If you’ve ever been to a restaurant, you may have noticed an automatic gratuity printed on its menu. Once the check arrives, the question arises: should you add an additional tip or not tip on the auto-gratuity? Popular content creator couple Josh and Callie Mileham (@themilehams) asked this to more than 40,000 viewers after receiving their Red Robin bill with an 18% gratuity added.
Josh and Callie Mileham (@themilehams) have gone viral over the past year for their tips and tricks on saving money to feed their family of six while dining out. This time, it’s about tipping.
“What do you guys feel about auto gratuity?” he asks, pulling out the receipt while sitting in a booth at Red Robin. “We came to Red Robin. It was all of our six and two more. So, they charged us auto gratuity of 18%.”
When the camera zooms in on the receipt, it reveals the extra $10.36 added to their $62.28 bill. This leads him to ask the million-dollar question: “Do you tip more on top of that, or do you just leave it at 18% and let it go?”
Then, the clip cuts to the receipt on the table where Josh breaks it down. “So, this is what we ordered,” he says, followed by pointing to each item, revealing who ordered what. In the text overlay, he questions, “How much would you tip???”
Did the couple tip extra?
During an interview with The Mary Sue, Callie stated that this incident occurred at a Red Robin in Flower Mound, Texas. Initially, the auto gratuity surprised the couple.
“We don’t mind the auto gratuity, we had just never seen it before at Red Robin, usually more fancier restaurants,” she shared via TikTok direct message.
Upon further inspection of the receipt, the content creator and her husband noticed why they had the extra charge.
“We always look at the bill, so that’s when we noticed it. It said it was added since we were a group of 8,” she said.
Ultimately, the couple chose not to leave an additional tip.
“We didn’t leave any more tip, just because our server seemed like she forgot about us,” she revealed. “We had to wait a long time to get more fries and water, the restaurant wasn’t packed either.”
Although the couple understands why restaurants do this, they don’t agree with it.
“I get why places do an auto gratuity, but personally we don’t agree with it. It takes away the need for a server to do well, and a lot of times customers see this as an insult,” Callie explained. “A tip or a gratuity should stay what it’s meant to be, a sign of gratitude for the service performed.”
Viewers debated in the comments section
Most shared what they would’ve done in that scenario. Most believed that the 18% gratuity would be the server’s tip, end of story.
“If they automatically charge me the tip, then that’s their tip!” one viewer stated.
“If gratuity is included in the bill, they got their tip, so Im not adding more on top of that,” another echoed. “They lost the chance at a higher tip by forcing me to tip
A third would have even refused to pay the charge. “Yeah, nobody tells me how much i’m tipping,” they commented. “I would cross that [expletive] out, write down the actual total of the order and then depending on service, leave a cash tip on the table.”
Regardless, some would’ve added onto the gratuity.
“Yeah, for that many people I would be tipping more than the 18%,” one commenter remarked.
“Personally I would’ve tipped on top of the $10 auto tip, my opinion,” a second said.
@themilehams Replying to @jj360 Auto Gratuity??? ? What are your thoughts??? #autogratuity #redrobin #restaurant #server #tip #tipculture #doyoutip #fyp #family @Red Robin Burgers ♬ original sound – themilehams
Why do some restaurants have automatic gratuity?
Typically, automatic gratuity ensures servers are fairly and consistently compensated by larger parties. However, don’t let the term trick you. Instead, these are service fees that appear on a server’s next paycheck. Depending on the establishment, some of the service fees may be distributed elsewhere. Unlike traditional tips, these are mandatory charges; customers are required to pay them, and restaurants must clearly disclose their presence.
The Mary Sue reached out to Red Robin via press email.
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