What's the average value of a restaurant tip? £4.18

14 May 2015 by
What's the average value of a restaurant tip? £4.18

British diners leave an average tip of £4.18, although men are significantly less likely to tip than women.

That's according to a new survey from online restaurant booking service OpenTable.

The poll of 2,000 people found that 87% of British diners always leave a tip, contributing an average of 9% of their bill.

A total of 17% of men say they never tip, however, compared with 10% of women.

London diners leave the most in tips at an average of £5.68 - perhaps indicating that the size of the bill is higher there than in other areas of the country.

The survey found that the Scots were most likely to leave a tip (91%), with half of Aberdeen residents always leaving a tip and 47% of Glaswegians doing the same even if they receive less than perfect service.

By contrast, Yorkshire was found to be the most parsimonious region, with only one in five (20%) stating that they would leave a tip. More than half (51%) of those in Yorkshire also admitted that they had asked for the service charge to be removed from the bill.

Rudeness from staff was cited as the number one reason for not leaving a tip, with slow service and forgetting items also listed among the top disappointments.

Mike Xenakis, managing director, OpenTable said: "Our research shows the UK is a nation of discerning diners, most of whom are happy to leave a little extra for restaurant staff so long as the service they receive is of a high level."

Tips should be 5-10%, and never expected, say restaurateurs >>

Tipping: compulsory or discretionary service charge? >>

The Caterer Summit speaker David Moore defends tronc system >>

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