How Much to Tip at a Restaurant in the US

In the United States, tipping isn't optional the way it is in much of the world — restaurant servers are often paid a reduced "tipped minimum wage," and tips make up the bulk of their income. So the question isn't usually whether to tip, but how much. Here's a clear guide to US restaurant tipping, plus how to handle the tip when you're splitting the bill with a group.

The standard: 15%, 18%, or 20%

For sit-down service, tip on the pre-tax total:

15% — the floor. Acceptable for service that was just okay.
18% — solid, for good service. A common default.
20% — the modern standard for good-to-great service. When in doubt, 20% is the safe, generous-but-normal choice.

Below 15% sends a message — reserve it for genuinely poor service, and consider speaking to a manager rather than only docking the tip.

A quick worked example

On an $80 meal (pre-tax):

15% → $12.00 tip
18% → $14.40 tip
20% → $16.00 tip

The gap between a 15% and a 20% tip on a typical meal is only a few dollars — which is why most people round up to 20% and don't overthink it.

Counter service, takeout, and delivery

Counter service and coffee shops: optional. The tablet asking 20% on a $4 coffee is at your discretion — many people tip a dollar or two, or nothing for a simple transaction.
Takeout: no obligation, though 10% is a kind gesture for a large or carefully packed order.
Delivery: tip the driver 15–20%, or a $5 minimum on small orders. This is separate from any "delivery fee," which usually goes to the platform, not the driver.

Large groups: watch for auto-gratuity

Many restaurants automatically add a gratuity of 18–20% for parties of six or more, printed on the bill as "service charge" or "gratuity." Always check before adding a tip — otherwise you'll tip twice. If it's already there, you don't need to add more (though you can for exceptional service).

Tip on the subtotal, not the tax

Standard practice is to tip on the pre-tax amount — sales tax is a government charge, not part of your server's service. Tipping on the post-tax total is common and harmless (it's just a slightly bigger tip), but the subtotal is the correct base. We cover this in do you tip on tax?.

Splitting the tip with a group

When you dine as a group, the fair way to handle the tip is to apply it proportionally to what each person spent, so the light eater doesn't subsidise everyone else. The simplest method is a single multiplier — for a 20% tip and 8% tax, multiply each person's order by 1.28.

Rather than doing that by hand, enter the bill, your tax, and your tip into the tip calculator — it works out the tip and splits it across the group in seconds, in any currency.