Leaving a tip is expected when going out to eat. But how much should you tip?
This is a question that has baffled many for years. Some swear a diner only needs to leave a 15% tip based on the pre-tax total. Others say one should go higher, leaving a 25% tip on the total post-tax. Who is correct? And why does going out to eat have to involve so much math?
To answer the first question, there’s a lot of disagreement. In general, people seem to think that a 20 to 25% tip on the pre-tax total is more than enough.
Regarding the second question, some restaurants have responded to diners’ disdain for mathematics by automatically calculating potential tip totals.
However, as TikToker Lisa (@_lhintz) recently shared, these calculations aren’t always accurate.
Why Did This Machine At Chili’s Calculate The Wrong Tip?
In a video with over 182,000 views, Lisa shows a Ziosk machine at Chili’s. These machines allow diners to pay at their tables.
The machine lists Lisa’s total as $33.28. On the screen, it states that “Tip is calculated after tax and before discounts.”
Still, Lisa found the suggested tips confusing. The suggested 15% tip is $6.04—even though 15% of $33.28 is $4.99.
“Now [Chili’s], $6.04 is not 15% of 33.28,” Lisa writes in the text overlaying the video.
Has This Happened Before at Chili’s?
This isn’t the first time a Chili’s diner claimed that their tip percentage was miscalculated.
Earlier this year, a video went viral in which a diner showed a Ziosk machine calculating his tip. The total for his meal was $51.16, and the Ziosk recommended a 30% tip. It claimed 30% amounted to $18.83.
In reality, 30% of his total was $15.34, while 30% of his subtotal was $13.09—several dollars shy of the machine’s proposed percentage.
Other internet users have noted incorrect tip calculations in businesses that do not use Ziosk. As such, this appears to be a problem across the restaurant industry.
Has Ziosk Responded To These Claims?
At the time, Ziosk responded to this video by stating that these pay-at-the-table machines allow restaurant operators to customize tip settings. They further explained that these can be adjusted to calculate tips on pre-tax or post-tax totals, include or exclude discounted or comped items, and even omit certain menu items from the calculation entirely.
This could explain why the TikToker received the suggestions she did. She may have had a discounted item, not been aware that it was discounted, then received a tip suggestion that factored in the item’s pre-discounted price.
Additionally, as previously noted by The Mary Sue, automatic tip calculations are typically done on post-tax totals, leading to even greater inflation of the tip amount.
Still, the TikToker was not satisfied. In a comment, she says that she ignored the suggestions and instead left a “custom” tip.
@_lhintz hmmmmm. @Chili’s Grill & Bar #chilis #tip #tippingculture #fyp ♬ oh my god bruh oh hell na man
Commenters Aren’t Happy
In the comments section, users appeared to be fed up with tipping culture overall. Some even encouraged Lisa to rebel against this apparently incorrect calculation by leaving no tip at all.
“That’s when you hit custom and put a fat ZERO,” wrote a user.
“Custom 0 pay and leave cash,” countered another.
“Tip tax!??????? They just taking our money right in our face wow,” declared a third.
“They want us to do their job which is to pay their employees more lol,” stated a further TikToker.
The Mary Sue reached out to Chili’s via email, Ziosk via email, and Lisa via TikTok direct message and comment.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
