#TipTheBillChallenge is the latest challenge to explode on social media, and is showing how generosity and kindness can be contagious, as well as helping some lucky servers make ends meet.
The origins of the viral challenge -- which asks diners to tip their servers at restaurants 100 percent of the cost of their bill -- are not immediately clear, but it has shed light on the plight of service industry workers who often rely mostly on tips as their main source of income.
Hundreds of servers at restaurants across the country, have been sharing snapshots of patrons who left them a tip as big as the cost of their meal, many of them scribbling #TipTheBillChallenge on their receipts.
One Twitter user shared a post in support of the challenge, writing that for most servers, "your only source of income are tips," and if someone tips more than 50 percent, it "goes a long way. Mentally and financially."
For the #tipthebillchallenge I understand how people don’t want to tip more than 20% at a restaurant, especially if the service isn’t very good, but as a server your only source of income are tips. If someone tips 50% or more that goes a long way. Mentally and financially.
— tyty (@Darnell_Jabroni) August 10, 2018
Hundreds more users have shared posts of pure glee when they have become unexpected recipients of the pay-it-forward challenge.
HUGE SHOUT OUT to the couple that participated in the #tipthebillchallenge, truly made my whole entire day!!! ?????? pic.twitter.com/RboOBwYxd1
— jillian (@jillian_thorn) August 20, 2018
thought this stuff only happened on Twitter #tipthebillchallenge pic.twitter.com/WAs5Zi633r
— kaylee (@Kaylee_whiteeee) August 13, 2018
Keep it going folks I like it #tipthebillchallenge pic.twitter.com/MgnedMg8t2
— Jimi (@jiminich) August 22, 2018
Still, others are saying that the challenge should raise awareness for how restaurants should be paying servers more so that they don't have to rely on the generosity of customers or tips in order to pay the bills.
The #tipthebillchallenge is cool but you know what would be cooler? If restaurants paid servers enough to live instead of shifting business expenses onto the consumer
— James (@JimiJ3398) August 19, 2018
#tipthebill, while good intentioned, is yet another way food service employers will get away with not paying their waitstaff fair wages. And do you think waitstaff is actually receiving all those tips? ??
— Leslie J. Almeida (@LeslieJAlmeida) August 15, 2018
