For restaurant servers, a busy weekend shift might seem like a good opportunity to earn more in tips. Research from the University of South Florida suggests the opposite may be true when it comes to the percentage diners leave behind.
Researchers analyzing more than 68 million credit card guest checks found that tipping rates varied by day of the week — and were lowest on Sundays. Diners tipped an average of 21.47% on Thursdays, compared with 20.25% on Sundays.
The study, published in the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, examined transactions from 43 restaurant brands at 1,202 locations across 41 states and Washington, D.C., over three years, giving researchers an unusually large window into tipping behavior.
The Sunday dip was especially pronounced during lunch and in communities with higher church attendance. Researchers suggest that church offerings and restaurant tips may compete within consumers’ mental budgets for prosocial spending. They found a similar pattern as weekend box-office revenues increased, suggesting entertainment spending may also crowd out gratuities.
For restaurants and their employees, the findings challenge assumptions about which shifts are most lucrative and could help managers make more informed decisions about server scheduling.
Authors: Faizan Ali, University of Galway; Christos Pantzalis, Jung Chul Park, Dahlia Robinson, and Pinshuo Wang, University of South Florida; Christopher C. Olson, University of South Florida and Brevard College.