Average tip percentage
About 19% at US full-service restaurants: 19.3% in the first quarter of 2026, according to Toast's Restaurant Trends report. Counter-service tips average several points lower.
Where does your tip land?
16.7%. Acceptable, a bit under the full-service average.
What the data says
- Full-service restaurants: Toast, a restaurant payment platform, reports the average full-service tip at 19.3% in Q1 2026, up from a seven-year low of 19.1% in Q2 2025.
- All restaurants: across full- and quick-service combined, Toast's average has hovered around 18.8% for two years.
- Quick service: counter-service tips run several points below full service, a gap Toast has tracked since 2018. A 14–16% counter tip is roughly in line with it, and many customers don't tip at all at counters.
These figures come from card payments at restaurants that use Toast, so they leave out cash tips and restaurants on other systems. They're still one of the largest measured samples of what Americans actually tip.
What it means for your next bill
If you tip 18–20% of the pre-tax bill at a sit-down restaurant, you're right in line with everyone else. Use the tip calculator to get the exact figure, or see how much to tip for other services.
Questions people ask
What is the average tip percentage at restaurants?
Around 19% at US full-service restaurants, according to Toast's quarterly Restaurant Trends reports (19.3% in Q1 2026). Quick-service tips average several points lower.
Is 20% the standard tip now?
For sit-down service, 18–20% is the everyday norm and 20% is a very common choice. The measured average sits just under 20% because some diners leave 15%.
Why do average tip percentages differ between sources?
Payment-processor data (like Toast or Square) measures what was actually tipped on card transactions at their merchants. Surveys measure what people say they tip. The two rarely match exactly, and cash tips are hard to count.