A man pulls out his calculator at Applebee’s, then realizes the kiosk’s 20% tip is more than it should be

A customer at an Applebee’s location ended up pulling out his calculator at the register after a digital kiosk’s tip suggestion did not match his own math. The diner, known on TikTok as @jdmacias77, detailed the experience in a video that was first covered by BroBible. His bill came to $49.49, and the kiosk’s 20% tip option suggested a total of $11.30, while his own calculation put 20% of that amount at $9.89.

The nearly $1.50 gap led him to post a video with a text overlay reading, “Applebees caught stealing your tips.” A closer look at the kiosk screen revealed a small notice that read, “Tip is calculated after tax and before discounts.” Once sales tax was factored in, the customer’s total came to $56.50, and 20% of that post-tax figure lines up exactly with the $11.30 the kiosk suggested.

Etiquette guidance has generally held that tips should be calculated on the pre-tax subtotal, since tax is a government charge the restaurant collects and the server never receives any portion of it. According to legalclarity.org, the National Restaurant Association’s own guidance for operators recommends calculating tip percentages based on food and beverage charges only, not the total after tax.

The discrepancy can add up for frequent diners

Many point-of-sale systems now give restaurant owners the option to calculate suggested tips on the post-tax total instead, which is why the numbers on screen do not always match a simple gratuity calculation. On a $75 meal, a 20% tip on the pre-tax subtotal comes to $15.00, while a tip calculated on the post-tax total comes to roughly $16.13. The difference is small on a single check, but it accumulates for people who eat out often.

Most kiosks include a “Custom Tip” or “Other” option that allows diners to manually enter the percentage or dollar amount they intend to leave, based on the pre-tax subtotal on the receipt. A similar gap between what a screen shows and what a person expects has come up elsewhere recently, including a TikToker’s experience handing off confiscated items at airport security.

The video sparked discussion among viewers, with some expressing broader frustration about the chain and others pointing to cash tipping as a way to avoid the kiosk math altogether. Paying a server directly in cash ensures the full amount reaches them without passing through the point-of-sale system at all.

The kiosk’s calculation was technically consistent with Applebee’s settings, though it did not match what the diner expected to pay.