ATLANTA—Frustrated with soaring costs for everyday needs and a seemingly constant pressure to tip, U.S. consumers say they are cutting back on gratuities or skipping them altogether. Most consumers (78 percent) say tipping practices at various establishments have become ridiculous, and 44 percent report tipping less this year than last year—impacting hospitality workers and other professions that count on gratuities to make a living.
Top areas where consumers say they are reducing tips in 2026 include:
- Restaurants—35 percent of consumers.
- Grocery delivery—24 percent of consumers.
- Hotel (housekeeping/bellhop)—19 percent of consumers.
- Taxi/ride services—19 percent.
- Auto repair—19 percent.
- Hair salon/barber—18 percent
This is according to ongoing tipping research by Popmenu, a tech leader serving more than 10,000 restaurants.
Growing Immune to Digital Tipping Prompts
Many consumers feel obligated to tip, so much so that 66 percent of them even tipped a worker who provided poor service. However, a growing number (42 percent) say they’re becoming more comfortable skipping gratuities for certain services.
When a digital screen asks for a tip, 59 percent of consumers feel compelled to leave one, down from 66 percent in September 2025. The share of people who say, on a weekly basis, they tip at places where it isn’t warranted also fell—from 44 percent to 39 percent. Over the last 12 months, consumers estimate they spent about $130 on tips they didn’t think were necessary, down from $150 when the same question was posed in September 2025.
Restaurant Tipping Trends
Three in four consumers (74 percent) say they have noticed restaurants raising the minimum suggested tip on digital screens (for example, from 10 percent to 15 percent). When consumers see tip recommendations on a restaurant screen:
- 36 percent typically leave a custom tip.
- 17 percent choose the lowest suggested tip.
- 32 percent choose the mid-tier tip.
- 7 percent choose the highest tip.
- 9 percent don’t typically tip.
Tipping for Delivery Drivers, Servers & Pickup Counters
The percentage of consumers tipping 20 percent or higher for restaurant servers and delivery drivers dipped over the last six months:
- 41 percent of consumers tip restaurant servers 20 percent or higher, down from 45 percent in September 2025.
- 29 percent tip servers 15 percent, on par with September 2025.
- 15 percent tip restaurant delivery drivers 20 percent or higher, down from 23 percent in September 2025.
- 27 percent tip delivery drivers 15 percent, on par with September 2025.
Separately, Popmenu tracked tipping on online orders received through its platform. The amount of pickup orders with a digital tip declined from 78 percent in 2022 to 62 percent in 2026.
Tipping by Restaurant Type
While consumers tend to tip more often at full-service establishments, other types of restaurants are also impacted by changes in tipping habits.
- 39 percent of consumers tip at coffee shops, down from 46 percent in September 2025.
- 27 percent tip at food trucks, down from 32 percent in September 2025.
- 22 percent tip at fast food restaurants, down from 27 percent in September 2025.
“Tip-reliant professions are feeling the financial impact of tipping fatigue more than anyone,” said Brendan Sweeney, CEO and Co-founder of Popmenu. “This is compounded by customers having less disposable income due to inflated costs for food, energy and other necessities. Restaurants and other industries need to work even harder to drive more traffic through their doors and ensure workers earn what they need.”
If given a choice, 56 percent of consumers are willing to pay more for meals and beverages to provide higher wages for workers and eliminate tips.
Survey Methodology
Popmenu conducted an anonymous, nationwide study of 1,000 U.S. consumers, ages 18 and older, from March 15 to March 16, 2026.
