’t the best time to leave behind an extensive list of why the waitress should go out with you.

It’s also a bit unnerving to comment on all of her tattoos. Did this server give this customer a chance to be more than a customer? We think that, while she may have been flattered, she was hoping just for a tip.

Sadly, we’ll have to disappoint some Rachel Ray fans with the news that she is reportedly a bad tipper. It’s shocking from someone in the food industry who probably knows how hard waitstaff work.

Regardless of the service or size of the group, Ray has been known to give no more than %10. She is known for trying to help people save money in making their meals, but we certainly didn’t think she’d support skipping out on a server’s well-deserved tip.

The customer may have thought they were funny, but this was just wrong. Tips can really help out the waitstaff financially, so to tease them with a generous tip that you have no intention of giving is cruel.

Making $100 would be a very successful day on the job as a waiter or waitress, but to realize someone was playing a trick on you would be disheartening. On the off-chance that this is not a scam, hopefully, the customer had honest intentions. But who knows who's number this is...

This customer didn’t want to make a simple calculation to give an appropriate tip. Math isn’t the most popular subject, but almost anyone can figure out a simple tip calculation. The server would have appreciated a little effort from this lazy customer.

At least they gave a tip (that was, unfortunately, very small), but they could have used the calculator on their phone to give something a little more substantial. After all, your waiter put in the effort to serve you!

This guy must have had no issues with the service because not only did this man leave a tip, he also left his phone number. Tacky? Yes. But what’s worse is that this customer was on a date. Apparently, his date didn’t end that well.

The server probably did appreciate the tip but was most likely uninfluenced by the number left behind. Besides, she was probably more than unimpressed with a guy who was so careless and disrespectful to his date.

Despite the remarkable rudeness, at least this customer gave a decent tip. But their other tip was a bit strange. You should not stare into the sun; it could cause severe damage to your retinas. Unsure where they felt the need to leave advice about the sun’s damaging qualities.

Whatever the reasons, the fact that they thought their server didn’t deserve a tip (and instead needed to protect his, um, retinas?) shows how inconsiderate these diners were. They could have at least left a tip for the server to buy some sunglasses.

This customer decided to give his two cents (almost literally) to his waiter. Sadly, even if something was not up to a customer’s standards and was out of the server’s control, they still bear the brunt of their disapproval.

There are almost always better ways to get your point and your complaints across to the waitstaff than outright insulting them. In fact, insulting anyone rarely yields the result you want, so this customer’s actions really don’t make sense if he wanted better service next time.

In either a remarkable mistake or an attempt at an unwelcome joke, this inconsiderate customer left their server...a carwash token. While it’s certainly not entirely useless, it’s not the type of tip that any waiter or waitress would ever desire.

The server was so shocked by the rude gesture that they took to Snapchat to post the ridiculous “tip.” Well, if the server has a car, hopefully, they at least made use of this absurd little gift from their thankless customer.

The only “tip” left behind for this poor waitress was to offer free milkshake refills. Apparently, the customer had drunk three milkshakes and didn’t like that she had to, well, pay for what she consumed.

Unlike water, soda, or other beverages, milkshakes are not always inexpensive for anyone to provide, let alone a restaurant. If you insist on being a real dairy queen and quenching your milkshake craving three times in one sitting, you are going to have to pay for it.

These days, a tip is automatically calculated through the cash register computer system for customers. The server doesn’t have any control over the suggested tip amount that’s printed, so it made no sense for this customer to give their server a difficult time about “their” proposed tip.

Of course, if the computer is calculating an unreasonable amount for a suggested tip, the staff can try to fix it, but hopefully, the customers were delighted enough with their service that they wanted to give generously.

Anyone who has been out to dinner has, at one time, probably received the wrong order. It certainly can be frustrating but, there are certainly some situations that are worse than others. Not receiving a lemon? Most would consider this a minor inconvenience. But not for this unreasonable customer.

Apparently, a lemon was very important for this customer, and they decided they could not leave that night without leaving their complaints clearly (and rudely) heard. It’s too bad they couldn’t learn to choose their battles!

This incredibly difficult customer thought that their server should “stop eating.” It’s not their place to say anything about their waiter’s eating habits (unless they are unsanitary about it) and then leaves them without any tip at all.

To make things worse, they doubled their unkindness by calling their server names. They never even thought that their server may have been on a break and that, well, they have to eat too! Hopefully, this thoughtless and thankless customer never returns.

