“Normalize Not Tipping Bad Service” — Woman Calls out Hard Rock for Fajitas Portion Drama

If you spend enough time doom-scrolling through social media, you'll probably come across your fair share of social media posts about tipping culture.

Either servers are blasting stingy customers for their unimpressive gratuities or those who've argued that tipping has gone too far.

Commentators on this service-industry phenomenon usually fall into several categories.

• Subset 1: Those who freely tip. They'll leave a little bit of something for their barista and make sure they're always dropping at least 20 percent for their restaurant server regardless of their dining experience.
• Subset 2: Selective tippers. Anyone who receives a standard hourly rate that doesn't factor in gratuities shouldn't expect a tip. They'll happily give money to a full-service restaurant worker, but that's as far as they go.
• Subset 3: Non-tippers. They're of the opinion that since gratuities aren't mandatory, they don't have to leave anything if they don't want to.

Sometimes, the latter subset argues that they're doing this in order to move the food industry forward. Other times, they unabashedly say they just don't feel like it.

And then there are those who like to tip but don't feel like it should be a given, especially if they've received poor service throughout their meal.

This is what appears to have happened with TikToker Jenna Simpson (@jjsimp_).

While visiting a Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati restaurant, she called out one of the establishment's workers for their "crazy behavior." Additionally, she wrote: "I wish I had a video of the first manager because it was so immature and insane for someone her age."

In her clip, she delineated why she, her mother, and her father decided not to give a gratuity following their time at the restaurant. Initially, things seemed like they were going well. They had waters brought to their table, and they requested some "espresso martinis" to kick off their meal.

Jenna said that she ordered a steak salad, which she showed on a green screen of the restaurant's menu. Next, she highlights a photo of chicken fajitas, which shows several pieces of charred and sliced chicken breast. Thinking that it was a hefty order, Jenna's mother and father decided they would share this entree.

However, just to be sure, they checked in with their server asking if the meal was enough for two people. The TikToker says their server assured them that their assessment was correct, and this was indeed the case.

Her father also put in an order for a side Caesar salad, and around 20 minutes later, the same server arrived at their table. She informed them that their food would "be out shortly." However, Jenna and her mother had yet to receive their espresso martinis. So they inquired about them, and judging by the server's response, she had clearly forgotten the drinks.

Jenna didn't seem to appreciate that the server seemingly lied about why the alcoholic beverages weren't ready. That's because she made a beeline to the bar to punch in the drinks. She then came back to tell them that the espresso machine had to be "reset," and they'd come out soon.

However, the TikToker quickly excused the gaffe, chalking it up to a simple moment of forgetfulness. Following this, she shows off a picture of her steak salad, which she said was "delicious" and "perfect."

Furthermore, in a text overlay of the video, she writes that the food looked "exactly" like it did in the restaurant's menu.

However, she highlighted that the same couldn't be said of the chicken fajita platter. She mocked the server's assertion that the meal came with a "ton of food" before showing a picture of the meal. Featured on the plate are seven pieces of grilled chicken on a bed of diced peppers.

Unlike the image presented in the restaurant's menu, there appear to be way fewer pieces of sliced chicken breast. At this point in the video, she mentions that the server didn't bring her father's requested Caesar salad, and it was around 5-10 minutes after they got their food that their espresso martinis arrived.

After speaking with the server about the portion size of the fajitas, Jenna stated that the employee began arguing with them about the meal. Consequently, this dialogue prompted her mother to ask for a manager, who came to discuss their qualms with the meal.

This first manager, Jenna says, tried likening the picture of the meal to the "enlarged to show texture" photographs on bags of chips. Additionally, the TikToker said that the manager wouldn't hear them out and was talking loudly over them the entire time they attempted to express their disappointment with what they were given.

Jenna said that while she isn't a restaurant manager, she would have gladly covered the cost of "another chicken breast" in order to make guests happy. Especially since the server assured them the picture of the meal was accurate and it was more than enough food for two people.

The manager, instead, hurriedly prompted them to put in another order for food that they would have to pay for. At this point in the video, Jenna's clip transitions to her speaking into the camera, which looks like it was put on video at a later time.

She highlights that the server again lied about the espresso martinis being late due to the bar being "slammed." However, the TikToker points out, it wasn't. The bartenders were simply chatting and not serving anyone else drinks during that time.

Next, Jenna says that the first manager was so irate that she informed them she was going to get another employee to deal with them. Following this, the TikTok user enacts the histrionics she says the first manager engaged in. From a distance, she could see the woman jumping up and down on her feet whilst pointing at her table.

Unfortunately, the second manager didn't offer a resolution either. They asked them if they would like to purchase another order of chicken fajitas, which Jenna mentions didn't seem fair given its $26 price tag and the amount of food they received.

Additionally, she relayed that the manager did ultimately get her father his Caesar salad, but it was 45 minutes late. As a result, they decided not to tip.

Throngs of commenters who replied to her video stated that Jenna and her family were right not to tip.

What would you have done in this situation?