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TippingAlso known as a gratuity, a tip is money that customers offer workers in addition to the base price of a good or service. Those small transactions add up: Americans now leave roughly $78B in restaurant and bar tips per year.
The practice likely originated in early modern Europe, when wealthy aristocrats would offer servants tips in exchange for excellent service. Americans traveling in Europe during the mid-1800s saw tipping as a mark of sophistication and introduced the practice in the US. Tipping became increasingly common after the Civil War, with formerly enslaved people working in the hospitality industry for minimal or zero wages becoming the first group to rely on tips for income.
In the US, roughly 5 million tipped employees (those who make $30+ per month in tips) are not entitled to the normal federal minimum wage, meaning customers ultimately determine their earnings. In recent years, some have argued that this dynamic has pushed tipping standards to unreasonable levels and believe employers should be responsible for employees’ wages rather than customers.Explore Tipping
What we've found
19th-century Americans discovered tipping in EuropeTipping waiters was a custom in medieval Europe, where masters gave their serfs money for exceptional work. Wealthy Americans vacationing in Europe in the mid-1800s discovered the behavior and brought it back to the US. TIME72% of Americans say tipping is now expected in more places than it was 5 years agoThis change has been driven by multiple factors, including point-of-sale systems from fintech companies such as Square that prompt customers for tips directly. Americans also increased tipping during the pandemic in an effort to support local businesses struggling financially due to a lack of physical foot traffic. Richmond FedAmericans spend an average of nearly $500 per year on tipping at restaurants and barsThe habit runs contrary to economic rationality: Why pay more for a good or service you have already received when it isn’t mandatory? Researchers found that people tip, in part, to avoid the psychological pain of not fitting in. DartmouthGeorge Pullman popularized tipping in the US with his Pullman sleeping car businessBy 1868, Pullman, who operated luxury sleeping cars on the country’s growing network of railways, had started hiring formerly enslaved Black men as porters for extremely meager wages, working long hours in poor conditions. He encouraged wealthy passengers to tip them, helping institutionalize tipping in the US. Restaurant Business OnlineIn the 1920s, Prohibition helped cement tipping norms in the USDuring Prohibition, restaurants lost significant revenue, given that they could no longer legally serve customers high-margin alcohol. As a result, many of these restaurants leaned more heavily on tips to ease the financial pressure of paying employees. Cap RadioNearly 9 in 10 Americans were annoyed by tipping as of 2025That’s a sharp increase from the 75% who thought tipping culture had gone too far in 2024. One potential culprit? The proliferation of tipping screens in places outside sit-down restaurants, such as coffee shops and hair salon. Three in 10 Americans say they give less when presented with tipping screens. Food and WineClimate tipping points are irreversible changes to Earth's environmentEarth's natural systems have prevented these events—including the mass death of coral reefs, loss of the Amazon rainforest, and shutdown of Atlantic currents—but scientists believe they are unlikely to withstand continued stressors from climate change. The New York TimesAlexNet was the AI tipping point that set the stage for ChatGPTAlexNet is a neural network created in 2012 that laid the groundwork for modern AI models. Before AlexNet, the ideas behind neural networks existed, but the computational power to run them didn’t. Welch LabsLearn how natural systems exhibit characteristics of chaos theoryIn biology, some mathematical models of ecosystem populations and heart irregularities show strong sensitivity to initial conditions, which scientists can simulate to determine quantitative tipping points at which these systems become unstable. Within the social sciences, crowd behavior and the virality of social media posts have shown how human behavior fits within the framework of chaos theory. Philosophy InstituteAn explanation distinguishing the butterfly effect from causality, necessity, and sufficiencyIn pop culture, the analogy has conveyed the impression that the flapping of a butterfly's wings has a cascading effect that directly produces a tornado somewhere else on Earth. However, butterfly-wing flapping alone is insufficient to cause tornadoes, as the complexity of atmospheric systems requires many more conditions to produce them, any of which can be the tipping point to initiate tornadogenesis. minutephysicsA fresco from ancient Pompeii featured an 'ancestor of modern pizza'A team of archaeologists discovered a fresco from 79 CE featuring what appears to be a proto-pizza: a pita topped with fruit, spices, and other toppings. One archaeologist in the PBS documentary below calls it an "ancestor of modern pizza in the sense that it's a very simple, poor kind of food." PBSThe Hawaiian pizza was popularized by a Canadian chefHawaii's tiki culture was popular in North America through the mid-20th century, with canned pineapple a household staple. Sam Panopoulos, a