One third of British Columbians do not tip at restaurants when they think they had bad service, according to a new poll by Insights West.
The online poll surveyed 805 British Columbians between February 13 and 15, 2017 about their tipping habits.
Some 32% of respondents thought it was acceptable not to leave a tip at a sit-down restaurant if the service was poor and the server was not busy.
When the server is busy, diners were more understanding, with only 7% saying they would not tip.
Tip amounts range
For average service, some 35% of respondents said they usually tip 10% to 14% of their bills.
When the service is exceptional and the restaurant is very busy, British Columbians are more willing to give, it seems. Some 39% of respondents said that they would tip 20% to 25% of their bill.
Tips also vary depending on the kind of restaurant diners choose to go to. The majority of British Columbians (68%) say they do not tip at snack or to-go restaurants and 55% say the do not tip when they go to pick up their take-out meal.
British Columbians still torn about tipping
According to the survey, the majority of British Columbians do not think servers deserve a tip in all circumstances.
Only 15% of respondents say they tip every time the go out to eat. The survey highlights that respondents aged 55 and over were less likely to tip if their service was below average.
“There are some noteworthy generational gaps when assessing how and when British Columbians tip,” said Mario Canseco of Insights West.
“Millennials are more likely to expect more from food servers before deciding how much to tip, while Baby Boomers are more likely to leave absolutely nothing if the service did not meet their standards, regardless of circumstances.”
However, 71% British Columbian respondents agreed that food servers cannot get by on the wages they make alone, and 69% said that if the servers’ wages were higher, no tips would be needed.
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