That’s why it can be so discouraging when a customer praises you on the way out, only to leave a tip that barely covers a cup of coffee.

One Los Angeles server shared this very frustration after waiting on a group of teenagers who had come to celebrate their homecoming. The young diners laughed, talked, and enjoyed the evening while the server worked hard to give them a positive, grown-up dining experience.

When the bill was paid and the table cleared, the waiter looked down and saw the tip: just $3.28.

“There is nothing more frustrating than having a customer thank me profusely and smile as they leave, but I receive little to no tip,” the server wrote in a heartfelt social media post.

For many in the restaurant industry, the story would