These feisty foodies love a good roast.
Asia White, AKA @thefoodiebitch, a Los Angeles-based food influencer, found out the hard way that being a public figure in the food world has its drawbacks.
Last week, she posted a review video in which she rated an Italian restaurant in East Hollywood based on its general vibe, taste of the food, price and staff. But it wasn’t the food that left a sour taste in her mouth — it was an unexpected comment from her waitress days later, calling her out on the “poor tip” that she left.
“Hey Asia! Respectfully, I’m wondering what was missing for you, service-wise? You had some kind words for us as a staff here, but you left us a really bad tip,” wrote the waitress.
White ordered a portion of focaccia, sausage with peppers and the branzino at her server’s recommendation.
All around, White said she enjoyed her experience, but did find some qualms with the price — and difficult forks, she claimed.
The comment had picked up plenty of traction from other viewers, and thus began a long but respectful exchange.
“Respectfully, it’s difficult for me to justify a 20-30% tip on top of the overpriced food. I believe I left 15% though, next time I’ll have to decide between a glass of wine or a heftier tip!” replied the influencer.
“I get it. The cost of dining out is getting outrageous these days…” the waitress said. “The tip is the part that us servers, host, support & kitchen staff rely on for our own individual livelihoods, though.
“While business owners have the luxury of setting a fixed price to get by, we don’t,” she continued. “So it’s always disheartening when the tip is where diners are quick to cut a corner.”
The back-and-forth between the pair went on as the influencer wondered whether the restaurant should look into a mandatory service charge, given the staff’s scrutiny over tips.
The waitress clarified that in many LA spots, service charges are on the decline as the cash goes to the owners, who, more often than not, pocket a portion of the total and aren’t always transparent about how they distribute the money.
“I know some people have their feelings about tipping culture in the US and I’m not out here trying to shame anyone, just trying to protect the work that I do & advocate for other service workers,” the waitress concluded. “I do appreciate the positive discourse.”
Though there appeared to be no bad blood between White and the waitress — no expletives or insults were hurled, a rarity for a gratuity-related dialogue — the Internet was thoroughly incensed.
“This is lowkey harassment for the server to comment on your social media,” wrote one commenter.
“Where is this audacity when they are supposed to fight their employers for fair wages?”
In Los Angeles, the minimum wage is just over $17, and unlike other states, California law doesn’t factor gratuities into this figure.
While other users agreed that the waitress’s comment was probably inappropriate, some viewers thought the criticism was fair game, both because of the quality of the tip and for the fact that, as an influencer, Asia is a public figure and likely a well-known diner around the LA dining scene — a point that the waitress also made.
“I think we’ve been living in a huge double standard for some time now where patrons and influencers especially have a free pass to film in our work spaces and say whatever they want about their one-sided experience online, all while the restaurant & hospitality workers are expected to remain quiet, polite, forgiving and above any criticism even as it can often be rude & demeaning,” she said, replying to another commenter who criticized her for reaching out to the influencer.
“Leaving a poor tip while praising the service is not only a little passive-aggressive, it’s exploitative too. Bear in mind that me and one of my coworkers are in this video and were both filmed without consent,” said the server. “Good etiquette goes both ways.”
Now that the post has racked up almost 90K views and counting, plus a Reddit post created by an anonymous anti-tipper, some commenters are worried the server will get into trouble at work, especially since viewers are now ‘review-bombing’ the spot with 1-star reviews.
The Post has reached out to the unidentified server and White for comment.
Read the full article here
