Map: America's best tippers revealed in new data
Toast’s latest analysis shows full-service diners tip 19.3% on average, while quick-service tips average 15.8% and takeout 13.7%.
- Nationwide, diners tipped roughly 19% on average across all restaurant types in Q2 2026, according to a recent Toast analysis, with tipping behavior remaining relatively steady over the past two years.
- Geographic location significantly influences gratuity; Delaware recorded the highest overall average tip percentage among states at 22.1%, while California and Washington rank among the lowest with averages running under 18%.
- Full-Service restaurants outpaced quick-service tipping by roughly 3.5 percentage points, with FSR tips averaging 19.3% and QSR tips at 15.8%, whereas takeout transactions saw the lowest average tip percentage at 13.7%.
- Survey data reveals that 77% of diners tip more at restaurants where they are regulars, with many adding an extra 5% to 15% on top of standard gratuity amounts.
- While tipping remains a hot-button topic in the United States, some restaurants are ditching gratuities altogether in favor of higher menu prices and wages, signaling potential industry transformation.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Stingy tippers, steep taxes: California and Washington state anchor the bottom of the tipping charts
Restaurant-goers in California, Washington state and D.C. are tipping less than almost anyone else in the country, and the pattern is showing up right alongside a wave of newly enacted and proposed taxes on high earners in two of those jurisdictions.
Liberal Strongholds Home to America's Stingiest Tippers
(The Daily Caller)—Some of America’s most liberal jurisdictions are home to the country’s stingiest restaurant tippers. California, Washington state and Washington, D.C., ranked near the bottom of the country for tipping during the second quarter of 2026, with diners leaving less than 18% on average, according to Toast data reported by Axios. California has one of […] The post Liberal Strongholds Home to America’s Stingiest Tippers appeared firs…
Liberal strongholds home to America’s stingiest tippers - The Daily Bo Snerdley
Some of America’s most liberal jurisdictions are home to the country’s stingiest restaurant tippers. California, Washington state and Washington, D.C., ranked near the bottom of the country for tipping, with diners leaving less than 18% on average, according to Toast data reported by Axios. California has one of the highest marginal state income tax rates in the country, while Washington enacted a 9.9% tax rate on incomes over $1 million. Califo…
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