Tipping in the U.S. has long been a cultural minefield about what service you should and shouldn’t tip for. However, most people would agree servers in the restaurant industry should always get something, even when service isn’t great.
But one British woman in Florida says she drew the line after what she called a “terrible” experience at Buffalo Wild Wings.
Why She Didn’t Leave A Tip
TikTok creator Megan (@megangulyard) shared her experience in a video that’s now been seen over 141,000 times.
In it, she documents the entire meal, from walking into the restaurant to ultimately leaving without eating.
“Let’s go see how much it cost my family of four, plus half a baby, to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings,” she says jokingly to imply she’s currently pregnant, as she and her child walk inside.
Megan shows herself ordering, filming some of the food, and chatting through what they got: two kids’ meals, mac and cheese, fries, a root beer, and a Dr. Pepper. But things quickly start to go wrong.
“So, I was actually so excited for that food,” she says, walking back to her car. “We didn’t even get the food. She didn’t put the food in.”
According to Megan, the family waited 37 minutes, watching other tables get their food first. She eventually went up to the manager to ask what was going on. “It wasn’t even busy,” she says. “It was empty.”
This wasn’t the first mistake of the meal either, according to her. Megan says the server had already forgotten one of the kids’ meals earlier. “When the first one came out, she was like, ‘Oh gosh, I think I forgot to put the other food in,’” she recalls.
After nearly 40 minutes, the manager allegedly checked on them, but no one came back with updates. “Nobody apologized, nothing,” Megan says. “So we just asked for the check.”
Their total came to $15.57, and Megan says she didn’t tip at all. “We tip off of service, and the service was absolutely awful,” she says. “As we were getting up to leave, one of the managers actually brought my food out—but we were like, ‘No, we’re leaving. It looked so nice. I wanted to cry.’”
Buffalo Wild Wings Often Gets Service Complaints
Megan’s experience isn’t isolated. On Trustpilot, Buffalo Wild Wings has a 1.6 out of 5 rating. Many reviewers say they’ve faced long waits, wrong orders, and inattentive staff.
The chain was even ranked among the “Top 10 Restaurant Chains with the Slowest Service” by Cheapism, with similar complaints about delays and inconsistent food quality.
On Reddit, one user asked, “Why does Buffalo Wild Wings get so much hate?” and the replies echoed Megan’s story, some complaining about quality and others about service. A few, however, defended the brand, saying it depends heavily on location and management.
Commenters Defend Her
Under Megan’s video, many agreed with her decision not to tip.
“Absolutely no tip,” one user wrote. “Like who forgets food in a restaurant? You did right.”
Another added, “That’s insane. I not only wouldn’t have left a tip, but I’d complain to get my whole order free. Mistakes happen but hiding in the kitchen and not apologizing? That’s plain rude.”
@megangulyard What would you of done?! #buffalowildwings #fyp #tippingculture @Buffalo Wild Wings
Some commenters, though, offered a softer take. “This is tough,” one person said. “She did terrible but she still did some work for your kids’ food. Hopefully management didn’t over-seat her, sometimes that’s what causes all this.”
For now, Megan says she’s still shocked by the experience and that she doesn’t plan to return anytime soon.
BroBible has reached out to both Megan and Buffalo Wild Wings for comment.