Mom Gives a Viral Lesson in Tipping to Her Teenage Son

A mom sent her teen back to a restaurant after he left a terrible tip

It should be a requirement for every person to experience working in the service industry at some point in their life. It would make the lives of people in that industry so much easier if the people they were tasked with serving understood just how difficult it is—and how deserving those who work in that industry are of tips. Mom Danielle Foster is going viral on TikTok after her son came home from night out at a restaurant where he racked up a $104 bill—and only tipped $10.

“Johnny, you need to go get my wallet. You need to go get my Visa card, you need to go to the ATM, and you need to grab a $20 and drive your a** back to that restaurant because on a $104 check, $10 is a s**tty tip,” she yells. Her son stands giggling while she does.

@d.foster.president

😑 legit he’s driving his ass back there im so sorry legit 😩 I raised him better than this 😑 #momsoftiktok #momofteens #coolmom #tippingservers #waiter #waitress #workfromhome #remotework #momof3 #workingmom

♬ original sound – Danielle Foster

“I raised him better than this,” the caption on the viral video reads. When her son continued to giggle, mom broke it down for him. “It’s not funny. Do you know that guy might have kids?” she asked. “Do you know that $104 gets taxed on it? You’re going to go grab my credit card, get $20, and drive it back there.”

She posted an update a few days later to report that her son did, in fact, go back and make right on a terrible tip. She also explained that the young man didn’t realize he’d made a mistake: because he went to the restaurant with a $50 dollar gift card, the balance that he was left to pay was $54—so he thought $10 would be a fair tip.

It’s an honest mistake and another reason why having a job as a server should be mandatory for every person, period. But in absence of a law that requires that, it’s our responsibility to raise our kids to understand what tipping is and why it’s necessary. Servers generally make less than minimum wage and depend on tips for their living. All kids should be taught that tipping a server is part of the full-service restaurant experience.

@d.foster.president

Replying to @kelsielynnmarie my update 😘 #momsoftiktok #momofteens #coolmom #tippingservers #waiter #momof3 #workingmom #workingathome #waitress #workfromhome #remotework

♬ original sound – Danielle Foster

The mom emphasized that one of the downsides to her video going viral was that of course it solicited negative comments about her child. “I feel bad that people said stuff about my kid when he’s such a good kid,” she explained in the video. And she has some words for those who have an issue with tipping:

“If you don’t want to tip, don’t go out to eat.”