Waitress reveals the hidden meaning behind leaving the bill face-down

A US-based waitress has sparked a debate on TikTok after revealing the real reason people tend to leave the bill face-down.

In a clip that's racked up over a million views, Saydie @realslimsaydie wrote: "Anyone else so scared when the check is facedown?"

"They left the tip slip face down. You know what that means," she said in the video, before adding: "Let’s see if I’m right. I haven’t looked at it yet."

Saydie turned the check around to reveal that the customer left $15 on a $93 bill, which equates to around 15 per cent.

"Yeah. Not the worst, not the best," she told viewers.

It didn't take long for fellow TikTokers to chime in on the action with one writing: "People expecting 20 per cent is insane. And yes, I’ve worked as a server for plenty of places. If I got 15 per cent I was happy."

Another wrote: "This is why I don’t tip. not unless I genuinely feel like they deserve it."

Meanwhile, a third said they were "surprised" by the comments as they believed 20 per cent was the minimum. In response to the comment, Saydie said: "They’re surprising me too. I feel like calling a 16 per cent tip 'not the worst, not the best' isn’t crazy. Especially because most people at my work will tip 20 per cent".

However, another blissfully unaware diner joked: "I leave mine that way sometimes bc I internally panic that I did the math the wrong way and don’t want my smart friends to judge me."

According to Qantas, "a gratuity of 20 to 25 per cent on top of the bill (before sales tax) is standard, with extra given for topnotch service."

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