Is it tight not to tip at a restaurant?

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See it as it's framed

Our note

On 16 September, the government responded to a petition calling for a ban on default service charges and pre-set tip screens. It said it would not ban optional service charges, and that an optional tip should come without pressure. That brings the choice at the end of a restaurant meal into focus.

In a 2023 YouGov survey across 17 countries, British diners said they left 6.1% on average at a sit-down restaurant. Some 20.6% said they did not tip. Nearly half, 46.9%, usually left between 5% and 10%. I found a wide spread of habits in those answers.

The GOV.UK guidance on tips says tips must go to workers without deductions under a statutory code of practice. Tips do not count towards the National Minimum Wage. The government consulted on revising that code between 19 August and 29 September 2026. Whether to leave an optional tip and how an employer must share one are separate parts of the decision.