“Your amazing boss might be getting a 20% tip and keeping it.”

When bartender Hannah Borsenik arrived to work a marriage shift, she was advised she couldn’t put out a tip jar. Her TikTok put up concerning the coverage, captioned “This labor isn’t, free people,” drew almost 600,000 views and unleashed a fierce etiquette debate.

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While many agreed service staff deserve ideas, others known as tip jars at weddings “tacky” and argued that the couple ought to cowl gratuity. Borsenik’s follow-up revealed a much bigger concern: even when contracts embrace gratuity, that cash doesn’t at all times attain the bartenders.

Borsenik’s Aug 1, 2025, put up reignited the tipping debate and revealed, but once more, that individuals on each side of the divide are keen about their respective positions. However, commenters throughout the divide assumed the bartender could be paid per the venue’s contract with the couple, which included a flat gratuity price. According to a follow-up video from Borsenik and different service business professional’s within the feedback, this simply isn’t true.

“Just so everyone knows, just because you leave a gratuity on your contract does NOT mean it goes to the bartenders or the hourly staff at all.”

Ultimately, service business advocates went so far as hinting at wage theft whereas much less sympathetic commenters known as individuals who work for ideas “entitled.”  

“Tip jars at weddings are tacky,” say critics

Borsenik posted a photograph of herself behind the bar together with her thumb up. Onscreen textual content learn, “Bartending a wedding, and they just told me I’m not allowed to have a tip jar.” The put up has almost 600 thousand views and over a thousand feedback.

TikTok customers commenting on Borsenik’s preliminary put up stated tip jars at weddings are “tacky.” Commenters asserted bartenders be paid by the couple or wedding ceremony get together—not company. Events professionals commented that gratuity is included within the contract to make sure a cushty visitor expertise and implied that the cash is handed on to service staff. 

“That’s pretty standard. That’s why we charge 2k + because it’s in the price. Tip jars at formal events are tacky, and most people aren’t carrying cash anyway.”

But what if the contracted gratuity will not be handed on to hourly workers? One remark identified, “Not tipping the bartender at a wedding is also tacky.”

Industry staff trace at wage theft in wedding ceremony venues

Borsenik addressed backlash from commenters in an Aug 6 put up with over 20,000 views. The occasion venue bartender defined she’s not ‘double dipping.’ She responded to a remark from @patriciamcauley1949 that learn, “Gratuity was included in the contract. Don’t lie. Asking guests to tip is tacky.” 

She defined she’s paid a predetermined hourly wage, and her pay doesn’t embrace ideas from the venue on high of that. If the venue’s contract with the bride and groom included gratuity, that cash will not be handed on to Borsenik. She stated her bosses are “amazing,” and added that they usually enable her to have a tip jar, so she was shocked when the marriage get together wouldn’t enable it.

@hannyb11 Replying to @Patricia Mcauley ♬ unique sound – hannyb

Commenters thought-about the extra context and decided that Borsenik ought to discover a new job or renegotiate her wage with the employer. 

“If you’re not getting a gratuity included and the hourly rate is low, then you need to find a better job.”

“This is a convo to have w/ your employer. Industry standard is any venue or buyout has grat included or an hourly rate above minimum wage. Cash bar is different, but an open bar tip jar screams somebody isn’t being paid fairly.”

“Your amazing boss might be getting a 20% tip and keeping it.”

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