What Philly baristas, bartenders, Uber drivers, and hairstylists want you to know about tipping

It’s happened to all of us. We order a coffee or beer and suddenly, the server flips around a screen.

It prompts you with several options, including “custom” and “no tip,” and your mind races: Is the restaurant-standard of 20% appropriate here? But wait, they just poured my coffee, and it’s already in my hand. Maybe 20% is too much for counter service? Will the employee think I’m cheap if I only give $1? Do I even need to tip at all?

You quickly hit a button, swivel the screen back around to the worker, and rush out of the store, unsure whether you were a considerate customer or a cheapskate. It can be intimidating.

When it comes to tipping Uber drivers and food couriers for services like DoorDash, the mental calculus may be less public, but it can be equally confusing and anxiety-inducing.

At the beginning of the pandemic, when customers’ bank accounts were flush with stimulus money, service workers were among the lauded frontline employees, whom customers often thanked with generous tips.

But over the last three years, the sentiment has changed. People have less in the bank than they did in 2020, and some are getting tired of tipping. The percentage of people who always tip at a sit-down restaurant — the place consumers tip most often — has declined over the last three years, according to a recent Bankrate survey, and two-thirds of U.S. consumers have a negative view of tipping in general, due to a combination of factors including annoyance at tip screens and confusion about best practices.

The Inquirer talked to a dozen service industry insiders — workers and business owners at coffee shops, breweries, and hair salons, as well as rideshare and food-delivery drivers. Based on their insights, we’ve compiled this handy guide on how you should approach tipping.

Think about the level of service, what you’re ordering, and how much work that order entailed.

“If they just want a pastry and they don’t tip, that’s fine. I really didn’t do much,” said Lucy Lu, a barista at Greenstreet Coffee Roastery in Point Breeze. “If I’m pouring just a drip coffee and they don’t tip, I’m not bothered by it.”

But “if it’s a drink where it’s more involved, like a flavored latte, even 10% is fine,” she added. “Most people do a $1 or $2 tip.”

Kelly Claiborne, co-owner of Bold Coffee Bar in Francisville, says customers could look at tipping baristas the same way some look at tipping bartenders: $1 a drink is adequate.

If a customer is also ordering food or is getting several made-to-order drinks, $2 or $3 would be generous, she added.

Still, “I don’t think anybody should expect a tip,” Claiborne said, noting her employees make above minimum wage and, unlike many restaurant workers, don’t rely on tips. About half of Bold Coffee customers leave a tip, she estimated, with the average being 10% to 12%.

At The Monkey & The Elephant, a nonprofit coffee shop in Brewerytown that employs and supports young people aging out of the foster system, general manager Kvon Harris-Robinson said 15% is considered a good tip on most orders. If someone is just getting a regular coffee or a single muffin, they added, then 10% would be a nice tip.

At Fat Lady Brewing in Manayunk, cash and credit-card tips are divided among employees similarly, but “cash tips are king,” said general manager Luis Aguirre.

For employees there, “cash tips are putting gas in the car on the way home from work,” said owner Jane Lipton, who said her employees make above minimum wage before tips. Meanwhile, credit card tips punched in on the screen at the bar won’t hit employees’ paychecks for two weeks.

Given that a pint at Fat Lady is around $8, a tip of $1 a drink would be fair for smaller orders, they said, and 20% would be nice if you’re sitting there for hours, ordering multiple drinks for a large party.

But just as at coffee shops, consider the service, maybe giving a larger cash tip if a bartender was particularly helpful.

“In a bar experience where you’re being educated to help you choose [a beer], the tip should be a little bit higher,” Lipton said. “If you are a beer aficionado, and you know beer, and you don’t need any help … you don’t have to pay extra for that.”

“I don’t always feel like it’s necessary to do 20%, depending on the value of the service,” said Tori McCutcheon, owner of Wash~Day, a Northern Liberties natural hair salon specializing in curly hair.

For example, one of her services is $370, McCutcheon said, and a $100 tip feels excessive. She’d consider $50 a nice tip for that treatment. For a $175 service, she said, $25 would be considered a good tip.

Ann Turner, CEO of Hair Du Jour in Overbook, said she’d consider 10% a good tip for less-expensive services such as a silk press, which starts at $55. For color, most people tip closer to 20%, which she appreciates.

If someone aside from the stylist is washing your hair, McCutcheon said a $5 to $10 tip is nice, depending on the quality of the service (a long, thorough scalp massage might warrant a larger tip).

And yes, you should still tip if your stylist also owns the business.

Talk to me about tipping

As a consumer, how do you feel about tipping? I want to hear your experiences and opinions on the topic. Email me at emccarthy@inquirer.com.