A customer at the U.S. steakhouse chain Texas Roadhouse recently posted a video pointing out a discrepancy: while the bill totaled $66.66, the payment device suggested a 20% tip of $16.28, sparking online discussion. Based on the $66.66 total, a 20% tip would be approximately $13.33—meaning the suggested amount on the screen was $2.95 higher than that figure.
According to a report by Gamepur, a customer using the TikTok handle “whiskeyandviolence” filmed the payment device at their table, questioning their own math. The screen displayed tip options, with the 20% option corresponding to $16.28; compared to the $66.66 bill, this represents an actual tip rate of roughly 24.4%, exceeding the labeled 20%.
Texas Roadhouse responded by noting that the payment devices indicate suggested tips are calculated based on the amount after tax but before any discounts are applied—a method that can influence the suggested figures displayed on the screen. The company also emphasized that tipping is not mandatory and that customers may decide whether to tip based on the service received.
The discrepancy arises because the tip percentage shown on the screen is not necessarily based on the final amount the customer pays for the meal. According to the company’s explanation, if a discount is applied to the meal, the final bill amount decreases, yet the suggested tip is still calculated based on the pre-discount, tax-inclusive total. Consequently, the 20% figure displayed by the device may translate to a higher percentage when compared against the discounted bill.
In this specific case, if $16.28 represents a 20% tip, the calculation base would be $81.40 rather than $66.66—a difference of $14.74 between the two figures.
Gamepur reported that it remains unclear whether the customer utilized a discount, and the exact calculation method used by the device cannot be definitively confirmed based solely on the bill and tip amounts shown in the video. Therefore, the explanation provided by the establishment accounts for why the suggested tip might exceed 20% of the actual bill amount; however, it is insufficient to clarify exactly how the discrepancy arose, nor does it justify a direct conclusion that the restaurant made a calculation error or intentionally overcharged.