On average, guests tip five to ten percent. This quota can increase with a free drink on the bill.
Hamburg – After the sumptuous meal, still a high-proof “on the house” nightcap? If restaurants offer this to their guests with the bill, the chance of a higher tip for the waitress increases, as researchers from the Fresenius University in Hamburg write in the “Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research”.
As a rule, guests would tip five to ten percent. The university announced on Tuesday whether and how the amount of the tip is influenced by giving out a free drink. Your assumption: Every favor triggers pressure on the other person to return the favor. The scientists call this “reciprocity”.
According to the university, the experiments ran as follows: A total of 403 guest groups were given an ouzo in a Greek restaurant, either during the meal, together with the bill – or in a control group only after they had paid. “Since it is common in many Greek restaurants to be served an ouzo, the research team carried out another experiment in a German restaurant with a similar research design.”
The results showed that customers generously reciprocated the gift by significantly increasing the tip, the statement said. “This effect is particularly strong when the drink is brought with the bill, as the guests are presumably particularly obliged to return the favor with a generous tip,” says the psychologist involved in the study, Frederic Hilkenmeier. “The service staff can consequently increase their tips considerably and effortlessly by skillfully using a free drink by exploiting the norm of reciprocity.” Dpa
