It's the season of giving, and San Francisco restaurant servers say their tips usually increase this time of year. However, with the proliferation of tipping screens in recent years, some are seeing their gratuities come down.
"I think before I was getting like 22%—now it's more like 17%, 18%," John's Grill waiter Edgar Colop said.
Other waiters said they were frustrated by the appearance of tipping screens seemingly everywhere, adding pressure to pay extra in places where it's unclear if anything more than cursory service is provided.
Tadich Grill waiter Paul Geiger said he was asked to tip by the point-of-sale system at a gas station when he paid cash for fuel at the register inside.
"It's super annoying," Geiger said. "That was the craziest place I ever saw [a tip screen]."
Customers, too, had thoughts about tipping screens appearing at businesses outside of the service industry.
"It's a bit of an affront," said Brian Good, a commercial airline pilot visiting San Francisco from Seattle. "During the pandemic, I tried to tip everybody, but now it seems [businesses] have stuck to it."
"I tip for service," said Crista Darr, sitting at the bar in John's Grill. "When I see a tipping screen at a retail store, it makes me upset."
But some customers said they tip more at restaurants during the holidays than during the rest of the year, particularly when they are served well.
A Tadich customer, who declined to give his name, said he typically leaves a larger tip during the holidays, particularly if he is a regular customer at a business or often chooses that restaurant for holiday meals.
“I would say 35%, maybe,” the customer said after Geiger took his order. “I think if it’s one and done, you don’t need to be as generous as if you go somewhere regularly.”
‘I Think 20% to 25% Is Fine’
House of Prime Rib customer George Tong said during the holidays he typically leaves the same tip he normally but tips extra based on how good his server is.
“I think 20% to 25% is fine,” Tong said. “Twenty-five percent is, like, for great service.”
Geiger said customers tip him more generously during the holidays, typically 20% to 30%. During the rest of the year, he normally gets tips between 15% and 20%.
“It means you can buy more gifts,” Geiger said. “It means you can take a day off to travel or extend your vacation by one more day.”
Geiger said he serves 100 customers on a busy day in the weeks leading up to Christmas. House of Prime Rib waiter Shahnar Zarehpar said staff serve up to 800 customers a day around the same time, between 30% and 40% more patrons than the rest of the year.
"[A tip of] 20% is always appreciated,” House of Prime Rib waiter Ben Pate said. “Honestly, we don’t need to worry about such a high tip at a place that’s so high volume.”
Zarehpar also said 20% is fine, but he appreciates when customers leave a little more during the holidays, given the higher workload.
Diego Hernandez, who has been a waiter at John’s Grill for 10 years, said he considers 18% to be generous.
“With inflation and everything that’s going on, I just expect them to be nice for the season of giving,” Hernandez said. “Just be understanding with the waiting staff, especially because we are working long hours this time of year.”