Tip calculator
In 1966, 10% was a good tip. In 2000, 15% was standard. In 2024, point-of-sale systems default to 18%, 20%, 22%, and guilt does the rest. Tipped workers in the U.S. can legally be paid $2.13/hour if tips bring them to minimum wage — a rule unchanged since 1991. When you tip, you're often paying the bulk of someone's hourly income.
Good to know
The 20% default is relatively new. In the 1990s, 15% was standard and 20% was generous. Restaurant industry lobbying, point-of-sale psychology, and rising awareness of server wages pushed the norm higher. Servers who remember 15% as standard may be your parents' age. This isn't inflation — it's cultural shift.
Counter service tipping is a gray area. When you order at a counter, carry your own food, and bus your own table, the traditional tipping rationale (service over time) doesn't apply. Yet screens now prompt 20%+ for coffee you watched being made. There's no consensus here. Tip what feels right, not what the screen suggests.
Tip pooling changes where your money goes. Many restaurants pool tips among servers, bussers, bartenders, and sometimes kitchen staff. Your 20% to your server might be split six ways. In theory, this distributes income more fairly. In practice, it can obscure who benefits from your generosity. Tipping cash directly to your server ensures they receive it.