A server recently revealed that she received a paycheck for $0. People are blaming her.
Lucy’s (@lucybb14) check shows that she worked 73 hours as a server and 4.5 hours as a bartender. Her hourly wage for waiting tables was $2.13; for bartending, it was $5.15. This adds up to a roughly $180 check, all of which went to pay taxes and other withholdings.
“You wanna know how much my check is? That’s my check for 77-and-a-half hours,” Lucy says in the TikTok. “So yeah, please tip your server.”
The overwhelming response: a sarcastic “so sad, too bad.”
Lucy didn’t respond to a direct message sent via TikTok Friday morning.
Restaurant worker pay
People who wait tables or bartend typically rely on tips for the vast majority of their wages.
Most states require restaurants to pay servers and bartenders more than the federal minimum $2.13 per hour that Lucy makes. But 15 do not, per the United States Department of Labor.
The final number is cut off, but it appears Lucy made approximately $1,550 in tips during the pay period. With her hourly pay, this comes to a grand total of $1,728.
Assuming this was a two-week pay period and she makes a similar amount every week, this amounts to $45,000 annually.
Two of Lucy’s posts mention places in Indiana in the greater Chicago, Illinois metropolitan area.
According to Pew Research Center, a single-person household in this area with an annual income of $45,000 is in the middle income tier.
States and the federal government also require employers to make up the difference if an employee’s wages do not equal the minimum wage.
If people stopped tipping, as many suggested in response to Lucy’s post, and she was paid the Indiana (and federal) minimum wage of $7.25, she’d make $15,080 annually—below the federal poverty level of $15,650 for a one-person household.
People who commented on her post were unmoved.
“Fun fact! If you don’t make minimum wage off tips the restaurant by federal mandate HAS to pay you minimum wage,” wrote one, seemingly implying that minimum wage is a living wage.
Little sympathy for servers
Tipping began in Europe in the Middle Ages, when patrons reportedly tipped tavern workers to ensure fast and better service. It took root in the American South after slavery was abolished as a way of subsidizing the income of underpaid former slaves.
From there, it spread. Today, it’s a uniquely American tradition.
Americans have grown increasingly frustrated with tipping culture in recent years, or the expectation that they’ll pay gratuity for an increasing number of services and goods.
That frustration oozed from comments on Lucy’s post. As of this writing, it has 13,000 comments and 2.5 million views.
People seem to hold restaurant workers responsible for their low hourly pay.
“Imagine the impact y’all could make if yall matched this energy with confronting yalls employers,” wrote one.
Another commented, “This should absolutely be the responsibility of the restaurant owners. If a restaurant can’t afford to pay a living wage it shouldn’t be in business. Tip culture is out of hand and should be abolished.”
A third agreed, saying, “But people shouldn’t be responsible for your pay. Your employer should be.”
Lucy has kept a positive attitude about the responses to her post.
When one person retorted that she “chose to work as a server,” she responded, “I made good tips. I’ve had days where I made $6/hr ($8.13 with hourly) but I’ve also had days where I have made well over $40/hr!”
“Serving is a gamble but I’m great at it, have regulars, and where I work at can support large parties with automatic gratuity so it is well worth it!”
Update July 14, 2025:
In a message to the Mary Sue, the creator said they have worked as a server for 1 year and 4 months. She said a lot of her viewers called her a liar
“But that was with Mother’s Day week and included our 2nd busiest day of the year. Not all checks have that many tips, and are still 0$. I was just trying to enlighten people who may have not known about what a server wage looks like,” she said. “I only found this out when working.
@lucybby14 #tipyourserver #serverlife #server #bartender #fyp ♬ original sound – lucybby14
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