This waitress served one particular table a bunch of food and drinks. Finally, when it was all said and done, the total bill was more than $187.00. The customers’ tip: $0. When the waitress saw that, she decided to take matters into her own hands and post her response online.

**Note:** This story was originally reported in March 2016.

A Colorado waitress sparked a national conversation about tipping culture in the U.S. after publicly calling out a customer who left her a **\$0 tip on a \$187.43 bill**.

**Taylar Cordova** took to Facebook, posting a photo of the receipt alongside a passionate message about the realities of working as a server in America. In her post, she criticized not just the customer, but anyone who neglects to tip, explaining the personal and financial consequences servers face when diners skip gratuities.

> “Whenever you feel like it’s probably fine to not tip your server, that’s one more bill stacking up because they’re short on money,” she wrote. “This is food for the week that our families will go without because you didn’t think it was necessary.”

Cordova highlighted that most servers earn **as little as \$2-5 per hour before tips**, a figure supported by the **U.S. Department of Labor**, which confirms employers are only required to pay **\$2.13 an hour** if tips make up the difference to federal minimum wage.

She ended her message with a blunt piece of advice:

> “Don’t even bother walking into a restaurant if you can’t afford to tip. There’s a McDonald’s down the street if you’re that cheap.”

Her post struck a nerve, being shared over **15,000 times** as thousands weighed in on the harsh realities faced by tipped workers in the U.S.