Restaurant tipping is the subject of much debate among the public, and every server and bartender has a “world’s best / worst” story to share. Recently, restaurant service website Consolidated Food Service pulled some industry data, and published their results on their blog.
The restaurant industry and the resulting tipping trends vary in different countries. The amount tipped fluctuates depending on the type of dining experience, the age of the diner, the cost of the meal, and even by gender.
Here in the U.S., tipping in restaurants is not mandatory but it has become a common occurrence, and even plays a vital part of key worker’s wages. At it’s lowest, tipped employees can be paid as low as $2.13 per hour because the government allows for ‘tip credit’ to be made up by customers, and when that is applied, the hourly rate meets the minimum wage as set by the individual U.S. state.
It is partly for this reason that U.S. consumers leave some of the highest tip rates compared to their international counterparts.
All of the restaurant tipping trends and variables are measured and shared in the graphic below:
Restaurant Tipping Habits
Source: http://www.consolidatedfoodservice.com/blog/tipping-habits/