You place your coffee order, and the barista spins the payment screen toward you as you pull out your card — a daily experience across the U.S.
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Yet the question of how much to tip continues to baffle many Americans, and increasingly popular digital tip screens are only further confusing the issue, CNN reported.
Related: Starbucks Customers Are Furious Over New Digital Tipping System
“The American public feels like tipping is out of control because they’re experiencing it in places they’re not used to,” Lizzie Post, co-president of the Emily Post Institute and its namesake’s great-great-granddaughter, told the outlet. “Moments where tipping isn’t expected makes people less generous and uncomfortable.”
People might still be navigating how much to tip the retail employee who rings up their jeans or the Frontier flight attendant who refills their water cup, but when it comes to the common practice of tipping in food service, it’s (somewhat) more straightforward.
Elena Brouwer, director of the International Etiquette Centre, told USA Today that you should be tipping 15% or more on a restaurant bill — and ordering less expensive items if you can’t. Still, experts remain divided on tipping for takeout, according to the outlet, with some even finding the pre-set tips on payment systems “offensive.”
Related: Small Businesses That Encourage Tipping Are Killing Their Brand
But Post told CNN that it’s typical to leave a 10% tip for takeout food or even change or a single dollar per order.
And if you’re stumped, she says, you can always ask what’s customary.