47 Restaurant Tipping Statistics for 2024

Understanding changes in the restaurant industry is paramount for any successful restaurateur, especially when it comes to trending topics like restaurant tipping. BentoBox talked to more than 2,500 U.S. diners about their tipping habits, preferences, and general outlook on the matter. You can check out the full report here, and below are the high-level statistics to know.

Overall Restaurant Tipping Sentiment

Tipping fatigue is very real these days, and that’s reflected in the metrics below. However, diners do like being in control of tipping and agree it drives better service.

• 66% of diners feel too many places are asking for tips these days

• 68% of diners say full-service dining always deserves a tip

• 48% of diners say fast food never deserves a tip

• 62% of diners say they would not miss tipping if it were gone

• 80% of diners say tipping rewards good service

• 69% of diners think the practice of tipping leads to better service overall

• 56% of diners believe that a small tip is a good way to reprimand tipped employees for poor service

Restaurant Tipping Demographics

Here, the key findings are that older diners are less likely to tip for conventionally untipped services. And, when it comes to income, higher earners support replacing tipping with automatic gratuity while those who earn under $100,000 per year like choosing their own tipping amount.

By Generation

Boomers

• 64% do not usually tip for fast food

• 41% do not usually tip for coffee from a cafe

• 40% do not usually tip for takeout/pickup

Gen X

• 51% do not usually tip for fast food

• 27% do not usually tip for coffee from a cafe

• 29% do not usually tip for takeout/pickup

Millennials

• 37% do not usually tip for fast food

• 18% do not usually tip for coffee from a cafe

• 19% do not usually tip for takeout/pickup

Gen Z

• 33% do not usually tip for fast food

• 18% do not usually tip for coffee from a cafe

• 16% do not usually tip for takeout/pickup

By Income

Diners who earn more than $100,000 per year

• 85% think establishments should pay their staff a living wage instead of asking patrons to tip

• 53% would be more likely to patronize a restaurant if they found out tipping was replaced with automatic gratuity

• 47% prefer to choose their own tipping amount

• 45% prefer having the restaurant add an adequate percentage to the bill

• 74% believe the practice of tipping leads to better overall service

• 68% believe a small tip is a way to reprimand an employee for poor service

• 70% believe tipped workers are more accommodating than non-tipped workers 

Diners who earn between $50,000 to $100,000 per year

• 77% think establishments should pay their staff a living wage instead of asking patrons to tip

• 35% would be more likely to patronize a restaurant if they found out tipping was replaced with automatic gratuity

• 69% believe the practice of tipping leads to better overall service

• 53% believe a small tip is a way to reprimand an employee for poor service

• 65% believe tipped workers are more accommodating than non-tipped workers 

Diners who earn less than $50,000 per year 

• 69% think establishments should pay their staff a living wage instead of asking patrons to tip

• 40% would be more likely to patronize a restaurant if they found out tipping was replaced with automatic gratuity

• 68% believe the practice of tipping leads to better overall service

• 54% believe a small tip is a way to reprimand an employee for poor service

• 61% believe tipped workers are more accommodating than non-tipped workers 

Automatic Gratuity vs. Automated Tip Prompts

Automatic gratuity adds a predetermined percentage to a full-service restaurant bill, while automated prompts provide a range of tip options for diners to select.

Here’s what diners had to say:

• 72% of diners have encountered automated tip prompts

• 56% of diners prefer to choose their own tipping amount

• 22% of diners prefer to choose between several acceptable percentages

• 14% of diners prefer having an adequate percentage automatically added to the bill

• 8% of diners prefer to pay a slightly higher price for items to get rid of tipping

In general, there were positive feelings about automated tip prompts:

• 64% of diners think automated prompts make tipping easier 

• 50% of diners say prompts help them determine an appropriate tip amount

• 41% of diners like that they don’t have to do math with automated tip prompts

However…

• 55% of diners feel pressure with automated prompts to leave a tip when they didn’t want to 

• 43% of diners believe that the tip amounts presented in prompts are too high

• 41% of diners don’t think certain services should ask for tips