Canadians Are So Nice They'll Even Tip For Bad Service At A Restaurant, Report Shows
Most Canadians also may not be tipping as much as you'd think. 👀
A person pays with a credit card. Right: Coins on a receipt.
When should you leave a really good tip? Tipping culture in Canada seems to be quite divisive, with little agreement on exactly how much to tip in different situations.
According to Canadians polled in a recent survey, however, how busy a restaurant is plays a part in how much tip should be left behind, and apparently even "bad service" deserves some gratuity.
In an online survey conducted by Research.co, Canadians were asked about their tipping habits, including what they think is an acceptable tip to leave at a sit-down restaurant under different circumstances.
The results indicate that Canadians as a whole are split on the issue of how much to tip and when.
According to the research, about a third of residents would leave a 15-19% tip for exceptional service in a restaurant, regardless of how busy it is on the day.
Similarly, when asked how they would tip for good (but not exceptional) service, respondents said they would tip 15-19% if the restaurant wasn't busy (34%), was busy (41%) or was exceptionally busy (37%).
Some Canadians are even inclined to tip 20% or more in some situations, with about a third of respondents saying they would be willing to leave as much gratuity for exceptional service at a restaurant that is busy or very busy.
Fewer Canadians, however, would leave the same amount for just "good" service in the same circumstances.
"When it comes to average service in any environment, about two-in-five Canadians (41%) would leave a gratuity in the 10%-to-14% range, while 28% would move into the 15%-to-19% range," says the research.
Should you tip if the service is bad?
Canadians are definitely divided on the matter of tipping when the service is below average.
As many as 36% of Canadians say they would leave a 10-14% tip for below-average service, if the worker is "clearly working in an understaffed environment."
Nearly a third of Canadians say they wouldn't tip at all, however, if they received subpar service and their server was clearly not busy.
A third of residents appear to have the opposite idea, saying they believe servers deserve a tip in all circumstances — even if the service was bad.
The survey shows that certain age groups may be more inclined to walk away without tipping for bad service.
"Two-in-five Canadians aged 55 and over (40%) would walk away from a sit-down restaurant without leaving a tip if they perceive that their server was idle and aloof," says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co.
"The proportions are lower among Canadians aged 35-to-54 (29%) and aged 18-to-34 (24%)."
While the research shows there's still not very much consensus among Canadians on when and where to tip, residents can agree on two things, at least.
According to Research.co, seven-in-ten Canadians agree on two statements. First, that "food servers cannot get by on their salaries alone—it is important to tip them."
And that “if the salaries of food servers were better, there would be no need to tip servers."
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.