Tipping and tip screens in Toronto

Newcomers commonly report that:

• A tip is expected at sit-down restaurants and bars with table service, on top of the bill and the sales tax.
• Payment terminals suggest a tip at the end of almost every card payment, often with preset percentages, including at counters, cafés and takeout where people were not traditionally tipped.
• The amount feels unclear. Polls show that most Canadians tip around 15% for good service at a sit-down restaurant, while some leave 18% or more.
• Sales tax is added separately. In Ontario the harmonized sales tax (HST) is 13%, so the final amount can be noticeably higher than the menu price once tax and tip are added.

Tipping is a social convention, not a legal requirement. Recent polls give a sense of what people actually do:

• In a Narrative Research poll of 1,230 Canadians in August 2024, 77% said it was appropriate to be asked for a tip at a sit-down restaurant, but only 19% for restaurant takeout, 21% at fast-food restaurants and 7% in retail stores. For good service at a sit-down restaurant, 53% said they would tip 15%, 24% would tip 18% or more, 17% would tip 5% and 6% would not tip. Salons (60%), taxis (48%) and food delivery (47%) were in between.
• In an Angus Reid Institute poll from February 2023, 62% of Canadians said they were being asked to tip more, and 64% more often; 83% said too many places ask for tips. The share who left 20% or more the last time they ate out rose from 8% in 2016 to 21% in 2023, and 59% said they would prefer a "service included" model with higher wages.

What the law says: under Ontario's Employment Standards Act, employers generally cannot withhold or make deductions from employees' tips, except for statutory deductions, court orders and tip pooling among staff. Since June 21, 2024, tips must be paid out by cash, cheque or direct deposit. Ontario has no separate, lower minimum wage for servers: the general minimum wage of $17.95 an hour applies from October 1, 2026.

• Type of business: expectations are clearest for table service. At counters and for takeout, many people choose a small tip or no tip, and the polls show Canadians are divided on these.
• Personal and regional differences: some people tip more for exceptional service or at higher-end restaurants; others stick to 15%. In the 2024 poll, people in Quebec were especially likely to choose 15%.
• Services: many people also tip hairdressers and barbers, taxi drivers and delivery couriers, but Canadians are more divided about these than about restaurants: in the 2024 poll, 60% found it appropriate to be asked for a tip at salons, 48% in taxis and 47% for food delivery.