Waitress vows to 'never serve Australians' after shocking act
The Canadian waitress called out the Aussie family after they paid for their $200 meal.
A Canadian waitress has vowed to never serve Australians again after a family paid for their restaurant bill without leaving her a tip, igniting debate around tipping culture when travelling and whether tourists are compelled to conform to local customs.
On Monday night the Aussies in question visited a restaurant in Vancouver and paid $200 for a family meal. It was only once they left that waitress Zarya realised they hadn't considered her, leaving without offering her a tip.
"Today I served this f**king Australian family, their bill was $200, no tip. [I'm] never serving Australians again," she said in an angry rant she posted online. "I get it you're not from this country but still, get with it."
She explained if it weren't for her friend who later tipped her $30, her earnings for the shift would have been subpar. "Shout out to my friend for giving me money for that table that didn't tip," she said.
Tourist tipping debate reignited
There was a mixed response to Zarya's frustration with some Aussies jumping in to defend their fellow countrymen after her personal gripe was posted to TikTok. Some argued it's not custom to tip in Australia and the exchange rate between currencies made the meal an expensive one. Yet others chimed in saying it's a traveller's responsibility to follow along with what's expected in a foreign country.
"As an Australian I’m sorry, always tip when in the USA [or Canada]," one person commented.
Canadian hospitality workers have a similar wage setup as those in the US, meaning their hourly rate is lower than that of the average Aussie waiter. However, it has become an expectation that all diners will tip when eating in hospitality venues in the country to boost the income on such service workers.
To demonstrate her point, Zarya explained she was paid a total of $83 [CAD] for her five hours of work, but thanks to her $150 in tips her hourly rate was significantly increased from $16 to $46.
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Tipping cultures creeps into Australia
With more hospitality venues now using QR codes to allow Aussies to order their food from their table, the expectation of tipping is increasingly hard to avoid as these apps give the diner the option to provide a tip — with a percentage of the bill often coming up as the default option which diners have to opt out of.
There has also been incidences in other industries where tipping has popped up, with one homeowner stunned back in November after an electrician asked him for a tip for a "quick fix" he carried out on his property.
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