The average size of tips left by American restaurant-goers has declined in recent years.
Nationwide, the tipping average for restaurants stood at 18.8% in the third quarter of 2024, according to data from Toast, which analyzed U.S. restaurants using its systems. While this rate remained consistent with the previous quarter, it marked a decrease from 19% in the third quarter of 2022 and 19.2% in the same period of 2021.
For full-service restaurants specifically, the average tipping rate was 19.3% in the third quarter of 2024, down from 19.6% in 2022 and 19.8% in 2021. Tipping rates for both full-service and quick-service restaurants in 2024 also trailed behind levels recorded in the pre-COVID years of 2018 and 2019.
Experts suggest that “tipping fatigue” may be contributing to this decline.
“Americans want to tip for a job well done, but they don’t want to feel pressured or dictated to while entering their tip, especially under the watchful eye of someone nearby,” one expert noted. “The tipping pressure created by automated systems is driving a countertrend of people choosing to tip less.”