Otter Commercial Services

As the pandemic continues to impact the restaurant industry, consumers have turned to tipping as a way to support valued local businesses. Results from research conducted by restaurant marketing company Popmenu show that over half of diners have increased the amount they tip restaurant workers.

For their research, Popmenu surveyed 1,000 adults from across the U.S. and analyzed 450,000 on-line food orders placed in the previous 6 months. They found that:

• 58% of consumers were tipping more since the pandemic.

• 56% were typically tipping 20% or more.

• 20% regularly tipped 25% or more.

This trend wan't limited to dine-in service. Increased tipping was also seen among deliveries with 61% of consumers tipping drivers at least 15% and 38% tipping 20% or more.

In response to the findings Brendan Sweeney, CEO and co-founder of Popmenu, said “The pandemic has created a more giving America when it comes to tipping restaurant staff. Consumers know this is an industry that has been hit hard and they want to support their favorite eateries, especially staples of their local community.” Consumers are also likely using increased tipping as a way to acknowledge the risks that restaurant workers are taking each day as essential workers during the pandemic.