Server delivers perfect payback to customer who left a fake $100 tip

Hospitality often involves feeding both bellies and spirits, but when a customer crosses the line with rude antics, someone’s gotta unleash a little retribution. Back in August 2023, a Redditor hit r/pettyrevenge with a tale involving their friend, a server forced to deal with a guy who whipped out a $100 tip—only for it to turn out fake. Furious yet resourceful, this server took action that left the cheapskate speechless, and the internet loved every second of it.

Representative photo by Pexels | Olly

One day, this server encountered a prickly dude who was a known regular—typically tight-lipped, not exactly generous with gratuities, and content to watch sports at the bar. As the server noted, “I’ve never had a problem with him until he came in one time with a date.”

Representative photo by Pexels | Pixabay

On that particular visit, the man brought along a woman the server had never laid eyes on before, presumably a new date. When the pair finished eating, they flagged down the server for their bill, who headed around the corner to retrieve it.

Representative photo by Pexels | Cottonbro

While returning, the server spotted him laying down a crisp $100. “The guy says to the woman, ‘Watch this’ as he puts down a hundred dollar bill on the table. He saw me see and he was joking like, ‘Oh! you weren’t supposed to see that,’” they explained. In the server’s mind, he was clearly trying to show off, but all they really cared about was that sweet hundred bucks—especially when money was tight.

Representative photo by Pexels | Cottonbro

But lo and behold, that $100 bill was bogus. “That means this freaking guy planned this out to impress this woman. It was so frustrating because I needed the money but at the same time I thought it was because I did a great job,” the server recalled. When they told their manager, the reaction was a resounding “ridiculous.”

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A couple of weeks down the line, the same pain-in-the-ass dude rolled in with the same date. The server had a full section to juggle, but when their manager offered them a shot at payback, they seized it. Armed with that phony $100 in a pocket, the server strolled up to greet them. “I get to their table and they instantly recognize me, the woman seemed normal but the guy looked like he was nervous. I pretended nothing happened all the way until I got their check,” they revealed.

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Dropping off the check, the server casually slid over that counterfeit $100 and said, “Hey, not sure if you remember me from last time but I believe you forgot this, just returning it because I believed it was too much.” The woman looked visibly perplexed—busted, dude! Later, the server came back only to find a glaring $0.00 tip from Captain Cheapskate. On the upside, the date herself, having witnessed the entire fiasco, hit the server with a sweet $50 tip.

Representative photo by Pexels | Karolina Grabowska

Reflecting on the encounter, the server explained, “One can only assume that the guy didn’t want to tip on his card so he wrote obnoxiously big zeros on the tip and that $50 just happened to be where the woman was sitting, so I’m hoping she had placed it there.” They also crossed their fingers that this fiasco opened the woman’s eyes to all those blinding red flags.

Representative photo by Pexels | Jonathan Borba

More than 15,000 Redditors upvoted the tale, with over 730 chiming in. User u/tricularia wrote, “My dad always told me that if you want to know how someone will act in a long-term relationship, pay attention to how they treat servers in restaurants. And since I started paying attention, I am definitely noticing a pattern there.”

Image Source: Reddit | u/eloagent

Meanwhile, u/Its_only__forever recounted, “As someone that has been in the industry for over 2 decades, I love this. I had a party once that tipped me in pennies spread across the table when they left. I scooped that s**t up so fast and chased them out and just dumped it at their feet with an ‘I think you forgot something.’ Yes, I got in trouble. Yes, it was worth it.”

Image Source: Reddit | u/spoomplesplz

Plenty of commentators agreed the woman deserved to know what a lying sack of crap her date was. “This is fabulous! I hope the lady dumped him because you showed her what kind of jerk he was,” remarked u/assignmentfit461. Then u/thekeekses chimed in, “As a woman who was raised by a single mother who was a server for many many years, I ended a relationship with a guy because he didn’t tip.”

Image Source: Reddit | u/mulderitsme99

Finally, u/Careless_Candle6771 offered their own gem: “The place I work at is a hot spot for 1st dates and any time I cash a couple out, I ask them if they want their receipt. The dude usually says no as the merchant copy is being printed and then I can see the $0 tip and I go, ‘ok!’ And then just leave it face up on the table anyway. My god, do I love when the women run back with cash saying, ‘Oh, my god I’m so sorry!’”

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