Tipping by tablet places screens over service
By Elise Ong, April 28, 2026
In a society where service has become detached and impersonal, tipping culture has gotten out of hand.
I can’t recall the last time I saw a tip jar at the counter when ordering a quick coffee or snack. Now, all we see are iPads, prompting a tip while the cashier waits.
Tipping has become increasingly more expectant, not to mention common, across food and drink establishments. A study done in 2023 found around 72% of Americans felt tipping was more expected than it had been five years prior, according to Pew Research Center in 2023. This is not surprising given the number of places implementing self-service kiosks while still expecting tips.
One of the most awkward “in your face” experiences is having an iPad turned toward you with suggested tip percentages calculated for you while the worker watches. It creates pressure and a sense of obligation to leave a tip, making customers unsure if they should. Only 34% of U.S. adults are confident in knowing when and where to tip, according to Pew Research Center.
As someone who has worked in the food industry for years, both in table service and behind the counter service, I do not think counter service warrants a tip, nor do I expect one when I’m working. Ordering is quick, fairly simple and more casual. It only takes a minute or two for me to take an order at the register.
Alternatively, table service is significantly more demanding, both physically and mentally. For much longer periods of time, servers at sit-down restaurants are constantly on the move, tending to multiple tables at once and statistically have to maintain a positive demeanor in order to get a better tip.
77% of adults tip based on quality of service, according to Pew Research Center. Even on their worst days, servers have to deal with rude customers while fostering the kind of environment their customers expect.
These kinds of servers absolutely deserve tips, but they should not have to rely on tips, which can be so inconsistent and unpredictable, to fill the gap between their wage and what they need to make to get by, especially given today’s increased cost of living.
While service type does play a significant role in determining tips, culture can play an even bigger one. In a lot of countries in Asia, tipping is not required and is even seen as offensive in Japan and South Korea, according to Council on International Educational Exchange.
Tipping in countries like Japan insinuates workers are not paid well enough and that workers have a lack of pride in their hospitality, even though good service is a societal norm. I think this model makes more sense for both workers and customers: Workers get paid enough, and customers are satisfied with service and cost.
How the U.S. would work toward a tipping culture like Japan’s, I’m not sure. Too many workers are paid minimum wage at rates that are often nonnegotiable. Those wages are also not the responsibility of customers to make up for in tips and is instead in the hands of employers.
Because tips are meant to be for workers, businesses don’t benefit from them at all. While I do think a no-tip culture could be beneficial, I think workers would still suffer low wages because businesses would not increase worker pay to account for their lost tips. This could lead to loss of motivation for workers, who no longer have to put on a performance in hopes of getting a good tip.
A decline in service quality due to lack of motivation might turn into a never-ending cycle of unsatisfactory experience for both customers and workers.
But as of right now, tipping culture feels forced and less genuine, especially when it’s a screen asking for it, which defeats the purpose of tipping in the first place.
Feature graphic courtesy of Connor Lālea Hampton