Customer Leaves 0% Tip At Fast Food Restaurant And Sparks Argument
He did everything himself but the screen still asked for 20%.
A man recently found himself in the middle of an argument over something that seems small but clearly isn’t anymore: tipping at a counter-service restaurant.
The place is a taco chain in his city. You walk in, order at the register, grab your own drinks, refill your own salsa, pick up your own napkins, and bus your own table when you’re done. The only staff interaction after ordering is someone bringing the food from the kitchen to your table and later wiping it down.
On a recent visit, he noticed a new checkout screen. After paying, it automatically suggested tips of 18%, 20%, and 25%. There was no “Skip” or “No Tip” option. The only way to avoid tipping was to hit “Custom Amount” and manually type in $0.00.
He paused….
From his perspective, he wasn’t receiving traditional service. He ordered at a counter, handled his own drinks and refills, and cleaned up after himself. So he selected “Custom Amount” and entered zero.
Later, when he mentioned this to a friend who works in food service, she criticized him for it. She said workers depend on tips, but couldn’t clearly explain who receives them in this setup or what the tip specifically covers.
He even checked the restaurant’s website and saw that employees are paid above minimum wage.
Now he’s wondering if he was being unreasonable, or if tipping expectations have simply expanded too far.
Scroll through the screenshots below to see how this small decision turned into a bigger debate.
Let’s dig into the details
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We gathered some interesting comments from the Reddit community
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“If you're getting your own drinks and everything else that a waiter would be doing, they haven't done anything to earn a tip.”
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“NTA - it’s not necessary to tip employees who are paid minimum wage, it’s when they only receive $2/3hr that’s when you tip.”
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“It sounds like a fast food joint, and I wouldn’t expect to tip at a fast food joint.”
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“I do the exact same thing at registers. I’ve seen places that automatically set it to be 22% which is so presumptuous.”
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“NTA- You're doing all the work so there is no reason to tip.”
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“This seems to be popping up everywhere. Sorry, not sorry but I'm not tipping if I'm not receiving an additional service.”
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“NTA I am not tipping at a fast food restaurant. Especially if the workers are making above minimum wage.”
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Tipping used to feel straightforward. You tipped a server who waited on you throughout the meal. Now tip prompts appear at coffee counters, food trucks, and self-serve spots, and the expectations are less clear.
In this case, he didn’t refuse to tip someone who provided traditional table service. He declined to tip at a place where he handled most of the process himself. At the same time, many workers rely on gratuities regardless of the setup.
So what do you think? Is it fair to leave 0% at a self-serve restaurant, or has tipping simply evolved beyond traditional service?
