Reciprocity as an Antecedent of Restaurant Tipping: A Look at Gratitude and Obligation

Abstract

Over $42 billion is given away in tips annually in the United States food industry, creating a significant impact on the economy, service organizations, and consumer experience. The current research investigates the role of gratitude, obligation, sympathy and generosity in predicting tipping behavior. Consumer behavior theory is used to build a predictive model of tipping behavior. An online survey was conducted to measure proposed antecedences of tipping (gratitude, obligation, sympathy, generosity) and tipping behavior in a restaurant setting. Contrary to previous studies, the results suggest that obligation alone is not the primary motivating factor in tipping, gratitude is also a factor, although neither sympathy nor generosity was found to significantly affect tipping behavior. The results suggest that service providers should not only reinforce tipping norms and feelings of obligation, but also attempt to instill feelings of gratitude to increase tips.