Tipping behavior in Canadian restaurants

This study tested several common stereotypes held by restaurant servers about tipping behavior, using detailed, household-level Canadian recall data on over 73,000 restaurant meals during the 2000–2005 period. Most variation (84%) in tip amounts was explained by a meal's price. Regarding tipping rates, however, two-stage least squares and logistic regressions explained only a small portion of variation. Diners’ previous tipping history was the dominant predictor of tipping rates. Statistically significant results supported each tipping stereotype, but the average magnitude of impacts appeared too low to justify basing staffing or service quality decisions on diner-specific tipping expectations.