To tip or not to tip? Changing expectations confound customers 

At the Sub Shop at 3123 W. 11th Ave. in Eugene, LaRese Herron, who is working behind the counter, has an easy answer when asked about tipping. 

“There’s never enough!” she said with a laugh. 

She believes tipping is something that you just have to do, even when money is tight. 

“I was raised to tip,” Herron said. “My mom always tipped, so that’s why I tip. I just don’t believe in holding those dollars for dear life and not sharing. So even when I know I don’t have it, I still tip.”

Herron’s sister, LaShena Norwood, also works at The Sub Shop. It’s her first job. Norwood has been working there for only about a month, but said people most often leave “whatever they have,” she said. “Whatever their change is.”

Norwood appreciates cash tips, so she has some money at the end of a shift. For Norwood and Herron, the best tip day they’ve had so far was $13 each in cash.

“Other than that, I’ve made $7, $9,” Norwood said. “In two weeks of working here, I had, like, $60.”

Tipping has changed. Before COVID, a 20% tip was considered generous, with 15% the norm. A 10% tip was almost seen as an insult, an option reserved for bad service. 

Now, in a post-COVID world, as much of food service has transitioned from full-service at sit-down restaurants to counter service and takeout, customers are being asked for tips every time they swipe their card. Customers often freeze up when they’re faced with the tipping options on a screen for what seems like minimal service — such as a coffee and pastry to go. What is appropriate? Add in a layer of economic uncertainty, and people don’t know how to react.  

A 2023 Pew Research Center report showed 72% of U.S. adults say tipping is expected in more places today than five years ago. Only about a third of those polled said they feel confident about knowing when to tip and how much to tip. According to the poll, for most people, tipping is still closely related to service, with 77% saying the quality of the service they receive is a major factor in how much they tip.

Tipping shows consumer sentiment

At full-service restaurant Agate Alley Bistro, 1461 E. 19th Ave. in Eugene, server Grace Terramana has noticed a change in tipping patterns. The 21-year-old, who has worked in food service for four years, reports that tips have dropped since the beginning of 2025. 

“Honestly, I’ve noticed that since things have started to change in the United States with the president and everything, tip percentages have gone down a bit,” she said. “I had been getting an average of 20%. (Now it’s) down to like an average of 15%.”

Terramana thinks that decrease can be attributed to people worried about their financial future. The prices of many items have gone up, and people don’t have as much money to spend. But she believes that if people are going out to eat, particularly at a full-service place, then a tip needs to be factored into the price they should expect to pay. 

In Lane County, the standard hourly wage is $14.70 (it’s $15.95 in the Portland metro area and $13.70 in rural areas). In Oregon, tips do not count against hourly pay. Employers can require workers to pool tips with other workers, however. That’s the case at Agate Alley, where Terramana shares the tips she earns with other staff.

“I think something that a lot of people forget is that as a server, we still have to tip out the bartender and tip out the kitchen and tip out the host,” she said. “So when we get a low tip or no tip, we’re losing money by having to tip out other people. The tip is a very important part of our pay.”

Terramana relies on tips as a substantial part of her income to help pay her bills, and she thinks a 20% tip should be the standard for full service. She says about twice a day people leave no tip, even after they’ve been served in the restaurant. 

She doesn’t expect to get 20% for takeout orders, but she says leaving something is still appreciated. 

“I see that a lot of people for takeout usually just leave a few bucks or nothing at all,” she said. “I think it’s still nice to leave a couple bucks, at least, because the kitchen is still doing work, and most of that tip does go to the kitchen for the takeout. The bartender at our restaurant gets a little bit of the tip because they bag up the orders and cash out everything, so the servers really don’t get anything from that.”

Terramana said when people don’t leave a tip she doesn’t take it personally, because she knows it’s not a reflection of the quality of her service. And she assumes people don’t realize she is required to share the tips. 

“I get why people who’ve never worked in restaurants don’t understand tipping,” she said. “What they don’t realize is that when you don’t tip we still have to tip out the bartenders, bussers, and other staff regardless. So when I give great service but don’t get a tip they probably just don’t know that I have to share.”

