Customer refuses to tip his waitress on a $300 bill after she refused to serve him a Sprite: 'She brought my check and charged me for the Sprite that she never brought'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Jul 20, 2025 8:00 PM EDT

I am very suspicious of the new anti-tipping culture that has arisen over the past couple of years. I do not believe that you should tip every transaction, especially not ones that involve flipping around an iPad. But it's basic etiquette, at least in the United States, to tip your waiters, chauffeurs, hotel cleaning staff, delivery drivers, and anyone who does your hair or your nails. These professions rely on tips to survive, and if you don't like that, then maybe you can't afford to get these services. We aren't entitled to have someone bring a burger to our door for the same price as it would be to buy one in a restaurant. 

That being said, tips are not just the customer subsidizing service workers' income. It also reflects admiration of a job well done, which begs the question: Does a worker deserve a tip if they don't do their job well?

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  • 01

    AITA for not tipping a waitress on a $300+ tab?

    The other day, my friend's girlfriend broke up with him, so the boys and I decided to take him to a club to cheer him up. I was the last to arrive, and they had already gotten a table and were all drinking alcol. When
    via u/Nerd_Rat

  • That question can be answered on a case-by-case basis. In this case, I think it's safe to say that the waitress did not deserve a tip. She repeatedly failed to do her job and lied about it to the customer and his friends. She really should've known better. 

  • 02
    the waitress came up to me and asked what I wanted to drink, I couldn't have alc ol because of the medicine I'm on, so I ordered a Sprite. She gave me an awkward smile and said okay.
    via u/Nerd_Rat
  • 03
    Ten minutes went by, and I still hadn't received my Sprite. However, she came back and asked my friends at the same table if they wanted another round. They all said yes, and then
    via u/Nerd_Rat
  • 04
    they ordered shots as well. I reminded her about my Sprite, and she nodded and left. She then brought all the alcol and shots back out for my friends, but still no Sprite.
    via u/Nerd_Rat
  • 05
    About 10 to 20 minutes later, she returned and asked how we were doing. Everyone said they were fine, and I said I still hadn't gotten. my Sprite yet. She nodded again but didn't even walk back to the bar; instead, she started talking to
    via u/Nerd_Rat
  • 06
    another girl. After waiting an additional 10 or so minutes, I decided to go to the bar myself and get a Sprite and a water. I paid the bartender, left a tip, and went back to the table.
    via u/Nerd_Rat
  • 07
    Sprite NO RETORNABLE ducto de The Coca-Cola Company CONT. NET. 355 ml
    via Alex Haney

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 08
    We hung out for another few hours, my friends drinking a lot of alcol and eating hors d'oeuvres. When we were ready to leave, she brought our checks and gave me one for the Sprite that she never brought. I told her,
    via u/Nerd_Rat
  • 09
    "You never gave me the Sprite; I got it from the bar." She responded, "Oh, the bar transferred it to me," and I replied, "No, I paid the bar." She said okay and took the check away.
    via u/Nerd_Rat
  • 10
    I don't know why I was so upset about the Sprite; it's just a Sprite. But my friends were also upset that I was being treated that way, so they all paid their tabs, left no tip, and wrote on the checks, "You should have brought my friend a Sprite." I think it's messed up not
    via u/Nerd_Rat
  • 11
    Cheezburger Image 10531610880
    via Alec Favale

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 12
    to leave tips, and I would have told them not to do that if they had let me know in advance, because people rely on that money for their livelihoods. But also don't like being discriminated against because I can't drink alc ol due to my medications. Do you think we were being a_h_les for not leaving a tip?
    via u/Nerd_Rat
  • 13
    Cheezburger Image 10531609856
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models

  • 14
    Srvntgrrl_789 NTA. I've worked as a bartender, waitress, and a barista. That kind of behavior doesn't just deserve a no tip, it also deserves a call to the bar owner to let them know WHY the waitress didn't get a tip.
    via u/Srvntgrrl_789
  • 15
    merewenc My MIL, who's also been a bartender and waitress, did this at a restaurant once. The "service" was even more abysmal than what OP went through, so she told us not to leave a tip, put a penny on the table and we all left. Then she called the manager, who my FIL happened to go to school with (small town Wyoming), and they had a nice conversation about how his employees need to up their game.
    via u/merewenc
  • 16
    Brilliant_Joke2711 The penny tip is baller. Lets them know that you didn't forget, and they will absolutely tell their boss, so if you call or email they'll know exactly which table you were! Edit: Holy traction Batman! This is an extreme tactic for extreme situations. Please remember the person.
    via u/Brilliant_Joke2711
  • 17
    Efficient-Prior8449 That's exactly why I don't like the tipping culture in the US, or rather how employers exploit the culture that is. Tips should be purely there to reward excellence of services as a customer not pay wage for people waiting tables. That's employers' responsibly to hire and pay then adjust the price of the menu accordingly.
    via u/Efficient-Prior8449
  • 18
    International-Age971 NTA, I've been a bartender and waitress. This service deserves no tip. Soft drinks and waters take less than 10 seconds to make
    via u/International-Age971
  • 19
    lucylemon And it's pure profit. Plus designated drivers are a thing. Some places give them soft drinks for free (or at least they did decades ago when I used to go out). NTA.
    via u/lucylemon
  • 20
    CommercialTap8457 NTA! Hard lesson but I hope one she learns from only once or she should stop that line of work and try McDonald's. High five
    via u/CommercialTap8457
  • 21
    your_youth Lol totally, she def needs to rethink her job if she cant even bring a sprite smh.
    via u/your_youth_
  • 22
    RhaeJinx she shouldnt work at mcdonald's either, we serve sprite too...
    via u/RhaeJinx
  • 23
    ForestClanElite For the people here judging the friends, if one of your friends was discriminated against on a shared check, would you still consider that good service? I see people telling OP to get better friends but it seems like these people are the ones that would be friends.
    via u/ForestClanElite
  • 24
    Defiant McPiper I can't believe people are telling him to get better friends when it's clear he already has great friends - they saw her treating him poorly and then trying to get him to pay for the drink she didn't even get him - they had his back and let her know how awful she was - those are some good friends that he does have.
    via u/Defiant_McPiper
  • 25
    hoffet I am a good tipper for sit down service, I've gone up to 100% once or twice because I want to make people want to give good service. Now, with that being said there are a few things you can do to get no tip at all, and not bringing drinks is or refills is my number 2. Right below rudeness. This is seriously such a basic part of a server's job that if it doesn't get done you are well within your right to not give a tip. Write a note that says: "if the service was better, the money would be
    via u/hoffet

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drinks customer service drink beverage pop waiters soda waiter customers friends tipping beverages customer waitress tipping culture sprite money
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