17 People Who’ve Waited On Celebrities At Restaurants Shared How Much They Got Tipped, And Holy Crap
“Bill Nye tipped me $40 for a $40 meal. It made my year.”
We asked the service workers of the BuzzFeed Community to share how much they got tipped if they ever waited on a famous person. Here’s what they said:
While we can’t confirm all of these stories, they are suuuuper entertaining to read.
1. “I worked at a bar on the Jersey Shore for 10 years. Bruce Springsteen is always the most humble and low-key; he would pull up on his motorcycle just trying to have Patron on the rocks unnoticed. He would usually only get through one drink/drink and a half max until someone spotted him but always left $100 tip. I even worked a couple of his private parties as well and always left a FAT tip for everyone from security to the kitchen.”
2. “At a previous place I worked, I waited on Emily and Felicity Blunt, John Krasinski, and Stanley Tucci. Nothing went wrong with their meal, and they were nice enough, but Stanley left less than a 10% tip on their $500 bill.”
3. “Cassandra Peterson came to The Abbey, and her hair was bleached out for the summer, so I didn’t recognize her immediately. Her friend made a joke about her being Elvira, who ‘lived up in a dark castle in the Hills.’ We laughed, she paid, and they left. She tipped me 150% of the bill which was about $50 bucks. It still didn’t dawn on me she was Elvira until the algorithm showed me an interview of Cassandra Peterson and her mannerisms and the way she spoke gave her away.”
4. “I was bartending years ago and had Scottie Pippen of the Chicago Bulls at the bar. He was rude and complained about everything — although he ate everything in front of him. The bill came to about $425 — he left me $2. This is why he is called No Tippin’ Pippen.”
5. “San Francisco Giants former first baseman J.T. Snow and his father were sitting outside at a table in Spanish Bay Resort at Pebble Beach. J.T. ordered a Coke and charged it to his room. He left me a $100 tip.”
6. “My partner, who is a classically trained executive chef, was hired to turn around a struggling steak house in Ennis, Montana. I was the weekend front-of-house manager and a server on weeknights. Ennis is a fly fishing Mecca so we had guests from all over the world, but my favorite was David Letterman. He usually came in on a weeknight when we weren’t totally out-of-control busy, sometimes with his son or his manager, sometimes by himself. He always had the same meal, a simple but delicious pasta and a glass of wine. He would interact with the locals and was just a delight to wait on. Never had any complaints or expected to be treated as being special. And he always left a $100 tip. I would wait on him when I was the only server on but would let the other server take him when I was fortunate enough to have one…felt like I should share the wealth! Good memories of that restaurant and of Ennis.”
7. “I remember seeing Bill Nye walking into the restaurant I was working at (at the time). It was a smooth service, and he seemed to enjoy his food. I came to collect the bill and saw that he had tipped me $40 for a $40 meal. It made my year.”
8. “Jeffrey Star and Nikita Dragun came into The Abbey and demanded comped bottle service for themselves. I served them their crew, and they left NOTHING. It was tacky as hell.”
9. “Maria Shriver and her daughter, Katherine Schwarzenegger, ate a big brunch at a restaurant I used to work at in Chicago with maybe 10 other ladies. They weren’t rude, but they were incredibly needy and demanding. Their bill was close to $1,000. Maria paid, but she didn’t leave anything for a tip.”
10. “Jack Black tipped me $100 on a $20 tab when he overheard I was going to be short on rent. Kindest man ever!”
11. “10 years ago, I worked at a resort in Phoenix, AZ. I was the server for Guy Fieri. He had his son with him, and of course his entourage. Guy had a vodka Sprite, and his son had a Sprite, plus food and drink for his entourage. It was several hundred dollars. When it was time to close the tab, I was completely stiffed of a tip. They only paid the tab with no tip!”
12. “Not a restaurant, but when I was working at a movie theater in college we were told to hold a couple of seats for a ‘big celebrity’ that was coming in to watch The Fighter. It’s not something we normally did (it was before you could reserve seats online), but we kept the spots open nonetheless. Turns out it was Dwyane Wade. He tipped me and my friend both $20, which was cool and unexpected!”
13. “I once served John Cena at a taqueria. Not only did he not tip me, he just ghosted on the bill altogether!”
14. “Eugene Levy and his family tipped me 22% of their bill.”
15. “Ross Matthews asked for an employee discount with a group of friends while at The Abbey/Pink Pony Club (obviously, he is not an employee) and then tipped on the discounted total. I should have given him discounted service!”
16. “Iowa senator Chuck Grassley stopped in the little diner I was working at in college. He tipped me less than 10%.”
17. And finally, “Nelly tipped the bartender who served him nothing.”
Some responses have been edited for length/clarity.
