Indian man sparks a row leaving only 10% tip in US restaurant, claims waiter kept his balance amount | Trending

An Indian YouTuber visiting the United States slammed the country’s much-derided tipping system, but his viral post has found support and criticism in equal measures online. Ishan Sharma, who is currently on a tour of the US, said that a restaurant in New York City refused to return his balance amount after he ordered food worth $45 and paid $50 in cash. Ishan Sharma slammed the USA’s tipping practices.(X/Ishansharma7390) Sharma said that a server took the balance amount of $5 as her tip for serving him. “I asked for change and she said ‘you have to pay the tip’ and went away,” he elaborated in his post on the social media platform X. Sharma asked the server if tipping is mandatory, but was summarily ignored. He called tipping in New York a scam while admitting that his friend, a local, was embarrassed his behaviour. “And my friend(a local) felt guilty for not paying atleast 20% tip!” Sharma revealed in his post. Why tipping is important in the USTo understand Sharma’s post is so controversial, it is important to get some context on tipping practices in the US. Tipping practices in the United States differ vastly from India. In the Land of Liberty, the standard tip for waitstaff in restaurants is around 15-20% of the total bill. Since tips make up a significant part of the income for waitstaff, not tipping servers is considered a major faux pas, besides being perceived as rude. In fact, tipping is generally accepted as mandatory rather than discretionary. It is also important to note that in the US, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. However, several employers in the service industry pay their staff less than the minimum wage, with tips received from customers making up the difference. Employees who regularly receive tips, such as waitstaff, bartenders, and other service workers, can have their minimum wage go as low as $2.13, but they rely on tips to earn their income. Since servers depend heavily on tips to achieve a livable income, not tipping is considered extremely rude in the US. On the other hand, tipping practices are much more easygoing in India. Here, tips are considered a reward for exceptional service rather than an unwritten requirement. A deeply polarising postTaken in this context, it is clear why Ishan Sharma’s post on tipping culture has proved deeply polarising on social media. The post has racked up over 4.6 lakh views on X, where many viewers, including Indians, slammed the YouTuber for refusing to follow social norms in another country. A number of X users told Sharma that he was in the wrong, using the adage of “When in Rome, do as Romans do” to support their argument. They also accused the content creator of giving Indians a bad name, besides embarrassing his friend, refusing to tip. “15-20% tip is a customary social custom in the USA. When in Rome do as Romans do. If you strongly feel that tipping is wrong then don’t order food at a sit down restaurant,” wrote X user Jimmy Gandhi. Another X user went so far as to call Sharma the reason for racism against Indians, writing: “You are the reason why the globe is becoming rac against Indians. Stop being cheap.” “You got away easy with only 10% as a tip. These days it’s become a norm to tip at least 15-20% or more,” Shantanu Goel pointed out. “Tipping is customary in this country. Not tipping is customary in other countries. This isn’t that complicated,” a user added.