Why tables in NJ restaurants are a server’s worst nightmare

For a state with so many great restaurants, a state known for its food, I’m shocked to learn how much we suck as tippers here.

Of course, that depends on your perspective. But compared to other states, we’re near the bottom of the barrel when it comes to tipping. Collectively, we’re the table no server wants.

Now if you adhere to the old-school formula that 15% is a standard tip, I guess you’ll feel all the other states are just suckers. And if you’re so cheap that you stop doing the math to remove the tax before calculating your tip just to make your 15% tip on a $100 dinner go from $15 to $14, God help you, Ebenezer.

For a long time now, 20% has been the reality. Some ask why, since as food prices went up, the old-school 15% would garner more money, too. My thought on it is simply that at some point, we became a bit more empathetic to how tough and sometimes demeaning a position a server is in.

When I have a good server, I tip well over 20%. When I have a great server, I’ve tipped more than 50%.

So, where does New Jersey land among other states when it comes to the average percentage we leave as a tip? A study by Maine Lobster Now used data from Toast to make the ranking.

Our average tip is 18.7%, which puts us in a five-way tie for 38th place. And there are only eight states that tip less.

We are tied with New York, Mississippi, Texas and Utah.

The worst tipping state is South Carolina, giving only a shocking 10%. Are you kidding me? Is that a typo?! And their state doesn’t have a progressive server minimum wage, if you wondered like I did. It’s $2.13 an hour.

The best tippers are in Delaware. They are No. 1, with an average tip of 21.5%.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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