Canadians have strong feelings about tipping, and many support eliminating the practice altogether.
That’s according to survey data released today by Lightspeed Commerce Inc.
The point-of-sale and e-commerce software platform surveyed 7,500 dining customers worldwide, including 1,500 from Canada, to better understand how restaurant trends—including tipping—have evolved in the past year.
Lightspeed also surveyed consumers from Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, and the US. Participants were required to have attended a sit-down restaurant within the last six months and be over 18 years old.
Canadians feeling tipping pressure
Most Canadian respondents (67%) felt increasing pressure to tip while dining out, and 36% said they tipped because they didn’t want to come off as cheap.
Over half of Canadians (53%) said inflation and the rising cost of goods have made it harder for them to tip for service, and 25% said they tip less when they go out.
Canada was tied with Belgium for countries feeling the strongest about getting rid of the practice of tipping altogether, as over one-third (34%) of customers in Canada agreed with the sentiment compared to customers in other regions.
Last year, a report from the Angus Reid Institute found that most Canadians preferred a “service included” model, which would scrap gratuity in exchange for higher base wages for service workers.
While Canadians feel the pressures of tipping after enjoying a meal at a restaurant, Lightspeed found that almost half (48%) were supportive of tipping delivery drivers but were less inclined to tip when ordering at coffee shops (22%) or over-the-counter (15%).
The least-favoured tipping method
Canadians also have a problem with auto-tipping; 77% said they did not like prompts on payment terminals.
Some restaurants in the country have received backlash for implementing auto-gratuity.
Kei/Google Maps
In 2023, one Metro Vancouver sushi restaurant made headlines for the 15% automatic tip it added to customers’ receipts.
Many online reviews of the eatery said the automatic tip was confusing, awkward, and pressuring because it required the customer to opt out of paying the gratuity.
This restaurant covered up the “No Tip” option with a sticker to force tipping
byu/reddit_Lemur inmildlyinfuriating
Recently, another Canadian eatery left many customers outraged for hiding the “no tip” option on its machines, prompting many online comments criticizing the move.
Canada vs. the US
Compared to US customers, Canadians appear to be stingier as the majority are less likely to tip higher percentages.
Regarding larger tipping amounts, 27% of Canadians said they’re willing to tip 16-20%, compared to 38% of American respondents who said they’d tip the same amount.
Almost half (47%) of Canadian respondents preferred to tip between 10 and 15%, and 15% of survey-takers said they tipped less than 10% overall.
Another study conducted earlier this year revealed that North America has the highest tipping rates in the world. The US took the top spot with an average rate of 20%, and Canada came in second with an average rate between 15 to 20%.
If you’re unsure about how much to tip for dining and services in Canada, check out Daily Hive’s handy tipping guide.
With files from Amir Ali, Isabelle Docto, and Nikitha Martins.