Kansas City diners tip more than average
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Kansas City's reputation for hospitality extends to its tipping habits.
Why it matters: Tipping is baked into U.S. dining culture, and many service workers rely on gratuities.
By the numbers: Missouri and Kansas diners each tipped 19.9% on average in the first quarter of 2025, topping the 18.8% nationwide rate.
The intrigue: Average nationwide tips at full-service restaurants rose slightly to 19.4% in Q1 2025 (up from 19.3% in Q4 2024).
- Tips at quick-service spots held steady at 15.8%.
Zoom in: Kansas City's Take Care by OLEO coffee shop tried a no-tipping model for 18 months before reverting to accepting tips.
- The owners said it was hard to retain baristas and that refusing customers' tips felt contrary to the shop's hospitality mission.
- "Saying 'no' to a genuine desire for added gratuity may be the antithesis of the hospitality we strive to uphold," the owners, Christopher Oppenhuis and Mark Sappington, wrote in a statement on the shop's Instagram.
Zoom out: Delaware, West Virginia and New Hampshire are home to America's best tippers, with diners leaving nearly 21% or better on average.
- On the other end, California and Washington state see average tips under 18%.
The bottom line: Even as Kansas Citians tip generously, many Americans are feeling "tipflation" fatigue.
- Around 72% of U.S. adults say tipping is expected in more places now than five years ago.