Posted on 06/08/2026 1:30:34 PM PDT by Angelino97
After years of being asked to leave gratuities everywhere from coffee shops and takeout counters to ride-share apps and self-service kiosks, many consumers say they have had enough - and are now tipping less than they did just a year ago.
A new nationwide survey found that 78 percent of Americans believe tipping culture has become 'ridiculous,' while nearly half say they have actively cut back on gratuities in 2026 as household budgets come under increasing pressure.
The findings, from restaurant technology company Popmenu, suggest a growing backlash against what many consumers see as relentless requests for extra money on top of already rising prices.
According to the survey of 1,000 adults, 44 percent of consumers say they are tipping less this year than they were in 2025...
Restaurants have been hit hardest by the backlash, with 35 percent of respondents saying they have reduced tips when dining out.
Grocery delivery services followed at 24 percent, while hotels, ride-share services, auto repair businesses and hair salons also saw notable declines.
The research points to growing 'tipping fatigue' among consumers who are grappling with higher costs for food, housing, utilities and other everyday expenses...
Nearly three-quarters of respondents said they have noticed restaurants increasing suggested tip amounts on checkout screens, with many establishments now prompting customers to leave 15 percent, 20 percent or even 25 percent gratuities.
While 59 percent of consumers still say they feel pressured to tip when presented with a digital prompt, that figure has fallen from 66 percent just six months ago, suggesting people are becoming more comfortable clicking 'no tip.'
42 percent of respondents said they now feel increasingly comfortable skipping gratuities altogether for services where tipping was not traditionally expected.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.com ...
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if you ever visit Japan, you’ll wonder why we tip at all. They have better service, cheaper prices, and no tipping.
Unless it is a family outing, I’ve pretty much stopped going out to eat.
Most of the food I cook is better than anything I’d find in a restaurant these days.
Thank you Alton Brown, Andrew Gruel, Bobby Flay, and the folks at Meat Church... :-)
Indirect TDS symptom? No taxes on tips....
I believe no tipping is the standard for the Japanese. Some services feel insulted if you tip. Check around before venturing out and dropping money on the table.
Japan is awesome. Lived there for 16 years and try to visit every three years. I’d do it annually if it wasn’t so expensive to fly there. Even McDonalds gives you higher quality food than their American counterpart and change on a full meal for the smallest 1000 yen note (about $6.60).
I tip in sevices I grew up with but my frequenting those places and services has been reduced greatly. Almost zero in many instances.
One weird trick!
If you’re not taking my order, refilling my drinks and bringing my food to my table, you’re not getting a tip. If you stand behind a counter to do nothing but take my order and my money, all you get is what I owe you for the product. Wait staff don’t get the same hourly wage counter help gets.
Otherwise, each table should have a kiosk instead and someone (or a robot) will bring the meal to you.
If you're doing those things, you're working for me ... and I'll pay you for it.
The latest trend I’ve seen is restaurants adding in 15-18 percent gratuity to the bill no matter the party size. The excuse is that it enable the restaurant to provide benefits to the employees. My take is that means it is no longer a gratuity but a surcharge. If the owner can’t afford to offer benefits without padding the bill then the owner needs to change menu prices overall. This is also being done because the owner wants to be sure the wait staff is making minimum wage so that the owner won’t have to cover any difference.
It’s not being done because the owner is a good guy. It’s being done because he wants customers to pay the cost of doing business.
Tipping is supposed to show appreciation for good or exemplary service, not something 'strongly encouraged' by an establishment as a requirement.
That’s my point...Japan is cheaper, better service, and NO TIPPING.
I still tip at a restaurant for good service, but I refuse to tip at a donut shop or ice cream parlor if I’m walking up to the counter placing my order and taking it with me.
We don’t have any decent restaurants in the county. We just don’t even bother. You can’t even get delivery. The Albanian pizza joint for takeout is about it.
I’m married to a Japanese woman...we try to go at least once a year if not twice and for at least 6 weeks each time.
it’s like 1950s america values and service. It’s truly amazing.
Uh, restaurants aren't hardest hit. Waiters and waitresses are hardest hit. Especially if their base comp is reduced by the restaurant on the assumption that they are going to get tipped no matter what.
In my personal experience, I don’t see the 10% offering anymore. It’s 15, 20, and 25.
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