According to recent data, the topic of tipping is growing increasingly contentious as both diners and servers battle with the remainders of inflation and low wages. Information provided by a popular restaurant platform unravels this issue with some fresh insights.

A report from dining rewards app, inKind, indicates that the most generous and high contributors to the tipping pool hail from Denver compared to other major US cities. They based their conclusion on an extensive review of the data from around 4,500 partnering restaurants patronized by almost three million app users to study the range of tips given.

While most experts propose that tips lie in the range of 15% - 20% in full-service eateries, some people link their tips to the level of service, and others consider 20% to be their minimum. A WalletHub survey in March disclosed that almost 90% of Americans opine that excessive opportunities for tipping suggest that gratuity culture may be getting out of hand.

The inKind report is an aggregation of in-app purchase data which, admittedly, may be inclined towards specific user demographics. Additionally, the volume of data is constrained to the restaurants that choose to participate in the platform, creating a bias for urban and suburban eateries. Having an inKind account enables diners to pay their bill using prepaid restaurant credits or post-meal, while also receiving a 20% cash back.

The variety of partners ranges from Michelin-starred establishments like L.A.'s Camphor to coffeehouse chains like NYC's Maman, hence offering a varying range of tipping data across the nation's biggest cities.

Only Austin and Seattle follow Denver in exhibiting high levels of generosity with their tips - with averages of 21.06% and 20.98%. Miami hovers at the average tip of the 20.43%, while Houston patrons usually give around 20.28%.

Other large cities like Washington, D.C., New York City, and Chicago lay smack in the middle of these rankings with average tips of 20.10%, 19.91%, and 19.87%, respectively. The report also hints that seasonal changes might affect tipping habits, as data from January to August 2025 indicates that patrons were most generous at the start of the year.

On the flip side, inKind users in San Francisco only tip about 18.77% on average. What's more, the average tip in L.A. is barely over 19%, with San Diego users giving a rough average of 19.17%. Dallas, Cincinnati, and Chicago follow closely with averages of 19.63%, 19.69%, and 19.87% respectively.

Another interesting finding is that younger diners, especially those from Gen Z, are at the low rung of this charitable ladder. Gen Z members on inKind's platform tip anywhere between 12% (in fast-food restaurants) to a high of 19%. In comparison, Millennials appear more giving, and it's the Baby Boomers who clock in at an average of 21%. Naturally, these percentages reflect average salary data, with statistics by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showing that those aged between 20 to 24 years make about $782 per week, while those over 65 average at $1,198.