The shockingly low amount most Americans tip at restaurants

Publish date: 2024-05-20

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Americans are far from generous when it comes to tipping service workers at restaurants, new research has revealed, with most diners leaving less than the standard 18-20% gratuity following a sit-down meal.

The stingy statistic was uncovered in a new survey on US tipping culture conducted by the Pew Research Center, whose researchers also found that barely half of US adults always tip their bartender for a drink.

In addition to being tight-fisted, the research also revealed anger among Americans at “tipflation,” with a majority saying they felt they were being asked to tip at more places than they were just five years ago.

The company polled 11,945 adults across the country as part of their research, saying it “comes at a time when tipping … is undergoing significant structural and technological changes.”

It also follows a recent survey by Bankrate, which revealed that two-thirds of Americans now hold a negative view of tipping, and 1 in 3 Americans think tipping culture is out of control.

Below, the damning truth about where and how much (or, more accurately, how little) we tip.

We aren’t that generous when dining at a restaurant

While 81% of those surveyed said they “always” left a gratuity for their server following a dine-in meal, a majority of respondents admitted to being somewhat parsimonious in regard to the amount.

While an 18 to 20% tip is now considered the standard at eateries across America, most of those polled proclaimed that they do not fork out that amount.

A whopping 57% said they usually tipped 15% or less, while just 2% of diners claimed they left a gratuity larger than 20%.

The survey found wealthier Americans are likely to leave a larger tip, while elderly US citizens are likely to leave 15% or less on their check.

We hate automatic service charges

In recent years, it’s become increasingly common for businesses to include an automatic gratuity on a check, particularly for large groups of diners at restaurants.

Sometimes those automatic service charges can be in excess of 25% — and Americans can’t stand it.

Of those polled, 72% say they are against the inclusion of an automatic service charge, while only 10% of respondents said they approved of the practice.

That’s in part because Americans still see tipping as strongly linked to the quality of service they’re provided.

A whopping 77% of respondents said that was a “major factor” in deciding how much to tip — or whether to tip at all.

We’re now confused over where we should tip

While an overwhelming majority of Americans said they always leave a gratuity for dine-in service at a restaurant, others admitted confusion over where else they should tip.

Per the survey, just 65% said they tipped their hairdresser or barber, while only 53% said they always tipped their bartender.

A meager 12% said they always tipped a barista for a take-out coffee, while an additional 12% said they usually did.

Still, that means less than a quarter of all consumers are doing the practice — despite many coffee shops, including Starbucks, now displaying a tip screen during payment for purchase.

We’re mad about ‘tipflation’

It’s no surprise that a majority of Americans say they feel they’re being asked to tip at more and more places, with the trend known as “tipflation.”

Even some self-serve airport kiosks now ask customers to leave a tip, prompting anger from many.

72% of those surveyed said it felt like they were now being asked to leave a gratuity at more places than they were back in 2018, with over a third of young Americans saying they now felt pressured to do so everywhere they went.

Some 38% of adults under 30 say it’s more of an obligation than a choice, particularly given that they’re confronted with tip screens on tablets, as opposed to tip jars at a counter.

Youngsters have dubbed that practice “guilt tipping,” with some saying they’ve been scammed into leaving gratuities as large as 40%.