Between March 10 and April 4, 2026, Fox News Digital ran two tipping stories that read well side by side: one on a WalletHub survey of U.S. adults and one on Rick Steves’s advice for dining in Europe. Both lean on etiquette and hospitality experts to explain when a tip prompt deserves a tap and when it deserves a skip. Five rules come out of those reports and a few companion sources, and they are laid out below.
1. Hit Skip on Simple Exchanges
Diane Gottsman, owner of the etiquette-focused Protocol School of Texas, told Fox News Digital that a simple exchange, such as buying a cup of coffee, is a fine moment to select “skip” or “no tip.” In her words, not every exchange requires gratuity. Jules Hirst, owner of Etiquette Consulting Inc. in California, went a step further and said nobody should be tipping when the customer has grabbed their own water from the refrigerator.
The Emily Post Institute’s general tipping guide lands in the same place for counter service. It lists no obligation to tip on takeout, with about 10% reserved for extra service such as curb delivery or a large, complicated order. Tip jars also carry no obligation, and the guide says an occasional tip fits when a barista or server provides a little something extra.
Pre-filled prompts are a sore spot. Bankrate’s 2025 tipping survey, published June 4, 2025, found that 38 percent of Americans are annoyed by pre-entered tip screens. Another 27 percent said they tip less or not at all when one appears, while 11 percent said they tip more. CraftingYourHome.com has a post titled 11 Old-Fashioned Manners Parents Insisted On That Still Matter.
2. Save the Bigger Tip for Service That Goes Above and Beyond
Hirst described tipping as meant for service that goes above and beyond, and the restaurant side of the debate agrees on the principle. Vicki Parmelee, owner of Jumby Bay Island Grill in Jupiter, Florida, told Fox News Digital that tips should be earned rather than expected. She is skeptical of a “no-tip standard,” which usually means a mandatory service fee, because “there’s no incentive for the servers to be attentive and give extra-good service.”
The chief financial officer of New Jersey-based Triple T Hospitality Group, speaking to Fox News Digital, made a similar point from the operator’s chair. “Tipping is not about replacing wages, but about rewarding exceptional hospitality,” he said, adding that servers are specially trained and highly skilled. Frenz Hub has a post titled 22 Red Flags That Scream ‘Run’ When Dining At A Restaurant.
3. Remember How Sit-Down Servers Are Paid
Gottsman acknowledged “tip fatigue,” but she noted that restaurant servers are generally paid a lower base salary. If tipping were banned, she said, hourly wages would need to rise. Wikipedia, citing the U.S. Department of Labor, describes the federal rule this way: a tipped employee can be paid $2.13 an hour in direct wages as long as that amount plus tips reaches the federal minimum wage, and the employer must make up any difference.
Michelle Korsmo, president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association, told Fox News Digital that research shows tipped servers earn a median of $27 per hour. That figure comes from the industry group and is worth reading as such. WalletHub’s survey found a different mood among consumers, with three in five respondents saying businesses are replacing employee salaries with customer tips. CraftingYourHome.com has a post titled 9 Money Lessons Many People Wish Their Parents Had Taught Them.
For a full-service meal, the Emily Post guide puts the usual range at 15 to 20 percent of the pre-tax bill, and 10 percent at a buffet. Bankrate found that 70 percent of restaurant-goers always tip sit-down servers, up from 67 percent in 2024, and that 35 percent typically tip at least 20 percent. Frenz Hub has a post titled 15 Old-School Etiquette Rules That Have Disappeared.
4. Match the Local Custom When Eating Abroad
Steves, the travel writer, wrote in a blog post that leaving loose change on a table in Europe is “just raising the bar and messing up the local balance.” Fox News Digital, citing Mashed, reported that coins left as a tip can come across as rude in Germany, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg, plus parts of Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
His alternative is face to face. When settling a 10-euro bill with a 20-euro note, a diner says “Eleven, please,” which signals the server to keep one euro and return the rest in change. Steves put around 5 percent as adequate and 10 percent as generous, and said 15 to 20 percent can look excessive. He advised “resist the urge to tip American-style.”
Steve Schwab, CEO of the vacation rental company Casago in Arizona, cautioned against lumping Europe into one place. Nordic countries are the ones where tipping is least expected, he said, largely because wages are high or service charges are already on the bill. Frenz Hub has a post titled 12 Laws And Rules About Food In Other Countries.
Cash is also worth a thought. Steves noted that some businesses may not pass along card-based gratuities in full, so a tip handed directly to the server is the surer route. He recommended skipping tips at casual counter spots, rounding up taxi fares and giving small tips to guides and hotel staff.
5. Read the Bill Before Adding Anything
Service charges are the quiet complication behind many tip prompts. Fox News Digital’s travel story says experts recommend reviewing bills carefully for built-in service charges and watching local customs before deciding what to leave. Wikipedia’s entry on tipping notes that tipping may not be expected when a fee is explicitly charged for the service.
The WalletHub survey suggests many diners have strong feelings here. It found that 83 percent back banning automatic service charges, and nearly nine in 10 said tipping culture is “out of control.” Mandatory fees are generally framed as a fair way to pay workers who serve large parties, according to the same report, which also quotes WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo saying tips now reach well beyond sit-down restaurants, bars and hair salons.
A reality check applies to the headline numbers. WalletHub’s results come from an online survey of 200 U.S. adults, a small sample, and the Bankrate figures are from 2025. Still, the experts quoted agree on the basics: skipping the screen when nothing was served, rewarding service that stands out, and checking the bill before tipping on top of a fee.
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Image: Florian Plag – CC BY 2.0/Wikimedia Commons