Greek immigrant who operated a diner in Ontario, experimented with outlandish pizza recipes until he stumbled upon the idea for topping a pie with canned pineapple and ham. Atlas ObscuraNew Haven 'apizza' nods to Naples and New EnglandThe thin pizza, called "apizza," is crispier than the typical slice from New York or a national chain, and much more like the thin-crust pizzas associated with pizza's birthplace. It's also got some inspired toppings, with one popular pie that speaks to New England's love of seafood: the white clam pie. New Haven Pizza SchoolChicago deep-dish pizza arrived in 1943Pizzeria Uno was the first establishment to sell the concoction, which turned more traditional pizza upside down, with cheese as the base and sauce as the topping. Soon, Uno employees went out on their own, sparking a citywide deep-dish phenomenon. The KitchnPizza is believed to have been invented in NaplesFlatbreads were eaten by ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks, but historians trace pizza—flatbread with toppings, including present-day staples like tomatoes, cheese, garlic, oregano, and oil—back to 18th-century Naples, where the food was loved by its working poor, who appreciated a cheap, tasty meal. Naples formally became a part of Italy in 1861. HISTORYBluefin tuna, now used in high-end sushi, was once reserved for cat foodUntil the ‘70s, the enormous fish were the base for cat food or, at times, thrown into the trash. Now it’s the most expensive fish in the ocean and is a popular topping for nigiri sushi thanks to the abundance of fat in its belly. The RingerYohei's sushi innovation turned sushi into a convenient fast foodNigiri took relatively little time to prepare, making it an ideal dish to serve from a food stand. The success of Yohei’s stand, where customers could select their desired toppings, inspired others to open similar businesses. NipponSee the world's top 20 billionaires in 2026This data visualization shows the 20 wealthiest people in the world for 2026. Topping the list with a net worth of $714B is Elon Musk, trailed by Larry Page ($258B), Jeff Bezos ($251B), and Larry Ellison ($243B). Visual CapitalistMeet Clever Hans, the 1900s horse that was believed to be able to solve math equations and read GermanWhen Clever Hans was prompted with math questions, he responded by tapping his hoof to indicate his answers. Even a panel of experts found no indication of trickery in the horse's demonstrations. However, psychology student Oskar Pfungst found that Hans stopped tapping once a subtle cue on his owner's face told him to stop. The cues were so subtle that Wilhelm von Osten didn't even know he was giving them. Horse JournalsThe 'Chernobyl' miniseries is one of the most critically acclaimed TV shows everThe five-episode historical drama earned near-universal acclaim for its historical detail and haunting portrayal of the 1986 disaster, winning 10 Emmys and topping IMDb's all-time TV rankings upon its release. VarietyOne man used an AI band to conduct an elaborate social experimentIn 2025, a Canadian using the pseudonym Andrew Frelon claimed to have used generative AI to create songs, an album cover, and a profile photo for a fake band he called The Velvet Sundown. Frelon eventually revealed that he lied, and his experiment highlighted the uncertainty surrounding AI. CBCFintech companies made it easier for merchants to request tips, leading to fatigueIn recent years, companies such as Square and Toast have created touch screen technologies prompting customers at coffee shops and casual restaurants to tip upwards of 25%. Despite the interesting psychological conundrum this presents to consumers, one tech columnist argues that shoppers don’t need to succumb to the pressure. NY TimesExperts say those receiving year-end bonuses may want to pay down high-interest debtExperts say other sound options for spending bonuses include topping off an emergency fund or putting more money away for retirement. The WeekHogwarts Legacy was 2023’s bestselling video gameSet a century before the books, Hogwarts Legacy lets players explore an open-world version of the wizarding world. Released in 2023, it sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, topping global sales charts. Game RantBreaking down the numbers on art theft trendsCultural property theft has been on the rise in recent years, and the recovery rate of such artifacts is estimated to be below 10%. Explore dozens of other statistics here. Smart Locks Guide'The Life of a Showgirl' was Swift's 15th chart-topping albumThat places her second on Billboard's all-time list, though streaming has significantly changed how "sales" are interpreted. Prior to the shift to digital music, Billboard's album chart relied solely on sales of physical units. Since 2014, the chart has also considered streams from services like Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube. Billboard20 of the world's most iconic big rock wall climbsBig wall climbs are tall rock faces that require climbers to "pitch" multiple times during the ascent—that is, reuse a rope. They also often portaledge, or sleep, at least once during the climb. Topping the list is California's El Capitan. Atlas & BootsContest honors street photographers who freeze fleeting momentsThe Pure Street Photography Awards has been connecting and commending international photographers for their talents and storytelling since 2020. See precious moments like an alley game