Bad service, no tip: Most Americans demand quality before tipping

Is tipping at a tipping point?

Traditionally, 15 percent was an average tip, with 20 percent for excellent service. Now, the suggested tips on many restaurant bills include 22 percent, 25 percent and even 30 percent. As FOX News correspondent Jonathan Serrie reports, it's a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

LOS ANGELES - In the United States, tipping extends beyond a simple thank-you for service; it represents a deeply rooted cultural expectation.

However, the concept of "tipping fatigue" has become increasingly common as the scope of expected tipping widens. No longer confined to restaurants and bars, tipping often extends into sectors where it was historically uncommon.

Additionally, the relentless rise in inflation and the mounting challenges Americans face keeping up with the cost of living have fostered a growing resentment toward this established economic practice.

Resentment over "guilt tipping" has intensified significantly. A recent poll by YouGov revealed that more than half of Americans say they would "leave zero tip after receiving bad service."

This poll emerges at a time when rising living costs and ongoing wage disparities have pushed many consumers to their limits.

A WalletHub survey released in March indicated that approximately 75% of Americans worry about the increasingly unmanageable tipping culture. Over half of the consumers surveyed suspect businesses are offsetting employee wages with customer tips.

Best states for tipping

And in another survey conducted by CouponBirds, an online consumer platform, nearly 80% of respondents say businesses in which self-service machines ask for tips is "going to far."

Further evidence suggests that Americans' frustration with tipping culture is leading to tangible changes in behavior. Recent research reveals that most diners now leave less than the once-standard 18-20% gratuity after a sit-down meal.

This finding comes from a new survey on US tipping culture by the Pew Research Center, which also discovered that just over half of US adults consistently tip their bartenders.

Additionally, the survey highlighted a widespread annoyance with "tipflation," as a majority of respondents reported feeling pressured to tip in more places than they did just five years ago.