NFL Rookie Donte Jackson Called Out Publicly By New Orleans Waiter For Bad Tip [PHOTO]
A former LSU cornerback is being publicly shamed for leaving a bad tip.
A server at Taste Of Tokyo in New Orleans tweeted a photo of a receipt showing that NFL rookie Donte Jackson left a $5.00 tip on a $120.96 bill from this past Sunday.
The former LSU standout signed a 4-year, $4.8 million deal with the Carolina Panthers, which could be one of the reasons the server thought he was capable of tipping more—but in a since-deleted tweet, Jackson said he should appreciate the tip.
You got 5 more dollars then you had be grateful.
A reporter for NOLA.com dug up an old tweet from Jackson that would imply he's tight with his cash, which only added fuel to the firestorm of those who criticized him for being cheap.
To be fair, there were many who defended Jackson, saying bad tips are just "part of the business" when you're a server. Others suggested that his tip may have reflected the service he received.
Man, if you get really good service on a $125 bill and you tip $5? You realize these servers are dependent on tips? They don't make anywhere near minimum wage and you're going to treat them like that? That's really lousy.
I believe in tipping fairly—and when I get good service, I definitely show my appreciation by tipping extra, but I also don't believe that public shaming or posting receipts on social media is the route to go. It's extremely unprofessional and it also sends a message to any potential customer that if they don't tip accordingly, they may be subject to public shaming in the same fashion.
One commenter nailed it.
Is public tip shaming is the new cyber-bullying? The waiter comes across as petty and vindictive. What exactly did he want to happen? An apology? An affirmation that he did an excellent job worthy of not a penny less than 20%? A GoFundMe campaign to make life fair? Just move on dude. It’s not the end of the world. Not destined for management if you think it's OK to roast the clientele.
Another risk that comes with sharing receipts is sharing personal information. It's really not hard to dissect the last four digits of the card he used to make the purchase, and it also puts Jackson at a particular restaurant and a particular time based on the timestamp. Like I said earlier, just extremely unprofessional.
So did Donte Jackson receive bad service? Based on his deleted tweet, that is definitely a possibility—but unless we were at that table for dinner, we'll never know. Is Donte Jackson cheap? Sure, that may be true, but does it warrant public shaming?
I say no, but that's just my opinion. I'm interested to hear yours, so chime in and let me know how you feel about this story.
[via NOLA]