Scots the best restaurant tippers in UK - survey

Scots have been revealed as the most generous diners in the UK, according to a new survey.

Picture: Stephen Mansfield

Scottish diners have the deepest pockets when it comes to tipping with just 6% of Scots said that they never left a tip when eating out, compared to 21% of those in the Midlands and 15% in the North.

Six out of 10 consumers in Scotland (60%) always tip between 10 – 20% of the bill. This is compares to 34% in Wales and 37% of those in the Midlands, who often leave less than 5% or else leave nothing at all.

The most frequent restaurant-goers are those in London, where 33% of people said they ate out once a week or more. Scots are also regular diners, with 27% of people going to restaurants once a week or more.

Overall the most important factor for people when leaving a tip is friendliness of staff (76%), followed by quality of food and drink (53%) and the speed of service (50%).

However, despite discretionary charge being voluntary, 44% of people said they would be too embarrassed not to leave a tip at the end of a meal, rising to 49% among women.

Gerald Grimes, Managing Director at Hitachi Capital Consumer Finance, said:

“It’s interesting to see the regional differences in how people feel about tipping. The Scottish tight-fisted stereotype is clearly not accurate with Scots being most likely to leave a substantial 20% tip when eating out, particularly when at an independent restaurant or café. This is clearly in contrast to Wales, the Midlands and cities in the North such as Manchester and Leeds.

“People also need to have confidence about what happens to the money they leave behind. There is also a strong consensus – 67% of those surveyed – who think that tips should go directly to the waiter or waitress who served the table, rather than split between all staff.”

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