Americans may be reaching a tipping point with tipping screens.
A recent Popmenu survey found that 78% of consumers believe tipping practices “have become ridiculous,” while nearly three-quarters of people — or 74% — say they’ve noticed restaurants raising the suggested gratuity amounts displayed on digital payment screens.
When faced with those prompts, 59% of the 1,000 adults surveyed in March said they feel compelled to leave a tip.
Even as consumers push back against what many call “tip creep,” restaurant owners say diners still largely support traditional tipping when service is being provided.
“It’s kind of ingrained in American culture that if you go out to dinner at a restaurant, and you sit down and you’re served, I think that a 20% tip is a good tip,” said Vicki Parmelee, owner of Jumby Bay Island Grill in Jupiter, Florida.
What customers increasingly dislike, Parmelee said, are screens that put pressure on customers to tip in situations in which gratuities were once optional or uncommon.
“It is pretty annoying to go up to a service counter and order a coffee and then have them turn around a terminal and expect a tip just for handing you a coffee,” she told Fox News Digital.
Derek Simms, CEO of Texas-based Simms Hospitality Group, which operates eight restaurants in the Dallas area, said even people inside the restaurant business sometimes feel uncomfortable with modern tipping screens.
“Even I give pause, and I’m in the restaurant business,” Simms said, calling it “a very awkward moment.”
The survey found that many consumers are bypassing the preset options altogether.
More than a third — 36% — said they typically enter a custom tip rather than selecting one of the suggested amounts shown on restaurant payment screens.
Both restaurateurs said businesses should be careful not to make customers feel pressured into leaving gratuities.
“I tell my staff that a tip is always something that’s earned,” Parmelee said. “It’s not something they should ever expect.”
Simms warned that restaurants risk damaging customer loyalty if tipping prompts feel forced.
“I don’t want to lose a customer over some weird manipulation,” he said.
The survey suggests many consumers are drawing a distinction between tipping at full-service restaurants and being asked to tip for every transaction.
While 42% said they’re becoming more comfortable with skipping gratuities in certain situations, many continue to tip restaurant servers at traditional levels.
“When you get good service, you want to reward that,” Parmelee said.
“And even though most people will tip about 20% on average, if you have an exceptional server, an exceptional experience, sometimes they tip a little bit more.”