Waitress Says She Was Fired After Customers Tipped Her $4,400

An Arkansas waitress says she was sacked after customers left a $4,400 tip.

On December 6, Ryan Brandt and another server served a party of more than 40 people during her shift at Oven and Tap in Bentonville. That’s a massive table for anyone to take on; fortunately, the customers showed their appreciation with a very generous tip.

Each diner left a $100 dollar tip before they left, accumulating into an amazing $4,400 tip for the two waitresses. Soon after, Brandt says she was fired.

Wise made sure to call ahead and check the restaurant’s tipping policy, but it didn’t go to plan, according to Brandt. ‘I was told that I was going to be giving my cash over to my shift manager, and I would be taking home 20%,’ she said, something which had never happened in three-and-a-half years of working there.

Upon learning this, Wise asked the restaurant to give the tip back so he could give it to Brandt outside as intended. When she returned, she says she was sacked for violating company policy by revealing the pooled tips to Wise.

‘It was devastating, I borrowed a significant amount for student loans. Most of them were turned off because of the pandemic but they’re turning back on in January and that’s a harsh reality,’ she said.

In a statement, Oven and Tap said, ‘After dining, this large group of guests requested that their gratuity be given to two particular servers. We fully honoured their request. Out of respect for our highly valued team members, we do not discuss the details surrounding the termination of an employee.’

‘The server who was terminated several days after the group dined with us was not let go because she chose to keep the tip money. The other two servers who received generous tips that evening from the Witly organisation – including one who also received $2,200 – are still members of our team,’ it added.