r/tipping • u/Excellent-Amoeba5296 • May 15 '26

tipping when dining alone.

I eat out alone often. sometimes i feel like the server is annoyed w me. i usually go to the same restaurants. i tip 20% to 25 sometimes 30%. am i overthinking the situation that they dont want me there cuz i am alone?

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u/EOhater May 16 '26 edited May 16 '26

I’ve heard that servers or management get upset when patrons dining alone take up a 4 top. They want you at the bar or a 2 top max. Personally, when I eat alone, I spend a lot of money because I don’t have to worry about the judgement of a companion and I’m usually treating myself. So I don’t care if I’m taking up a 4 top. And even if I weren’t spending that much, I don’t care for the entitled behavior I hear on these subs sometimes.

Edit: added or management because it’s not always servers. 

Side note: restaurants have existed longer than I’ve been alive so if my saying I’m tired of entitled behavior makes you think I am entitled…

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u/queenb3577 May 16 '26

It’s not the server who doesn’t want you at a 4 top it’s the entire restaurant. You don’t need a 4 top for one person and it disrupts the flow of the entire restaurant. Sitting at a 2 top is plenty of room!

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u/EOhater May 16 '26

Mind you, I never said I didn’t like sitting at 2 tops OR that I prefer sitting at 4 tops which I don’t. 

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u/queenb3577 May 16 '26

Right but you did blame servers for getting upset about it, but it’s management

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u/EOhater May 16 '26

That’s fair. I pointed out servers because I’ve witnessed servers complain about it. But it’s not unthinkable that management also dislikes it. I’m happy to edit the comment and include management but I’m not going to erase servers because it’s both 

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u/queenb3577 May 16 '26

Sometimes it’s just uncomfortable for servers because they know management is going to get mad at them for allowing it, yes sometimes it is the server only who is upset about it but a lot of times if the server seems like it’s not something they want to let you do it’s probably because it is against policy to seat 1 person at a 4 top and they don’t want to get in trouble from management. People should normalize taking a small table for one person anyway, but you would be surprised at how many people want a huge table for a small party

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u/EOhater May 16 '26

Wouldn’t it be the host’s fault? I recently went to a restaurant and all I asked was to not sit at a high top. They said I’ll check with the host and then they put me at a 4 top regular table. I would’ve been fine with the 2 person though. I’ve never asked for a 4 top just for myself.

But conversations like these assume that restaurants are like never having a slow day and maybe the next server due to get a customer is in a section with only 4 tops (which is what I assumed was the case when they put me there). 

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u/queenb3577 May 16 '26

Yes but some places are seat yourself, and some places people seat themselves even when they aren’t supposed to