64% of consumers are being guilted into tipping even when service is poor: survey

We’re guilt-tripping over guilt-tipping.

Two-thirds (65%) of American consumers are experiencing tipping fatigue — up from 60% last year and 53% in 2023, according to an annual study by Popmenu, a tech company serving more than 10,000 restaurants.

Over the last year, people have paid around $150 in tips on average, which they didn’t feel were necessary, with 44% saying they tip at places where they don’t think it’s customary. 3

And the concept of guilt tipping also goes for situations where the service was not up to par.

According to the survey, 64% have given gratuity even when they received poor service and customer expectations fell short.

Consumers also said they have added tips when they felt bad for a worker (52%) or when they wanted to avoid looking cheap (45%).

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