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The teenage girls were quick to make amends after not realizing they had left such a low tip, as it was their first time eating out without an adult.
By Nia Tipton — Written on Apr 22, 2023
After a group of teenagers went out to a restaurant by themselves for the first time and weren't extremely knowledgeable on how to calculate a good enough tip for their waiter, they decided to return several days later with a sincere and sweet apology.
A waiter in Los Angeles decided to share the sweet gesture after initially complaining that he had received a low tip from a group he had served one night, not thinking that he would ever see the group of teenage girls again.
A waiter was angered after only being tipped $3.28 by four 13-year-old girls.
According to Daily Mail, a waiter working at a restaurant in Los Angeles had been assigned four 13-year-olds in his section. The group of teenage girls was having their first dining experience without adults present and were definitely very excited about it.
However, the waiter was left displeased after he discovered that upon leaving, the four girls had only left him a $3.28 tip, despite having thanked him for his great service during their meal. The waiter decided to express his frustrations online, posting about it on Imgur, an online media-sharing platform.
"'[There's] nothing more frustrating than when I get little to nothing for a tip and the customer is smiling and thanking me profusely as they exit," the server, who went by the username Seminole, wrote on the platform, via Daily Mail.
Little did he know that the four teenage girls would soon come back to the restaurant to make it right. A week and a half later, to be more specific.
The teenage girls returned to the restaurant with an apologetic note to make things right with the waiter.
The 13-year-old girls must've relayed their first dining experience to their parents, including the amount they had tipped, and were told that the money they left wasn't nearly enough because the teenage diners returned with a handwritten letter and some more money to give to their waiter.
"About a week and a half ago, on October 7 [2018], my 3 friends and I came to eat at this restaurant as our own homecoming celebration," the letter stated, adding that they had all gone out to eat to celebrate their homecoming at school. "It was an exciting experience for us to be here alone, and it was all new to us."
The group of girls praised the waiter for being extremely accommodating to their needs while they had dined and acknowledged that he had made their "grown-up" experience extremely fun. They expressed that because they had never eaten out on their own before when it came time to leave the tip, they just emptied their pockets and gave him whatever money they all collectively had after paying their bill.
"Not aware of how small this really was, we left, clueless of what we had left you for all your hard work," the girls explained in their letter.
"Later, we realized our mistake and felt HORRIBLE. We knew we had to make it right. So in this envelope, you will find the correct 18% tip + extra for simply being amazing. We appreciate your help and patience and thank you for making our night fun. Thank you!"
The waiter, blown away by these young girls' apologetic letter and determination to make it right, wrote in his post on Imgur that in the years he's been working as a waiter, he's never had a patron return back to make things right.
"I've been serving a long time, and nothing like this has ever happened to me, or anyone," the waiter wrote, via Daily Mail.
"I don't know how you learned or educated yourself on tipping, but I really appreciate the effort and kindness. I hope your Homecoming was fantastic!"
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics.