Many Americans acknowledge that they tip for different services because it is expected of them and not because they want to, according to a new survey from PopMenu.
In a nationwide poll of 1,000 adults, 61% of respondents said they feel pressure to tip while 70% said they feel guilty if they don’t tip, especially when standing in front of a worker during checkout. More than half (53%) stated they’ve become annoyed with being asked to tip by so many service providers – on average, consumers tip for services five times a week.
When asked if they tipped someone when they didn’t want to or didn’t feel it was necessary, 48% of consumers said they did so because they just wanted to be kind while 43% claimed they didn’t want to look like a jerk and 34% didn’t want to look cheap.
Nonetheless, tipping generosity is fraying – PopMenu found tips of 20% of more for restaurant workers were trending down. One in four respondents (26%) said they tip restaurant delivery drivers 20% or more, down from 32% in 2022 and 38% in 2021. The percentage of consumers tipping restaurant servers 20% or more (42%) is little changed from last year (43%) but is still down from 56% in 2021.
But perhaps this tipping fatigue will dissipate in the holiday season – 65% of respondents said they tip restaurant staff more over the holidays, with 67% expecting to tip them 20% or more.
“While growth in restaurant gratuities has leveled off to a certain extent as guests contend with tighter budgets and tipping fatigue, around 30% of consumers say they still tip restaurant staff more than they did a few years ago,” said Brendan Sweeney, CEO and co-founder of Popmenu. “Great service will always prevail in terms of gratuity size, but the impact of digital tipping across industries is something to keep an eye on as operators evaluate compensation practices.”