Food cart etiquette

Emma Laurel, 26, understands the distinction between full-service and counter-service expectations. Laurel works at both the full-service restaurant Spice N Steam, 165 W. 11th Ave., and at the restaurant’s Steam Station food cart, which is parked at 725 Olive St. 

A typical tip at the food cart is $1 or $2, which she says seems reasonable given the price point of the meals at the cart. For larger orders, customers sometimes leave $4 or $5, which Laurel says is “very generous.” While she still personally sees 15% to 20% as a standard, she doesn’t expect the same level of tipping at the cart as she does in the restaurant setting.

“At the cart, you’re not waiting on tables, (people are) just here for the food,” Laurel said. “At the restaurant, tips are split for everybody, so even the kitchen will get some. But here it feels a little bit less expected, but still appreciated.”

Laurel said she definitely relies on tips.

“Sometimes it makes a big difference,” she said.

Counter service conundrum

At Perugino Coffee House, 767 Willamette St., the card machine suggests tip amounts at 18%, 20%, and 22%.

“I’d say most people tip, but we don’t really have an average amount,” said barista Aurora Feuerborn, who has worked there about a year.

Feuerborn says she often notices customers pausing while they try to figure out whether to push an automatic tip button or hit the custom button. 

“I think that it tries to prompt people to leave a higher tip, but I think it probably does the opposite,” she said. “I know so many people are really annoyed with the tip prompts, so it’s probably off-putting.”

She does notice how much people tip or if someone leaves no tip, especially if someone orders multiple coffees or food items, but she purposefully doesn’t lurk over people as they’re deciding on an amount.

“I try to step away when it comes to that screen, so I’m not looking at it,” she said. “I don’t want to pressure anyone, so I just walk away and let them do it, and then I’ll look after they leave and walk away.”

Perugino is a spot that enjoys a lot of regular customers. Feuerborn says there is no tipping standard or pattern, even among the regulars. 

“We see a lot of the same people every day,” she said. “Sometimes they’ll leave a really nice tip. Sometimes there’s no tip at all. Then there are some people who just never tip.”

When there’s no tip, Feuerborn questions whether it was related to the quality of the food or service, but she never asks. She says the weeks of the winter holidays are when tips are at their lowest, presumably because people are spending on other things. And in summer when there’s more foot traffic, she tends to get more tips. The tips help a lot, because that amount equates to her spending money.

She says there is no ideal tip amount, though it is “really nice” when people leave $1 or more. But more important than the amount is the act of tipping itself. 

“It’s best if people just leave something, even if it’s not very much, just to acknowledge that we are behind the counter, making something,” she said. 

Adapting to new realities

Chris Calise is a longtime Eugene resident and administrator of the Eugene Foodies! Facebook group. Calise and his wife, Kathy Calise, have adjusted their tipping amounts slightly downward now that they are retired and living on a fixed income.  

“We always have tipped 20%, but now we are more like 15%,” Chris Calise said. 

The Calises are also dine out less frequently and make strategic choices about where to spend their tipping dollars. Calise advocates for treating tips as part of the expected cost of going out to eat, whether getting takeout or full-service.

“If you go to a restaurant and you can’t afford the tip, you probably shouldn’t be there,” he said. 

Calise acknowledged that every individual situation is different and there are other complicating factors, such as point-of-sale systems that prompt people to leave higher tip percentages. Some start at 15%, while others start at 18% or even 20%. Some have implemented automatic gratuities that may not immediately be obvious.

“We’ve had situations where we got home and realized that we tipped 20% off of their automatic 20%,” he said. “I have a hard time with that kind of process.” 

Calise said he doesn’t think anyone should feel bad about ignoring the high tip prompts and hitting the custom tip button. 

“It’s all subjective to what we’re eating and where we’re at,” he said, adding that he thinks people should always try to tip something.

Ultimately, there doesn’t seem to be a tipping standard. Perhaps the only expectation is to leave something, even if it’s just the change or adding a couple of dollars, to show appreciation for the effort the person or team made to prepare and serve the order. 

In an era where “nobody is sure about anything anymore,” as Calise puts it, perhaps the most important guideline is simply this: For food or beverages, whether from a service window or a full-service restaurant, factor in a gratuity.