Manitobans are very irritated by tip creep – the practice of being asked to tip for services that didn’t used to involve a gratuity. Two-thirds of Manitobans strongly agree they are annoyed by this trend.

graph showing Manitobans' attitudes regarding tipping

Manitobans are also frustrated with tip-flation, the relatively new practice of suggested tip amounts, and sometimes large ones, at payment terminals. Nearly 80 per cent of Manitobans say they do not appreciate it when businesses offer suggested tip amounts. Younger Manitobans, those 18-34, are less likely to be irritated by tip-flation.

 

Most Manitobans are also quite confused about which staff members actually benefit from tips. Only one-third feel confident they know which employees at an establishment will actually receive any tips.

Manitobans would also be more likely to patronize a restaurant that discourages tips and instead pays staff a good wage. Nearly 80 per cent agree they would find this kind of model attractive.

When asked how much they typically leave for staff as a gratuity, nearly one-half of Manitobans typically tip between 15 and 20 per cent following a sit-down restaurant meal, with slightly more than one-third tipping between 10 and 15 per cent. Only seven per cent leave more than 20 per cent as a tip.

 

Methodology

Probe Research surveyed 800 adults residing in Manitoba from August 1st to 9th, 2024.

Those who responded to the online survey are members of Probe Research’s proprietary panel, as well as members of another national online panel.

Because an online panel is a non-probability sample, no margin of error can be ascribed. For the purposes of comparison, a probabilistic sample of N=800 Manitoba adults would have a margin of error of ± 3.46 percentage points, 19 times out 20. The margin of error would be higher within each of the survey’s population sub-groups.​

Minor statistical weighting has been applied to this sample to ensure that age, gender and regional characteristics properly reflect known attributes of Manitoba’s population. As well, the data has been weighted to reflect voting patterns in the last provincial election. All data analysis was performed using SPSS statistical analysis software.​

Disclosure Statement

Probe Research is a member of the Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC) and confirms that this research fully complies with all CRIC Standards including the CRIC Public Opinion Research Standards and Disclosure Requirements. Learn more at: https://www.canadianresearchinsightscouncil.ca/standards/por/