FOOD NEWS
How High Can Tipping Percentages Really Go?
By Nick Johnson
It’s a standard practice across the U.S. to give the service employee a percentage of the total bill as a tip, but it isn’t always easy to decide how much you should tip. With tipping etiquette frequently changing, and people being asked to tip more often, and in greater amounts, the tipping culture has become a bit more complicated.
At one point in history, you only needed to add an extra 10% for your waiter, which rose to 15% around the ‘70s at some upper-end establishments, and 20% became the norm in the ‘90s. A 2022 survey revealed that just under half of all restaurant diners gave a 20% tip to their servers, and 17% gave out a tip in excess of 20%.
The COVID-19 pandemic saw a further surge in tipping percentage, although it is currently lower than what it was during the height of the pandemic. However, there are still some places where high tips are the norm, with the citizens of both New Hampshire and Ohio tipping the highest – 19% of them routinely dole out 25% gratuities.