The tip screen proliferation
Point-of-sale systems with tip prompts appeared at counter-service and quick-service businesses across New York (and the US generally) in the early 2020s. A screen suggesting 18%, 20%, or 25% at a coffee counter or a takeout window is now ubiquitous. This is not the same social obligation as restaurant tipping — counter-service workers are paid standard minimum wage in New York (unlike tipped restaurant workers who receive a lower base), and the screen is a prompt, not a requirement.
What's genuinely expected where
Sit-down restaurants: 18–22%, unchanged and non-negotiable in practice. See our full dining customs guide.
Coffee shops and counter service: genuinely optional. A dollar or rounding up is appreciated; leaving nothing is not socially stigmatised the way not tipping at a restaurant is.
Delivery apps: 10–15% minimum; the default suggested amounts on most apps (often 20%+) are set by the platforms, not by the workers.
Taxi and rideshare: 15–20% is standard; the app prompts this automatically on most platforms.
The broader context
New York has among the highest minimum wages in the US (the state minimum is significantly above the federal floor), which affects the baseline situation for all tipped workers. The restaurant industry lobbies consistently to maintain the lower tipped minimum wage structure; there are periodic legislative efforts to change it. The tip screen proliferation is partly a response to businesses trying to increase worker compensation without raising menu prices.
What's actually changed
The shift has been most pronounced at quick-service and counter-service businesses where tipping was not previously expected — coffee shops, ice cream counters, fast-casual restaurants. The point-of-sale screen now turns to face the customer at the end of most transactions and presents three tip percentage buttons plus a "no tip" option. The social mechanics are awkward: declining feels pointed when the staff member is standing directly in front of you; accepting feels arbitrary when you've simply been handed a wrapped sandwich from a counter. There is no settled social norm on this yet, and most people feel mildly uncomfortable either way.
What visitors should actually do
For table-service restaurants: tip 18–20%, full stop — this has not changed and remains expected. For counter service where you order and pick up your own food: no obligation, tip optional. For barista-made coffee drinks where there's meaningful skilled labour in the preparation: $1 is reasonable; skipping is also acceptable. For delivery (via apps like DoorDash or Uber Eats): 10–15% is the floor that makes the delivery economics work for the driver; the app will suggest more. The overall principle is that tipping is calibrated to actual service labour, not to the presence of a tip screen.
The policy context
New York State's minimum wage for tipped workers has increased substantially in recent years, which has not eliminated the tip expectation but has changed the underlying logic: workers are no longer guaranteed to fall below minimum wage without tips, but the tipping norm is entrenched enough that removing it would require a much more active policy intervention than raising the floor wage.