And a look at the “most generous” cities for gratuities.
We may be entering the season of giving, but Americans don’t seem to be feeling all that generous — at least when it comes to gratuities.
A recent survey of 1,000 consumers and 165 restaurant owners across the country found that customers seem to be tipping less than they used to. The share of consumers leaving at least 20 percent for a gratuity (long considered the industry standard) has declined to 43 percent, compared to 56 percent last year.
Everything from gas to your morning latte has gotten more expensive, and as a result, tip jars across the country are a little lighter, too. But tipping behavior here in the U.S. has proven to be highly variable: At the outset of the pandemic, there was something of a surge in goodwill — and gratuity-giving. Amid lockdown restrictions, Americans rallied to support restaurant workers and tipped very well, per the Atlantic, which dubbed the phenomenon the “Great Pandemic Tipping Boom of 2020.”
And probably due to some extra cheer, there’s usually an uptick in tips as we get closer to the holidays. The Popmenu survey indicates that’ll still be the case this year, even with the current economic uncertainty: One third of customers said they’re planning to give 25 percent or more at restaurants during the holiday season, while 61 percent said they’d give 20 percent or more, according to the study.
Popmenu also provided its list of the “most generous cities for tipping.” (Though note that the data only looks at tipping for online food orders). The company analyzed 1.1 million online orders and ranked cities based on how many customers tipped 20 percent or more. Here’s what they found.
Most Generous Cities for Tipping
- San Francisco, California: 34% of orders tipped 20% or more
- Austin, Texas: 32%
- Columbus, Ohio: 31%
- Louisville, Kentucky: 30%
- Nashville, Tennessee: 30%
- Seattle, Washington: 29%
- Washington, D.C.: 28%
- Denver, Colorado: 27%
- Boston, Massachusetts: 27%
- Dallas, Texas: 27%
- Chicago, Illinois: 27%
- Atlanta, Georgia: 27%
