How Much to Tip at a Restaurant?
Sit-down dining is the most settled tipping situation in the US, and also the one people double check most often. The working standard for table service is 18-20% of the bill, with 20% the default most diners land on and 18% a perfectly normal choice on a large check. Counter service, takeout, and buffets run on different, looser rules. Enter your bill above to get the exact amount, and use the split control to divide it across the table.
Quick answer: tip 18-20% for table service. On a $60 dinner that is $10.80-12. Check the bill for an auto-gratuity line before you add anything on a big table.
Standard restaurant tips
| Bill | 18% | 20% |
|---|---|---|
| $20 | $3.60 | $4 |
| $40 | $7.20 | $8 |
| $60 | $10.80 | $12 |
| $100 | $18 | $20 |
| $150 | $27 | $30 |
What the tip actually covers
In most US restaurants the tip is not a bonus on top of a full wage. Many states allow a lower tipped minimum wage, with the restaurant topping up only if tips fall short, so the tip is a large share of what dining room staff take home. That is the practical reason 18-20% settled in as the standard for table service, and why a server notices a 10% tip in a way a barista does not.
Your server also rarely keeps the whole thing. Most restaurants run a tip-out at the end of a shift: a share goes to bussers, food runners, bartenders, and sometimes the host stand. Tip-outs are usually calculated on a server's sales rather than on the tips actually collected, which means a table that leaves nothing can cost the server money on that check. That is worth knowing before you use a zero tip to make a point.
Pre-tax or on the total?
Both are defensible and nobody at the table will audit you. Tipping on the pre-tax subtotal is the traditional norm, since sales tax is money the restaurant never keeps. Tipping on the grand total is simpler, slightly more generous, and increasingly common because card terminals suggest percentages of the total. The gap is small: on an $80 check in an 8% tax area, tipping 20% on the total rather than the subtotal costs about $1.28. Pick the one you will apply consistently and stop thinking about it.
Worked examples
- Weeknight dinner for two, $64: $11.52 at 18%, $12.80 at 20%. Most people round to $13 and move on.
- Sit-down lunch, $18: 20% is $3.60. On small checks people usually round up, because the server did the same work as at dinner for a fraction of the total.
- Dinner with a $60 bottle of wine, $150 total: $27-30. The standard is to tip on the whole check, wine included; the server still opened it, poured it, and is tipping out the bar on it.
Counter service, takeout, and buffets
The percentage rules apply to table service. When you order at a counter and carry your own tray, tipping is genuinely discretionary. For takeout there is no obligation, though 10% or a couple of dollars is a kind gesture on a large or fussy order that somebody packed, checked, and bagged. At a buffet a server still clears plates, refills drinks, and runs your card, so $1-2 per person or roughly 10% is the usual gesture. Curbside pickup sits in the same range as takeout.
Large parties and auto-gratuity
Most restaurants add an automatic gratuity, usually 18-20%, once a party reaches six or eight people. It should be printed on the menu and itemized on the check. Read the check before you write anything, because the printed card slip often still shows a blank tip line under a total that already includes the gratuity. That is the single most common way groups tip twice. Our large group tipping page covers splitting, birthday conventions, and what to do when the service charge is already there.
When the service goes wrong
A zero tip is a blunt instrument. It mostly punishes the server for a slow kitchen, a missing side, or a floor with two people calling out sick. If the problem can be fixed, say so while you are still sitting there; most restaurants would rather remake a dish than lose a regular. If the service itself was genuinely poor, 10-15% and a quiet word with the manager sends a clearer signal than nothing at all, because nothing reads as forgetfulness. If a dish was comped, tip on what the bill would have been before the comp.
Coupons, holidays, and regulars
Tip on the full pre-discount value whenever you use a coupon, a prix fixe promotion, or a gift card. The kitchen cooked and the server ran the same meal regardless of what you paid for it. Around the holidays, regulars at a neighborhood restaurant often add a little extra to their last few visits of the year, and a note with the name of the server who always looks after you carries further than the money does. If a holiday surcharge appears on the check, it is a menu price adjustment rather than a tip, so tip as usual on top of it.
Common questions
Is 20% still the standard restaurant tip?
Yes, for table service in the US. Eighteen to twenty percent is the working range, and 20% is the number most diners default to because the mental math is easy and it holds up at any check size. Eighteen percent is completely normal on a large bill, and going above 20% is how people mark unusually good service or a table they camped at for three hours. Counter service, takeout, and buffets are a separate conversation with much looser expectations.
Do you tip on the pre-tax or post-tax total?
Either is defensible. Tipping on the pre-tax subtotal is the traditional norm, since sales tax never belongs to the restaurant. Tipping on the grand total is simpler and slightly more generous, and it is what card terminals suggest by default. The difference is usually a dollar or two, so consistency matters more than the choice. If you want a single habit that never causes second-guessing, tip 20% on the total and let the tax rounding fall where it may.
Do I still tip if gratuity is already added?
No extra is required. An automatic gratuity of 18-20% on a large party is the tip, and the staff receive it. Watch the printed card slip, which often leaves a blank tip line under a total that already includes the service charge; that blank line is how groups end up tipping twice. If the service was genuinely excellent you can add a small amount on top, but treat that as a bonus rather than an obligation.
How much do you tip for takeout?
Nothing is required for takeout you collect yourself. Ten percent, or a couple of dollars, is a common gesture on a big or complicated order that someone assembled, checked, and bagged, and at a place you order from every week. Small independent restaurants often split takeout tips among the front-of-house staff. If the counter tablet suggests 20% on a bag of food you are carrying home yourself, choosing a lower option or no tip is unremarkable.
What should I tip for bad service?
Ten to fifteen percent and a quiet word to the manager communicates more than a zero. Leaving nothing reads as forgetfulness or hostility, and it can actually cost the server money because tip-outs to bussers and bartenders are usually calculated on sales rather than on tips collected. If the failure was in the kitchen rather than on the floor, the server is the wrong target entirely. Speak up during the meal whenever the problem is still fixable.
Do you tip on alcohol at a restaurant?
Yes, at the same percentage as the food when it is on your dinner check. The server took the order, opened and poured the bottle, and is tipping out the bar on those sales at the end of the night. Some people scale back on an unusually expensive bottle where the work was identical to a cheap one; that is a personal call, and dropping to 15% on the wine alone is the usual version of it. If you drink at the bar first, see our bartender tipping page.
Is it better to tip in cash or on the card?
Cash reaches the server the same night and is often preferred, especially at small restaurants. Card tips are perfectly normal, arrive in a paycheck, and are easier to track for your own budgeting. What matters far more than the method is that the tip-out to bussers and runners happens either way, so a card tip is not somehow lesser. If you pay by card and want to add a cash tip, tell the server so it is not mistaken for someone else's change.
← More tipping guides · tipping for a large group · tipping a bartender · FAQ