A New York man declined an 18% tip on his $18 order. Then the coffee-shop manager confronted him about it

A TikTok video from creator Maxwell has drawn hundreds of thousands of likes after he said a New York City coffee shop manager walked to his table to ask why he skipped the tip on an $18 order. Maxwell, who posts as @maxwellsvision and has about one million followers, said it happened after a workout.

According to Maxwell, he switched from a bagel with butter to a turkey wrap with bacon and double protein, plus a Celsius energy drink. The cashier was pleasant, but staff told him they do not add Sriracha to wraps, though he could add it himself. He paid with Apple Pay and skipped a tip prompt offering 18%, 20%, and 25%.

About five minutes after he sat down, Maxwell said, an employee wearing a manager name tag came over and asked why he had not tipped. The coffee shop has not been identified, and the account has not been independently verified. The clip has sparked conversation on TikTok about what warrants a tip at a counter.

Maxwell says basic counter service doesn’t earn a tip

Maxwell’s position is that a tip should be earned through service that goes above and beyond taking an order. He said he told the manager as much, pointing to the Sriracha refusal, and asked why he should pay several dollars on top of an $18 order when the service amounted to handing over his food.

Many commenters backed his stance, with one user writing that the only people who should be tipped are drivers and servers, adding that “everything else is optional.” Another said, “I’m not tipping if I placed the order standing up.” A third asked if it could become normal to focus on “just paying your employees.”

Maxwell says the manager told him 18% is the norm around there

According to Maxwell, the cashier’s demeanor shifted once she saw the receipt, and the manager countered that customers in that neighborhood usually leave at least 18%. The TikTok user said he found that odd, as he lives in the same neighborhood and plans to renew his lease. However, he said he stuck to his position that tips are not an automatic requirement.

Tipping disputes have circulated on TikTok in recent days, as another creator questioned why diners tip 20% after leaving $20 on a $249 restaurant bill. A Domino’s driver also went viral after saying a customer told him to keep the change on a $49.59 order.

Whether the coffee shop responds to Maxwell’s account remains to be seen, as it has not been publicly identified.