One Tennessee waitress is dealing with a bit of a work nightmare, and she’s taking it to the internet to seek advice. The server shared her story and revealed that she was thrilled to have received a large tip from one of her customers. Of course, she put the money to use, but two weeks later the person who gave her the tip is now demanding the money back.
According to the Tennessee waitress who shared her story in a Reddit post, the whole thing unraveled after what was reportedly a glitch in the restaurant’s card reader. After receiving a $300 tip, she complied with the establishment’s procedure. She explained, “I was instructed to wait two weeks, and after that, I could spend it. So I did.” Sounds like she followed the rules, right?
But here’s where it gets worse. The restaurant honored the customer’s refund request even though the tip was from two weeks prior. Then the restaurant turned around and asked the server to pay the money back.
Tennessee Waitress Asked To Return Tip 2 Weeks Later
“They are asking me to pay the company back in payments for the $300 and saying that since the card reader glitched, I am obligated to pay them back,” she wrote in frustration.
To add insult to injury, the waitress says she doesn’t feel like she can push back without risking her job. “I love my job and don’t want to lose it, but I can’t afford the $300 payments right now.”
Fans of fairness across Reddit immediately jumped to her defense. Many users slammed the restaurant, saying they were clearly in the wrong for passing the burden onto an employee. One user summed it up perfectly: “They’re throwing you under the bus for their screw-up. That’s not a glitch on your part—it’s on them.” Another commented, “The company already refunded the guest, so they should be the ones to eat the cost.”
The waitress also added, “They didn’t explain it to me, they claimed at first it was his fault but then later looked at cameras and determined that it wasn’t his fault and that the card reader messed up.”
A Sticky Situation
Sadly, it’s not just about the $300. It’s about how easily a hardworking employee was scapegoated. The fact that management would rather punish the waitress than accept accountability screams volumes about the kind of workplace culture that still exists in parts of the service industry.
In a follow-up edit, the waitress added: “I didn’t cash him out. We don’t have written tips and I can’t change his tip without a manager… I did not say I wouldn’t pay it back. I just wanted to make sure that I’m not being taken advantage of.”
The moral of the story? If you’re working for tips in a “right-to-work” state like Tennessee, even following instructions might not protect you. And sadly, in cases like this, it’s often the workers who suffer, not the glitchy machines or the wishy-washy tippers. One thing’s for sure, the next time you tip big, mean it. Because no one deserves to be guilted into paying for a problem they didn’t cause.
Nina Franklin 
Kendra Quinn 
