Canadians have turned against tipping
The country is ready to press “skip” when prompted
Almost seven in 10 Canadians want tipping to go the way of the dodo.
That’s the big takeaway from a national survey conducted by H&R Block, which polled 1,469 Canadians in February. A full 93 per cent of respondents said tipping has grown “out of hand,” and the same number said they feel a flush of annoyance when surprised with a tip prompt on electric payment machines.
The same data show Canadians believe tip percentages have become too high, which is easy to believe in a city where merchants commonly ask for 18 to 25 per cent gratuity. Add on the existing 13 per cent sales tax, and that makes any dish or drink at least a third more expensive than its menu price suggests.
Those findings reveal hardening attitudes since the same survey was conducted a year ago, notes HR Reporter. In 2025, just over half of Canadians surveyed said they still felt too awkward to decline when prompted to tip. Now, however, 40 per cent said they’ve gone out of their way to avoid business where they know tipping is expected.
Given the escalating cost of living over the past year, it should come as no surprise that people are tightening their purse strings. And while tipping has long been held as a necessary top-up to the insufficient wages paid to servers and bartenders, some restaurants have replaced tips with fair wages, arguing it’s better for employees and customers alike.
So far, those have been voluntary changes by a few individual businesses. But if customers really do start hitting the “skip” option more often, the rest of the industry may need to take those restaurants’ lead.
Anthony Milton is a freelance journalist based in Toronto specializing in long-form magazine writing. He previously worked as an assistant editor at Toronto Life, where he launched the Front Row newsletter. He regularly contributes all sorts of stories to the magazine, including deep dives on sports, business and housing as well as short-form commentary on our ever-changing city, from its obsession with cherry blossoms to its maddening NIMBYism. His work has also appeared in Maclean’s, Ricochet, TVO, the Trillium and more.
