A waitress who received a generous $4,400 tip from a group of diners was fired after her employer insisted she share it with her colleagues.
RB, one of two servers attending to a large party of over 40 people at OT in Bentonville, Arkansas, was left stunned when each diner contributed a $100 tip, totaling $4,400.
“It was an incredible gesture, and seeing her reaction was amazing,” said GW, a real estate business owner who was part of the group. Wanting to ensure everything was handled correctly, he called the restaurant in advance to check on its tipping policy.
However, things didn’t go as planned. According to RB, restaurant management told her she would have to split the tip among all her coworkers, something that had never happened in her three and a half years working there.
Speaking to Fox 59, the University of Arkansas graduate, who is in her early 30s, shared her disappointment: “I was told to hand over my tip to my shift manager and that I would only take home 20 percent.” Shortly after, she was fired, leaving her struggling to cover her expenses, including student loans set to restart after the pandemic pause.
The restaurant claimed her termination was due to violating policy by discussing tip pooling with GW. When asked for comment, OT declined an interview but issued a statement saying, “After dining, this large group of guests requested that their gratuity be given to two particular servers. We fully honored their request. Out of respect for our highly valued team members, we do not discuss the details surrounding the termination of an employee.”
Outraged by the situation, GW has now launched an online fundraising campaign to support RB.