Should you tip on takeout? An etiquette expert weighs in
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It's an awkward moment we're all experiencing more often — a cashier flips over a touchscreen, silently waiting for you to decide how much you'll tip.
Why it matters: With digital tip prompts popping up everywhere, including for takeout, customers are more confused than ever about what's a faux pas. So we asked an etiquette expert for guidance.
State of play: Tips make up an increasingly large share of restaurant workers' pay, putting them in a precarious position in an industry already full of ups and downs.
- But with costs and requests rising, customers are feeling "tipflation" fatigue.
- A 2025 Bankrate survey found that 41% of Americans think tip culture is "out of control" and that request screens actually prompt many Americans to tip less, not more.
Between the lines: In Ohio, minimum wage for a tipped worker is $5.50 hourly, compared with $11 for everybody else.
- Ohio Democrats have tried unsuccessfully to raise all wages to $15.
- President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act included a new tax break for tipped workers filing this year.
Friction point: We recently asked whether you tip on to-go orders after spotting a lively debate on the Columbus subreddit.
What we found: About 60% of you do, though amounts vary.
What they're saying: Takeout tipping isn't as socially standardized as tipping for full table service, leaving Americans divided, Beyond Etiquette founder Bonnie Tsai tells Axios.
- "Many want to be generous, but they're also unclear on what's expected."
Her advice: A 15%-20% range is still standard for sit-down restaurants. But for takeout or fast-casual, it's "optional and often smaller," she says.
- That means giving a couple of dollars or just "rounding up" is perfectly acceptable, regardless of the pressure a prompt screen poses.
- If an order is large or complicated, consider giving 5%-10%.
The bottom line: "Don't feel guilty, but do be intentional," Tsai says. "Consider the level of service involved rather than reacting to the screen alone."
What you're saying
💵 Jen H.: I started doing a standard $1 tip on all my carryout orders, so I can skip the math AND skip the guilt of no tip.
- Hopefully that shows the staff a little appreciation, since I don't think carryout really calls for a tip.
😅 Rian W.: I do tip on takeout. I also work in the service industry and believe wholeheartedly in "tip karma" (if I don't tip very well, it'll come back to me -10000%) and don't want to ruin that.
- Yes, but: I don't expect people to tip on takeout. It's nice if they do, but completely discretionary!
😬 Elisa L.: Panera prompts for a tip when I order a coffee and am handed a cup to get my own. But because I'm standing right in front of the order taker, I feel like I'm being cheap if I don't tip!
💸 Robert L.: I don't do a percentage, I almost always just do a flat amount — usually around $5-10, depending on the size of the order.
- I wouldn't tip if we would just pay people enough to keep a roof over their head and fed.
🤯 Michelle B.: I find it funny that drink stands at The 'Shoe ask for a tip. The person literally just hands you a drink!