Our reader Amelia recently shared a story with us about her recent dining experience, shedding light on tipping practices, the importance of customer service, and dealing with unpleasant situations.

Here’s Her Story:

I, a 30-year-old woman, went out to a lovely restaurant with my husband, also 30, to celebrate his significant job promotion last night. The evening was going splendidly until we reached the end of our meal, when things took a turn due to the waitress’s unpleasant attitude.

When the check arrived, I left a $10 tip on top of our $85 bill. As the waitress collected the money, she sneered and commented loudly, “Ten bucks? This isn’t the 1950s anymore, you know.”

I was taken aback. Her tone was incredibly condescending and rude. My husband’s eyes widened in shock.

“Excuse me?” I said, feeling instantly irritated. “I think $10 on an $85 bill is quite fair.”

The waitress dramatically rolled her eyes. “A standard tip these days is 20%, cheapskate. Don’t you know how to calculate that?”

I couldn’t believe her disrespectful attitude. That $10 tip was over 11%, which is quite reasonable. Her sense of entitlement really rubbed me the wrong way.

“You know what,” I snapped, feeling my temper flare. “With such a nasty attitude, you don’t deserve a tip at all!”

I quickly reached over and took back the $10 bill. The waitress’s jaw dropped, and she began to loudly insult me, calling me names and creating a huge scene. Other diners turned to watch the commotion. My husband was mortified.

Eventually, the manager had to intervene and remove the out-of-control waitress, who was still yelling at me. We ended up leaving without leaving a tip.

Looking back, I might have overreacted, but her smug, condescending behavior absolutely infuriated me. After treating a customer so poorly, she didn’t deserve any extra gratuity. But now, many people are debating whether I should have just let it go instead of causing a scene. What do you think?