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Waiters and waitress who seek a better tip now have a solid profile of the patron to covet: a man from the Northeast who is a baby boomer using a credit card. And a Republican.
Those groups have a median tip rate of 20% of the total bill at U.S. restaurants, according to a new survey from financial website creditcards.com, conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. Women have a median tip of 16%, while Democrats and Southerners have a median of 15%, the survey adds.
Another survey finding: the median tip, for years commonly known as 15%, has increased to 18%. That finding shifts geographically. Nearly two out of three people in the Northeast, for example, 62%, say they leave tips that exceed 15%, the survey reports. That rate drops to 57% in the Midwest; 51% in the West; and 46% in the South.
The survey, in one sense, follows the money. The top tippers are mostly demographics with higher income levels, which provides a greater opportunity to leave a little extra.
What about tips at Starbucks and coffee shop— the tip or not tip debate? It's still undecided: The survey found that 29% always tip a barista, while 30% say they never do.
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