So, Jess Jones is a 20-year-old student and works at D'Jais Bar & Grill in Belmar, New Jersey to pay for her tuition at Rutgers University.

You may not know a whole lot about Belmar, but you should remember that back in June the Mayor of Belmar had to close off incoming traffic because the town had reached capacity

Yeah, so it's easy to assume that business has been booming all summer long. 

On the evening of August 17th, Jones waited on a table of eight people at the aforementioned popular restaurant/nightclub on Ocean Avenue.

 When all was said and done, instead of a tip on their $112.03 bill, the diners wrote "LOL." 

Very classy. Jones then posted a status to her Facebook page, stating "I would have preferred a '$0' tip than a 'LOL' tip, but as a waitress, bad tips and harsh notes are all part of the job."

Jones also stated that she made sure she filled the table's drinks and informed them the kitchen was busier than normal.

"I've worked in the service industry for five years and I take pride in providing great service to my customers," Jones wrote.

[anad]

Here's what American diners need to understand: Jones wasn't cooking the food. Jones also wasn't getting paid an even remotely livable hourly wage. Most waiters and waitresses rely on the money they make from tips to buy food, pay rent and tuition, and other basic necessities. 

"We make $2.50 an hour," Jones wrote. "Most of my paychecks are less than pocket change because I have to pay taxes on the tips I make. I need tips to pay my bills. All waiters do."

After Jones' post went viral, Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty weighed in on the matter via his own Facebook post.

"If you visit Belmar please treat the hardworking men and women in our service industry with the same respect you would expect at your job. This is ridiculous."

So, New Yorkers, keep this in mind the next time you're debating whether or not you should tip your server. 

For a lot of waiters and waitresses in our country, a tip is not a nice addition to their salary. Tips are actually the majority of their salary.

"My experience with this table was cruel and unnecessary, but sadly, it's not uncommon. With that said: please be good to your waiters," Jones wrote. "Waiters are mere messengers most of the time, and it's wrong to shoot them, however bad the news."

Think we're onto something? Check out "Are $15/Hour Wages Really All That Difficult?"

recent

popular