gone rogue, cows bumping heads, and kids flying kites in the gallery. ColossalExplore an interactive map of the world's water gapsHumans extract 4,000 cubic kilometers of water from natural systems annually—eight times more than a century ago—creating regions where freshwater demand surpasses available reserves. The depletion of shallow aquifers has driven tapping into deeper, nonrenewable ones, threatening ecosystem sustainability. National GeographicThe 1904 Olympic marathon was a bizarre spectacleWhen the Olympics first came to the US, the race was still a fringe event with few established rules. That led to an absurd comedy, with competitors ingesting poison, hitchhiking 11 miles of the course, and occasionally sipping brandy. Stuff You Should KnowBob Newhart was the first comedian to have a chart-topping albumIn 1960, “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart” reached the top of the Billboard charts and stayed there for 14 weeks. A few months later, a sequel, “The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back!,” was released. Both records occupied the top two spots for 30 weeks, a record that stood until 1991, when Guns ‘n’ Roses released their “Use Your Illusion” albums. Dynamo RevivalBaz Luhrmann's 'Everybody's Free (to Wear Sunscreen)' is based on a fake graduation speechThe 1997 song, which was a chart-topping hit in Australia and appeared on the Billboard "Hot 100" in the US, is based on a fake commencement speech written by Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich. For a time, many people erroneously believed Kurt Vonnegut gave the speech at MIT's graduation ceremony. Switched on PopThe best female rappers of all timeHip-hop has too many incredible female MCs to name, but this list does an admirable job of ranking the 25 greatest. Along the way, it breaks down how ‘80s artists like MC Lyte and Queen Latifah paved the way for ‘90s innovators like Missy Elliott and Lauryn Hill and more contemporary names like Doechii and Micki Minaj. BillboardA database (and map) of the best books from 7 million college syllabiIn every college course, specific texts are assigned and form its syllabus. In this database and graph, the roughly 1 million most-assigned texts from over 7 million courses are visually mapped in clusters, where you can zoom in on your favorite topic and find the texts most commonly read within it. Open SyllabusAs of 2022, Canada has the most planned critical mineral minesWealthy nations are tapping into their domestic critical mineral reserves and buying up mines in poorer countries. The US, the UK, Canada, Australia, and China are taking the lead, with Chinese operations spanning all continents except Antarctica. Energy MonitorHalf of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of the IRS, while 38% have a favorable viewFrom July 1 to July 7, 2024, Pew Research Center conducted a survey of 9,424 adults to gauge the public's attitudes about the federal government, including government agencies and departments. Of 13 agencies, 10 had net favorable ratings of 15 percentage points or more. Topping the list were the National Park Service (76% favorable), the US Postal Service (72%) and NASA (67%). Pew Research CenterAnnuity sales have climbed, topping $430B in 2024, as retirees look to pad their incomeRetirees are seeking guaranteed income that will last for as long as they live, weather market downturns, and preserve wealth. Yahoo Finance'Tattoo' comes from a Polynesian word that means 'to strike'“Tatatau” roughly translates to “strike,” a reference to the ancient process, which involved tapping ink into the skin with sharpened objects, like the bronze implements used circa 1450 BCE in Egypt, below. Smithsonian MagazineNASCAR was at its peak in the 1990sIn the 1990s, every NASCAR race was aired live, major Fortune 500 companies were sponsoring teams, and the improved marketing made drivers household names. Attendance grew to 4.9 million in 1994, with merchandise sales topping $400 million. Sports IllustratedGold has no nutritional value or flavor—but edible gold is still popularGold is a pretty expensive topping. Nonetheless, luxury menus around the world are offering food staples—think bagels, chocolate, and burgers—wrapped or dusted with gold. What's the deal with this fascination? PopSliceThe most critical superbug strains (as of 2024)The World Health Organization updated its list of the highest priority pathogens known to have developed antimicrobial resistance. Topping the 2024 update is Acinetobacter baumannii, carbapenem-resistant ("CRAB"), which has a mortality rate close to 50% and has evolved defenses against last-line medications. Download the full report here. World Health OrganizationIn 1970, Pittsburgh's Dock Ellis threw a no-hitter on LSDIt was the 174th no-hitter in MLB history, but the only one where the pitcher claimed to be high at the time. This animated video uses Ellis’ own comments from a 2008 NPR interview where he described why he took LSD that morning and the difficulty of pitching while tripping. Victory JournalThe US tips more service providers and leaves larger amounts than anywhere else globallyThis map shows how other countries stack up to the US in terms of tipping norms, and could be helpful if you’re planning to budget for a trip abroad. It also indicates if tips are typically included in the bill in each country. Visual Capitalist
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