We Need To Give You Tips On How To Tip

(I am visiting my family in the USA. I normally live in a country that doesn’t tip, so I don’t really understand how tipping culture works. My mother takes me out to lunch while we’re sightseeing. Our waitress is absolutely wonderful and extremely helpful, even going as far as giving us information about local attractions and the weather forecast. At the end of the meal, we receive the bill. It’s for 35 dollars.)

Mother: *hands me 10 dollars, a dime, and her credit card* “[My Name], could you put this into the bill?”

(For whatever reason, I put the 10 dollar bill and the credit card inside the bill, but place the dime on top of the bill.)

Waitress: “Hi, guys.” *brings us refills for our drinks* “Need anything else?”

Mother: “No, we’re fine for now. Thank you, though!”

(The waitress notices the bill and her eyes suddenly bulge in total shock. However, she quickly composes herself and then politely excuses herself from our table.)

Me: “Wait, did she think that the dime was our tip?”

Mother: *notices the dime sitting on top of the bill* “Oh, no. That’s probably what happened, but once she opens the bill, it’ll be okay.”

(Still, I feel guilty, so I pull out my own wallet and add a 10-dollar bill to the inside of the bill. However, I assume that the space on the receipt that says “tip” is where we write the total amount of the tip we’re giving in cash, so I write $20.10 there. In reality, this is actually for tips given through CREDIT CARDS. After we leave the restaurant, I mention writing the tip total on the receipt to my mother.)

Mother: “That actually means that we just gave her a tip of $40.20.”

Me: “Oh… crap.”

Mother: “And you owe me $20 dollars. I’m not paying that much for a tip!”

Me: *embarrassed, I take a 20-dollar bill out of my wallet and hand it to her* “I suppose that’s fair. My bad…”

(This was about a year ago, but I still feel terrible for making the waitress think we were tipping her a dime after the outstanding service she gave us. I hope that she enjoyed the big surprise thanks to my ignorance, though!)