It's fairly common knowledge that customers are encouraged to tip at restaurants in the US, but a server working at a Hooters restaurant has given an insight to exactly how much money she might make in tips in just one day.
Leah Fennelly works at the renowned restaurant chain in between undertaking her law studies, and has gained thousands of followers on TikTok by offering information to life as an employee - beyond what they typically wear on the job.
In a clip shared last month, Leah explained she was scheduled to work from 12pm-8pm on a Thursday, giving her eight hours to serve customers and hopefully add to her salary.
Watch Leah count up her tips below:
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The law student offered updates throughout the day, describing how she received varying amounts of money both in cash and through card payments. Tips varied from zero dollars on a takeaway order, through the lower end at $3, $4 and $6 and up to higher amounts such as $20, $31 - which Leah claimed came because the customer asked for her number - and $50.
The morning after her shift, Leah sat down to add up what she'd received in tips, counting out $282 cash as well as a $100 tip sent to her by one of her regulars because he sat at her table for so long.
"$382 - not bad," she commented.
One TikTok user praised Leah for being 'grateful even for the not so large tips', though another argued she'd actually done very well after earning '$42 an hour for an 8 hour shift'. Definitely enough to leave a few people questioning whether they could make it as a Hooters server.
Not every shift is the same, though, and in another video filmed on St. Patrick's Day, Leah counted out a take-home of $259 after a shift from 12pm-7:15pm. In a comment under the clip, the server explained: "Some days are great! Others are minimum wage, just depends!"
In response to Leah's video, one TikToker commented to ask whether servers in the US typically keep their tips to themselves or split them between the other staff members, to which Leah responded to explain it 'really just depends at what restaurant you work at'.
She went on to say servers at her Hooters location keep both cash and credit card tips for themselves, while the bartender gets one percent of sales at the end of the night.
I'm sure anyone who's ever worked in hospitality will agree that when it comes to tips, the more the merrier.
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Topics: Money, US News, TikTok, Viral, Food and Drink
Emily Brown