Apparently, this customer was confused about the concept of the tip. If you did not like the service, you still have to pay for your food. But in this particular diner didn’t think they should have to do even that.

Although they had their math right, their “deduction” is not only rude, but it’s also rather shocking that they thought they could get away with something like this. Hopefully, they never try this ridiculous gesture with any other restaurant!

There are many challenges facing single moms, and most servers would understand their financial struggles. Still, it was probably difficult for her waiter to believe her financial woes if she couldn’t afford a tip even after a night out drinking with friends.

Clearly, this woman spends money where she wants to and, if she wanted to, she could have given up a few more dollars for a well-meaning tip. At least her kids weren’t there to see her set this poor example.

Sometimes teens can be trouble, and in this case, especially waiters. We want to believe their parents raised them better than this and, while it’s these teens are probably not supporting themselves financially, they still had money to go out to eat.

They, of course, left hardly any tip at all for their poor waiter and a filthy table. But, given their messy table, the waiter probably didn’t expect a respectable tip from this troublesome gang. Someone has some growing up to do.

Plenty of underage people try (and have even succeeded) to get an alcoholic beverage before they are legally able to. But when it comes to dining out, servers have to be on the lookout for underage drinkers who would try to land an adult beverage. There are serious legal ramifications a restaurant could face for serving alcohol to those underage, so waiters and waitresses have no choice but to crack down on rulebreakers.

The reaction of this particular underage customer reveals just how terribly immature they are. They decided to tease them with a $20 tip and then criticize them for obeying the law.

Despite all of the rude, disrespectful, and shocking behavior by some of these customers, at least there are some that like to have a little wholesome fun with the tipping process. They, of course, left a tip but decided to get creative with it, including adding a Pac-Man on the signature line.

While it may not be legal, hopefully, it brought some amusement to the server’s day. They would definitely rather find something like this at their table than no tip, rude comment, or a mess.

Addiction can be one of the hardest things to overcome in life, but what should that have to do with giving someone a tip for their service? This thoughtless and rude note doesn’t do anything beneficial for anyone. Besides, the customer doesn’t have a right to make such a personal strike towards the waiter. Hopefully, this poor server will never get stuck with this customer again!

We will say that the customer at least said he was “sorry,” acknowledging that his actions could have been offensive, but it doesn’t really come off as being all that sincere.

Customers can sometimes take waiters and waitresses for granted. This disgruntled customer had no right to tell their server that their job wasn't a “real” one. Waiting on restaurant patrons, meeting their needs, and facilitating their dining experience are pretty important.

They also left a bizarre amount for a tip, which must have been another way for them to say they were unhappy with the service. Either way, we hope these customers soon learn to appreciate workers in all spheres of society.

If a customer can fork out $112 for food, but you can’t spare any more for a tip, there’s really no good excuse. Even if the service was not as expected, no tip whatsoever is very rude for the work that the servers did.

This big spending customer decided to write out a text formatted note to display their displeasure for the waitstaff. Using shorthand like “SMH!” and “TBH” is not the type of note we would have expected from a customer, but maybe they were short on time?

Yet another example of a misplaced “sorry” is this customer who simply excused their lack of tip because of their financial status. It’s perplexing why this customer would not factor a tip into their meal and why they would go out to eat in the first place if they could not afford it.

To put it more bluntly, if you purchase a $35 meal, you should at least be able to spare a few extra dollars for a tip.

By law, certain regions of the country require restaurants to have a “last call” for late-night diners. Servers have no control over these laws and have no choice but to enforce them. Customers who disagree will have to take the rules up with their elected officials.

This poor server who enforced the last call was the target for a disgruntled diner. It’s terribly unfair to be punished for doing your job, but apparently, this customer has never been in that position before.

Veterans and active military should be given due respect for their service in protecting their country. But this doesn’t make them entitled to belittling others, in this case, the waitstaff. This man thought pretty highly of himself and his “contributions” to his server’s freedoms.

Well, if this man expected to be respected for his service, you would think he could also show some respect for his waiter’s service to him. While this customer indeed had an important job, this server’s job and livelihood matter too.

There is so much that could be discussed about this customer’s horrible response. It’s incredibly distasteful to ask your server to be your alibi when you are both cheating on your spouse and being rude to them. In fact, this highly unethical guy is lucky the server didn’t try and tell on him!

But if this unfortunate server did somehow let the customer’s wife know, it wouldn’t be surprising because cheaters don’t win in the end. And neither should rude customers.