Waiter left stunned by rude note from group of teens left on tip that she initially thought was a joke

A waiter was left in shock after receiving an unpleasant note on a receipt from a group of teenagers she served at the restaurant he works at.

The tipping culture in US vs UK restaurants is very, very different.

For a lot of servers in America, tips make up the majority of their income, as their pay can sadly be extremely low.

Tips in the UK are treated as more of a pleasantry, rather than an expectation. But one waitress across the pond was left feeling low, not only when she didn't receive a tip, but was also left an unkind message from a group of people she had served.

According to the server, called Janet, the group of 18-year-olds left a note which she thought at first was a joke.

Working in hospitality is tough, especially for those in the US who rely on their tips to get by (Getty Stock Image)

The four-word note said: "Wear a life jacket."

Speaking on Reddit about the situation, she explained: "I thought it was a funny joke at first because we had gotten historic flooding in our area recently."

But one of her co-workers quickly explained the truth after the group asked if they could tip her manager upon leaving, as she was allegedly 'drowning in work'.

She said: "If all my other tables were upset with me, or if management sided with them, I could totally look at myself and say, ‘Yeah, I deserved no tip or a bad tip'.

The waitress thought the comment was a joke at first glance (Reddit/@wrong_confection331)

"But everyone else thought I was doing great, so I don’t know what they were thinking."

Janet noted that all of her other table that night tipped 20 percent or over, and that she was rushed off her feet trying to run the restaurant.

Explaining why tips are so important, she added: "Tips are how I make almost all of my income, my weekly pay check is only $100 after taxes."

Despite the unkind experience, Janet still tries to keep a positive mindset about those who come in to dine.

She said: "I try to keep an open mind with every table. I never know what someone is going through before they come in. I just wish they would have been more understanding of what was going on."

The woman was left feeling low after reading the unpleasant note (Getty stock images)

Users in the comments were equally as annoyed about the note, as one pointed out that they would be even more inclined to tip if a waitress was clearly worked off their feet.

One said: "If I were them, I still would’ve tipped you well BECAUSE you were drowning, and the support and understanding [are] needed. They’re cornballs, sorry this happened."

And another added: "Sounds like they’re looking for an excuse to be rude jerks."