Server Shows How Much She Makes in Tips on a "Slow" Night, Sparking Pay Debate
![Mustafa Gatollari - Author](https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/Svmb6c7FP/200x200/mustafa-headshot-5-1715200618128.jpg)
Apr. 14 2023, Updated 9:53 a.m. ET
![Waitress Tip Getty](https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/-7VOpKN_7/480x251/waitress-tip-getty-1668099252394.jpg 480w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/-7VOpKN_7/640x335/waitress-tip-getty-1668099252394.jpg 640w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/-7VOpKN_7/768x402/waitress-tip-getty-1668099252394.jpg 768w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/-7VOpKN_7/1024x536/waitress-tip-getty-1668099252394.jpg 1024w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/-7VOpKN_7/1280x670/waitress-tip-getty-1668099252394.jpg 1280w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/-7VOpKN_7/1440x753/waitress-tip-getty-1668099252394.jpg 1440w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/-7VOpKN_7/1600x837/waitress-tip-getty-1668099252394.jpg 1600w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/-7VOpKN_7/2160x1130/waitress-tip-getty-1668099252394.jpg 2160w)
A TikToker by the name of Jools (@joolieannie) posted a now viral TikTok showing what she makes in a single shift working at Texas Roadhouse. The server stated that she was fresh out of training and ended up only working three hours during a day with low customer traffic, but still managed to pull in a decent amount of money for the time she spent there.
Commenters had a variety of different responses, but many seemed to agree that, even though it was a relatively slow night, something that a fellow server in Jools' clip corroborates on camera, she managed to earn a decent amount of money in that time period.
Jools begins the clip by saying: "OK so I'm fresh out of training at Texas Roadhouse. I have a two-table section, so follow me along tonight and let's see how much money I make." The video then cuts to her on the restaurant floor where she speaks into the camera.
"I didn't record this part but my first table left me a $10 on 67 which, ehh. They were really nice though, so..." That comes out to about 14 percent.
The camera then transitions to another table that left her a $4.65 tip on a $23.24 order (which is 20 percent). "It's also just...kinda slow today," she says.
![server shows how much she makes in a slow night](https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/Y6VJdu5hz/480x178/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-8-1668099334843.jpg 480w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/Y6VJdu5hz/640x238/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-8-1668099334843.jpg 640w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/Y6VJdu5hz/768x285/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-8-1668099334843.jpg 768w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/Y6VJdu5hz/1024x380/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-8-1668099334843.jpg 1024w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/Y6VJdu5hz/1280x475/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-8-1668099334843.jpg 1280w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/Y6VJdu5hz/1440x534/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-8-1668099334843.jpg 1440w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/Y6VJdu5hz/1600x593/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-8-1668099334843.jpg 1600w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/Y6VJdu5hz/2160x801/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-8-1668099334843.jpg 2160w)
"Ooh, she sweaty," she says, introducing her next take from another group she just served. "OK, my next table...$53.66, $13.41 tip... mmm, not bad." (That's 24 percent.)
At this point in the video another server at the restaurant comes on camera. "It's so slow, it's so slow," the TikToker's co-worker says.
![server shows how much she makes in a slow night](https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/xBh3zb7-Z/480x199/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-1-1668094672779.jpg 480w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/xBh3zb7-Z/640x265/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-1-1668094672779.jpg 640w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/xBh3zb7-Z/768x318/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-1-1668094672779.jpg 768w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/xBh3zb7-Z/1024x424/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-1-1668094672779.jpg 1024w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/xBh3zb7-Z/1280x530/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-1-1668094672779.jpg 1280w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/xBh3zb7-Z/1440x596/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-1-1668094672779.jpg 1440w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/xBh3zb7-Z/1600x662/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-1-1668094672779.jpg 1600w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/xBh3zb7-Z/2160x894/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-1-1668094672779.jpg 2160w)
Then she updates her followers on another table she served, "OK my next table's bill was like $43 and they gave me $15 and she said I was fab." That tip is almost 35 percent, so they must have meant it!
She then cuts to the last table she served, as she speaks into the camera.
