Has The U.S. Gratuity Culture Reached A Tipping Point? The Question

Since a wave of generosity inspired by the pandemic, Americans are tipping more often, in more places — and increasingly, the thrill of supporting frontline workers is gone.

It has devolved into what many now call “tipflation,” a system marked by digital prompts, rising expectations and growing backlash.

During the pandemic, tipping became a way for customers to support frontline workers in restaurants, delivery services and other industries hit hard by shutdowns. Businesses, facing labor shortages and financial strain, actively encouraged gratuities as an added source of income for employees.

That moment of goodwill had lasting effects.

Today, Americans are being asked to tip in far more situations than before — from coffee counters to self-checkout kiosks. About 72 percent of U.S. adults say tipping is expected in more places than it was five years ago, according to Pew Research Center data.

The spread of digital payment systems has helped drive that change. Tablet-based checkout screens now routinely suggest tips of 20 percent or higher, sometimes for transactions that previously never involved gratuities.

At first, consumers largely went along.

Average restaurant tips climbed to nearly 20 percent in 2021, reflecting pandemic-era solidarity with workers. But as inflation pushed up prices and tipping requests multiplied, that generosity began to wane. By 2024 and 2025, average tips had dipped back down, signaling what some analysts describe as a backlash, The Guardian reported.

The result is a complicated new landscape: Americans are still tipping, but with more frustration and uncertainty. Industry observers say the phenomenon has created competing pressures.

For example, workers increasingly rely on tips to keep up with rising living costs, while customers report feeling guilted into tipping in situations where it once wasn’t expected, according to a survey by Popmenu, a digital marketing and technology platform for restaurants.

What was once a relatively straightforward custom — 15 percent to 20 percent for restaurant service — has become a broader, more ambiguous social expectation.

And as the pandemics legacy continues to ripple through the service economy, the question remains unsettled: not just how much to tip, but whether the system itself still works.

What do you think? We’re asking for The Question, a new feature found exclusively on Patch. The Question is structured similarly to Block Talk, Patch’s exclusive neighborhood etiquette column, and readers provide the answers. The Question explores a broader array of etiquette questions and what to do in certain situations.

Just fill out the survey below. Be assured, we don’t collect email addresses.

About The Question

The Question is an exclusive Patch series posing a broad array of questions on etiquette and what to do in certain situations — and readers provide the answers. If you have a topic you'd like for us to consider, email beth.dalbey@patch.com with "The Question" as the subject line.