Survey shows 67 per cent of Canadians are fed up with expanding tipping culture

A new study suggests tipping fatigue is real, with 67 per cent of Canadians saying they’ve had enough. Much of that frustration comes from being asked to tip in more and more places—from fast‑food counters and cafés to convenience stores and even self‑serve kiosks.

The results surprised food policy expert Sylvain Charlebois.

“Honestly, I’m having a hard time believing it because the tipping culture in Canada is pretty strong. People enjoy having the power and authority to judge someone’s performance as a way to our waitress in a restaurant setting,” said Charlebois.

“We actually did survey Canadians on the same exact topic a few years ago, and the number we came up with was 25.7 per cent. So, we did mention in the question that the tip would be included in menu prices. Now, in the H&R Block survey, they don’t mention where tipping would be included. And so obviously someone has to pay waiters and waitresses.”

CityNews spoke to some people who were out in Montreal to hear what they thought about tipping culture.

“In my country we tip only when we feel that the service deserves it here it’s like you must tip regardless of whether the service was lousy or whether it was good so what how do I differentiate I give the least for the people whom I feel didn’t deserve it and I a bit more for the people who I thought the service was good,” said one individual.

Kei Fer MacDonald, another Montrealer, said, “As someone who works in service industry part-time I think it can be a good tool to get people up to the living wages for especially larger cities like Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver and if you really don’t want to tip someone there’s always the option there’s no forcing so I think it’s a good offer for right now where we’re at for cost of living in Canada.”

When asked if they’d get rid of tips if menu prices were higher, MacDonald responded saying, “Yes, absolutely I’ve gone to restaurants across Canada where usually it’ll be a little thing on the receipt of the menu saying no gratuity is needed we have implemented X amount as our base wage so don’t worry about that and I am fine with paying a couple more dollars on the menu for that.”

In May 2025, Quebec became the only province in Canada to require merchants to calculate tips before taxes. Meanwhile, a survey commissioned by H&R Block found that two-thirds of Canadians are increasingly opting for “no tip” on payment terminals. Could abolishing tipping altogether be a solution?

“It feels cheap. That’s a problem, so no, I’m not really comfortable with no tipping,” said Behnam Farci, a Montrealer.

Myriam Ouellet, another Montrealer, said, “It’s important to pay, and I would not modify it, because it’s necessary.”

In 2025, a similar H&R Block survey revealed that 88 per cent of Canadians felt that tipping culture has become a means for employers to pay their staff less.

“I think the only way to solve this issue is to look at policy. Because the other thing about restaurants in Canada —that people need to understand—  is that you have taverns, pubs, QSR, casual, fine dining. You’ve got all sorts of establishments. And so there’s just no, there’s one voice for the entire sector. And that’s why there’s just no consensus on the issue,” said Charlebois.

“My belief is that if we are to see the end of tipping in Canada, not just in Quebec, but in Canada, I would argue that it would actually make the hospitality and food service industry a more attractive sector for people looking for a career and not just for a job over two, three years.”