How Much to Tip Restaurants in United States
Tip 18% (typically 15–20%) for restaurants in United States.
Standard sit-down dining. 20%+ for excellent service. Tip is calculated on the pre-tax total.
A viral clip a few years back showed a tourist staring, genuinely stunned, at a card machine offering 18%, 20% or 25% — for a coffee and a muffin, at a counter, with no table service at all. The replies split into two camps: American servers explaining that tipped minimum wage is real and can be as low as $2.13 an hour, and everyone else asking why a counter transaction needed a tip screen in the first place. Both were right. At an actual sit-down restaurant, 18–20% genuinely is the wage top-up it looks like. At the counter, you're allowed to hit "no tip" without a flicker of guilt.
Good to know
- Cash or card? Card and cash both work.
- Country norm: Tipping is expected in United States and is an important part of service workers' pay.
- See the full United States tipping guide →
What the tip screen doesn't tell you
The three preset percentages on a US restaurant card machine (usually 18%, 20% and 25%) are calculated on the pre-tax subtotal on most point-of-sale systems — but not all of them, and a few default to the post-tax total without saying so. If a bill looks unusually high, glance at the subtotal line before you tap a percentage rather than after.
Groups of six or more: check for automatic gratuity
Most US restaurants automatically add an 18–20% "gratuity" line to the bill for large parties — typically six or more people — precisely because big tables are more work to split and more likely to under-tip per head. It will usually be printed on the check itself, sometimes labelled "service charge" rather than "tip." If you see it, that's your tip — adding another 18–20% on top is a common and easy mistake for visitors to make.
Wine, cocktails and expensive bottles
The same percentage generally applies to alcohol as to food — tip 18–20% on the full bill, drinks included. The one exception is a genuinely expensive bottle of wine at a high-end restaurant: some diners tip a flat $10–20 on top of a percentage-based tip on the rest of the bill, since 20% of a $200 bottle mostly rewards the price of the wine rather than the effort of serving it. Neither approach is wrong; the flat-plus-percentage method is simply more common at the top end.
Buffets and counter service
Tip less at a buffet — 10% is standard, since staff are mainly clearing plates and refilling drinks rather than taking orders and running food. At true counter service (order at a register, food brought to your table or collected yourself), a tip is appreciated but genuinely optional; if you do tip, $1–2 or rounding up the total is normal, not a percentage.
FAQs: tipping restaurants in United States
Do restaurants automatically add a tip for large groups?
Often, yes — many US restaurants add an 18–20% "gratuity" or "service charge" line automatically for parties of six or more. Check the bill before adding a tip on top; it will usually already be there.
Should I tip differently on wine or an expensive bottle?
The standard percentage is fine in most cases. At a high-end restaurant, some diners tip a flat $10–20 on a genuinely expensive bottle rather than a full percentage, since the cost reflects the wine, not the service.
What about tipping at a buffet?
Less than a sit-down meal — around 10% is standard, since staff are mainly clearing plates and refilling drinks rather than taking your order and running food.
Is the 18/20/25% button calculated before or after tax?
Usually the pre-tax subtotal, but not always — some point-of-sale systems default to the post-tax total. Check the number shown on screen if the bill looks unusually high.