Aussies are bad tippers when dining at home and around the world

More than half of all Aussies say they are confused about tipping in restaurants, and according to a new report that makes us some of the lousiest tippers in the world. So... to tip or not to tip?

Five per cent, or 10 per cent? Sometimes more or not at all?

To tip or not to tip, that is the question and if you’re don’t know what to leave at the end of a meal when dining out at a restaurant, you’re not alone.

More than half of all Aussies say they are confused about tipping in restaurants.

And that makes us some of the lousiest tippers in the world, with 1 in 3 never leaving anything extra for the staff when dining out.

Of those that do, one in five tip between 9 and 10 per cent, with 17 per cent leaving 5 per cent on the bill.

Booking service OpenTable has released its first Global Travel and Tipping Report, where diners were surveyed across 22 countries on if and when they leave a gratuity when eating out.

Would you tip at a local cafe? Picture: David Caird

It found Aussies fall below the global average, with almost a third (27 per cent) of the world tipping up to 10 per cent when dining out in their own country.

The most common places Australian diners to tip is, unsurprisingly, at a sit down restaurant, with diners half as likely to tip at the local cafe.

The report found the majority of Aussies (51 per cent) would prefer tips to be included in the prices at restaurants.

Rockpool Dining Group food and beverage director Josh Hillary said tipping wasn’t ingrained into the culture of dining out in Australia like it was in North American countries.

“We’re more fortunate with the level of income here, which means the burden of supporting an industry doesn’t fall on the customer,” he said.

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He said this meant local diners were more likely to leave a gratuity for exceptional service, rather than just as a rote response when paying the bill.

“I don’t think Australians are bad tippers at all, but we’re more value conscious. It’s a more holistic approach to the experience as a whole.”

He said diners in general were becoming more economically minded and this translated into whether people tipped or not, but the biggest change to tipping culture related to technology.

“We’re becoming a cashless society and that is a challenge, as it can often mean a clunky experience with the bill at the end of the night which can put people off.”