Photo: TikTok
Some think that cleaning up doesn't help servers. Instead, it makes their job harder!
By Ethan Cotler — Written on May 02, 2023
Is being a good tipper such an uncommon thing? A 2021 study found that over 7% of people don’t tip at all! And for those who work in the service industry, cleaning up a messy table is a daily occurrence.
Getting a low tip on top of cleaning up a big mess is undoubtedly frustrating. So, leave it to a customer who worked as a waiter to show people how we all should treat servers!
He says he tips and cleans up his table, ‘like a grown-up.’
Nicolas Conquer, out of Greenville, South Carolina, has built up quite the following on TikTok, posting fitness-related content. But in a recent video, he demonstrated a simple act that sparked a debate on how people treat service workers.
The muscular good samaritan recorded himself cleaning up a table with his grandmother sitting at it, watching intently. He moved the cups to the center of the table, stacked silverware on plates and plates on each other then moved those to the center as well. Some folded dollar bills were sitting in front of his grandmother, which he picked up and placed face down, indicating a tip.
“POV: [you’re] a customer who has worked in the service industry so not only do you tip but you clean up after yourself like a grown-up,” he wrote on top of the video. He sarcastically captioned the video, “What a crazy co[n]cept.”
Conquer clarified in an Instagram post following the viral video that the meal was his birthday brunch with his grandmother. He shared the post to spread awareness “about common decency cleaning up after [yourself] and manners in public.”
So, should you clean your table when going out to eat? Well, people in the comments shared differing opinions on the subject.
Some people said that even though this seems like a nice thing to do, it doesn’t make servers’ lives easier.
“This guy is clueless,” one person commented. “Different restaurants bus tables differently. Let your server handle it. Please.”
“I have straight up had servers ask me not to arrange stuff cause it messed with their system,” another added.
Other people questioned why even tip servers if the customer is cleaning up. However, most people overwhelmingly supported Conquer’s kind gesture and agreed that this was the well-mannered thing to do.
“I do this too. And I pick up every piece of food my kids drop. Used to drive my ex crazy, but it’s not their job to clean up after my kids,” one person wrote.
Other people shared that it’s great to clean up after yourself, but you should do it in a specific way. One person said all leftover food and trash should be on the top plate!
An article from Taste of Home shared things that “annoy” servers. Surprisingly, one of them is stacking your plates!
“Servers have a special way of stacking the dishes so they can carry everything back to the kitchen without any spills or struggles. Save them time by leaving your plates at your spot and allowing them to take everyone’s dishes individually,” they wrote.
And when cleaning up your trash, they suggested not putting it inside your cups. So, Conquer did the right thing by putting it on top of the plates. Regarding tipping, it’s important to tip well and often. Service workers rely on tips to make a living since many restaurants give servers a base pay less than the minimum wage.
The study mentioned earlier stated that over 1 in 3 people tip less than 18%. So, if you are in that group, please consider how crucial tipping is to servers; it helps put food on their own table!
Ethan Cotler is a writer living in Boston. His writing covers entertainment, news and human interest stories.