San Francisco Bay Area is not generous with tips, report finds

The San Francisco Bay Area is home to some of the stingiest tippers in the country, according to a recent report.

By the numbers: Residents here paid an average of 17% in gratuity, per Toast — lower than the national rate of 19%.

• Researchers used data collected from full-service restaurants on the Toast platform throughout the fourth quarter of 2022.

Zoom out: But the Bay is in “good” company, as California is the least generous state for tipping, with an average tip of 17.5%.

• The city with the best tippers: Cleveland (20.6%).

Between the lines: Diners in San Francisco are faced with a variety of extra fees these days, including those for dining in and the SF Mandate tax that funds health care for restaurant workers.

• It would be more effective to simply pay workers livable wages, Andres Pomart, associate director of San Francisco-based workers’ rights organization Trabajadores Unidos Workers United, told the San Francisco Chronicle.
• “Tipping is a Band-Aid to an industry that doesn’t really provide much job security or livable wages to its workers.”