Louisianans diners tip less than the national average, according to Toast data.

Why it matters: Tipping expectations are rising, even as diners grow more confused — and sometimes frustrated — about when and how much to tip.

The big picture: Tips in Louisiana averaged 18.6% in the last quarter of 2025, per Toast's latest restaurant trends report.

• That's below the national average of 18.8%.

Yes, but: Cash tips aren't included. The data also only reflects restaurants using the Toast platform.

Zoom out: Delaware, West Virginia, New Hampshire and Indiana are home to America's best tippers, with diners leaving roughly 21% or higher on average, Toast says.

• At the bottom of the list for overall tipping are California, Washington, D.C., and Washington state, where averages are less than 18%.
• Louisiana was in the bottom 10 states.

Zoom in: Louisianans, like other Americans, tip differently based on the type of service.

• At full-service restaurants where a server handles everything, Louisianans tipped 19%, Toast found.
• At quick-service restaurants where you order at the counter, Louisianans tipped 15.9%, the data shows.
• The national average is 19.2% at full service and 15.8% at quick-service spots.

The intrigue: What about tipping for takeout orders? Diners are often unclear on what's expected, Beyond Etiquette founder Bonnie Tsai tells Axios.

• A 15%-20% range is still standard for sit-down restaurants. 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."

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Baldwin & Co. is opening a New Orleans reading lounge designed for unplugging.

Why it matters: It's part of a national trend of bars and restaurants that are discouraging or banning phones.

The big picture: Baldwin teased the new venue on Instagram as an after-dark experience that's not a party and not a library.

• Think reading lounge combined with a wine bar.
• "Bring a book. Order a glass. Put your phone away. Be somewhere real," the post says. "This is a softer, better kind of social life."
• Devices won't be banned, but the operational hope is that people put down their phones, Baldwin manager Taylor Murphy tells us.

Zoom in: NOLA Art Bar should open next month at 2128 St. Claude Ave, Murphy says.

Zoom out: Phone-free bars and restaurants are emerging across the U.S. as people seek to disconnect from screens and devices.

• At least 11 states have restaurants or bars with some form of phone restriction or a digital-detox incentive.

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🏀 LSU star Flau'jae Johnson was the No. 8 pick in the WBNA Draft on Monday. She went to the Golden State Valkyries, who then traded her to the Seattle Storm. (Defector, plus Getty photos from the event)

• She'll earn a base salary of $309,622 in her first season, which is nearly four times what last year's No. 1 pick made. (Yahoo)
• She also has her music career, including a song with Lil Wayne.

🛰️ Amazon agreed yesterday to buy Covington-based Globalstar for around $11.6 billion. The deal gets Amazon deeper into the space race. (Axios and press release)

🚮 IV Waste's trash contract for the French Quarter is expected to be extended through 2027. A City Council committee approved it yesterday. It goes to the full council now. (The Times-Picayune 🔒)

🎶 Gretna Fest is canceled this year as the city starts renovating the downtown gathering space. The fest will be reimagined as a fall concert series. (Fox 8)

💰 Tax refunds are up this year but are still falling short of expectations for many Americans. The average check is $3,462. (Axios)

🚧 Demolition could start this summer on the former Lindy Boggs Medical Center, also known as Mercy Hospital. The city finalized a deal with developers that includes $11.5 million in public money. (The Times-Picayune 🔒)

🏖️ The city hosts a community meeting tomorrow to talk about next steps for Lincoln Beach. It's at 6pm at Joe Brown Park's gym. (Instagram)

Buckmoth caterpillars have gotten an unfair reputation as villains, an Audubon entomologist says, when they are really just "clumsy babies."

The big picture: The stinging caterpillars can't help themselves, says Brad Hiatt, the assistant curator of entomology at the Audubon Insectarium.

• They emerge from the ground near live oak trees as the weather gets warm and climb up the trunks.
• "They're a little clumsy," he says. "They don't see very well. They're exploring."
• When something bothers them, like the wind, they get scared and let go, he says, falling onto the ground or on people.
• Their venomous spines are pressure sensitive, so they sting as a bodily function, not as an act of aggression, he says.

Zoom in: The native caterpillars have been out in full force for at least the past two weeks, which may correlate with the warmer weather, he says.

• Last month was one of the hottest Marches on record.
• Hiatt says last fall also had more adult buckmoths, so it makes sense that this spring would have a bigger emergence of their offspring.

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