The issue of tipping in restaurants remains a hotly debated topic.
Whether you're working at a full-service or quick-service restaurant, the debate can get particularly heated when it comes to when and how much customers should tip.
SpotOn Survey Published in May The survey found that restaurant workers have a wide range of tipping expectations, with more than a third of respondents saying 15% is the “minimum percentage” they expect “based on service.” Around 28% expect customers to give 14%, 11% want 20% and 8% want 18%.
And this month, Toast's “Q2 2024 Restaurant Trends ReportThe '' on typical tipping rates across the United States may provide further food for thought regarding tipping habits.
The company found that in the five states where people tend to tip most heavily at restaurants, the average tip percentage was above 20% in all cases.
Toast used only data from card and digital tip payments at restaurants that use its technology to compile its rankings, which the company said were made between April 1 and the end of June.
The 5 states with the highest tipping rates
1. Delaware
According to Toast, Delaware restaurant diners gave an average tip of 21.5% in the second quarter, a rate that puts the aptly nicknamed “First State” first in tipping for the second consecutive quarter.
2. West Virginia
The data showed that West Virginia's average restaurant tip was 20.5 percent, just 1 percentage point lower than Delaware.
3. Indiana
Generally, Indiana residents tip 20.4% of their order, reports Toast. When it comes to tipping at full-service restaurants, Indiana's average is a bit higher.
4. New Hampshire
New Hampshire ranked fourth with an average tip rate of 20.4 percent, tied with Indiana.
5. Kentucky
Toast said the Bluegrass State ranked in the top five states for the highest average tip amount. Overall, the tip percentage was 20.3%.
Meanwhile, Toast magazine reports that states with the lowest average tip rates in the second quarter included California, Washington, Nevada, Florida and Louisiana. The lowest was the Golden State, at 17.3%.
How chips changed quarter-over-quarter
Toast's ranking of the “best and worst tipping states” was accompanied by a survey finding that the national average restaurant tip in the second quarter was 18.8% compared to 18.9% in the first quarter.
Like tipping overall, tips at full-service and quick-service restaurants also fell by 0.1 percentage points from quarter to quarter. The average for full-service restaurants was 19.3%, and for quick-service places it was 15.9%, Toast estimates.
Toast's report also included other data on the restaurant industry, such as the types of foods quick-service restaurant customers prefer to eat at lunchtime and sales trends at those same restaurants.