![server shows how much she makes in a slow night](https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/9H_rUFnPp/480x232/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-2-1668094681388.jpg 480w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/9H_rUFnPp/640x309/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-2-1668094681388.jpg 640w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/9H_rUFnPp/768x371/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-2-1668094681388.jpg 768w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/9H_rUFnPp/1024x494/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-2-1668094681388.jpg 1024w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/9H_rUFnPp/1280x618/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-2-1668094681388.jpg 1280w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/9H_rUFnPp/1440x695/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-2-1668094681388.jpg 1440w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/9H_rUFnPp/1600x772/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-2-1668094681388.jpg 1600w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/9H_rUFnPp/2160x1042/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-2-1668094681388.jpg 2160w)
"My last table's tab was $47 and they left me $12 [25.5 percent], so after everything was said and done I ended up making $61 in like 3 hours. It was a super short shift. But with my hourly that's twenty five dollars an hour," she then puts up a double peace sign and poses for the camera.
![server shows how much she makes in a slow night](https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/hDgqmCuF7/480x171/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-3-1668094688674.jpg 480w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/hDgqmCuF7/640x228/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-3-1668094688674.jpg 640w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/hDgqmCuF7/768x273/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-3-1668094688674.jpg 768w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/hDgqmCuF7/1024x364/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-3-1668094688674.jpg 1024w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/hDgqmCuF7/1280x455/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-3-1668094688674.jpg 1280w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/hDgqmCuF7/1440x512/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-3-1668094688674.jpg 1440w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/hDgqmCuF7/1600x569/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-3-1668094688674.jpg 1600w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/hDgqmCuF7/2160x768/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-3-1668094688674.jpg 2160w)
Judging from her reaction at the end of the video and her intake on a slow day, if that same pace of customers came in and out of the restaurant, on a slow day she could expect to make around $200 for a full eight hour shift.
![server shows how much she makes in a slow night](https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/grbUJkkHx/480x174/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-6-1668094711882.jpg 480w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/grbUJkkHx/640x232/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-6-1668094711882.jpg 640w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/grbUJkkHx/768x278/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-6-1668094711882.jpg 768w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/grbUJkkHx/1024x371/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-6-1668094711882.jpg 1024w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/grbUJkkHx/1280x463/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-6-1668094711882.jpg 1280w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/grbUJkkHx/1440x521/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-6-1668094711882.jpg 1440w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/grbUJkkHx/1600x579/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-6-1668094711882.jpg 1600w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/grbUJkkHx/2160x781/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-6-1668094711882.jpg 2160w)
Other TikTokers who said that they also work as servers stated that her take-home on a "slow" shift was actually pretty good. Others said that weekends, while more hectic, almost always provide an opportunity for higher hourly payouts.
![server shows how much she makes in a slow night](https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/qFArODBaO/480x185/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-4-1668094696524.jpg 480w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/qFArODBaO/640x246/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-4-1668094696524.jpg 640w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/qFArODBaO/768x295/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-4-1668094696524.jpg 768w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/qFArODBaO/1024x393/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-4-1668094696524.jpg 1024w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/qFArODBaO/1280x491/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-4-1668094696524.jpg 1280w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/qFArODBaO/1440x553/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-4-1668094696524.jpg 1440w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/qFArODBaO/1600x614/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-4-1668094696524.jpg 1600w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/qFArODBaO/2160x829/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-4-1668094696524.jpg 2160w)
Others said they couldn't believe she had a "slow night" at Texas Roadhouse to begin with, as they've visited the restaurant several times and it's almost always packed.
![server shows how much she makes in a slow night](https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/kZF5lvbdw/480x214/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-5-1668094705373.jpg 480w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/kZF5lvbdw/640x285/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-5-1668094705373.jpg 640w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/kZF5lvbdw/768x342/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-5-1668094705373.jpg 768w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/kZF5lvbdw/1024x456/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-5-1668094705373.jpg 1024w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/kZF5lvbdw/1280x570/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-5-1668094705373.jpg 1280w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/kZF5lvbdw/1440x641/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-5-1668094705373.jpg 1440w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/kZF5lvbdw/1600x713/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-5-1668094705373.jpg 1600w, https://media.dreamdive.us/brand-img/kZF5lvbdw/2160x962/server-shows-how-much-she-makes-in-a-slow-night-5-1668094705373.jpg 2160w)
There were some employees who said that while her payout was good, getting a schedule packed with enough hours to earn a livable wage is unfortunately very difficult. And then there were those who couldn't believe she only had a two-table section and said that getting large groups is where the real money's at.