A new survey from YouGov has taken a deeper look into the US tipping culture; revealing that 79% of Americans would tip less if the waiter was rude.
Tipping culture has been a huge talking point in recent months, with Americans often put in opposition to the UK, where tipping culture is not as prominent. Still, no one can seem to agree on what warrants a tip and whether you should be giving above the industry standard.
The survey delved into the world of US tipping culture
On Wednesday, the US branch of YouGov released the results of their survey about US tipping culture.
While the standard practice is to tip 15% to 20% of the bill, which 62% of the public said they were already doing, the results showed that most Americans are open to tipping more if the service is excellent. In contrast, 27% of Americans typically leave a tip of 15% while 35% leave a tip of 20%. On the top end of the scale, only 2% of people said they tip above 25%.
The survey also showed that most Americans are fine with tipping more if the bill is large, with 71% of the public saying they would tip 20% or more if the service was excellent. For a $10 bill, 84% would tip more for brilliant service, while for a $20 bill, 79% of Americans would tip at least 20%.
Despite spending more on the bill, people with $100 appetites are clearly the most generous as 72% said they would tip 20% or higher. A shocking 44% said they would go up to 25%.
When the service is bad, so is the tip
Though the US tipping culture is clearly generous with its wallet, there are a few instances that would see people reduce that number considerably.
Rudeness from staff ranked highest with 79% of participants stating they would tip less. This was followed by 70% who demanded attentive staff and 51% who said that slow service impacted their tip amount.
On the food side of things, 50% admitted to tipping less if their meal was not of sufficient quality or warm enough. Cold food was followed by a dirty restaurant, which would force 46% of Americans to give a lighter tip.
Though US tipping culture is still a divisive topic, if YouGov’s survey demonstrates anything, it’s that you’re never going to please everyone. To play it safe, join the 62% of Americans who are giving the standard 15%.
