CLEVELAND — Working in the restaurant industry can be difficult. That's especially been true the past few years due to everything from the pandemic to inflation to the worker shortage.

But, according to a new report, some restaurant servers are doing a whole lot better compared to others in the United States when it comes to how much gratuity their customers leave them.

What You Need To Know

  • Restaurant software firm Toast looked at 12 metropolitan areas in the U.S. to determine the best tipping city

  • Cleveland ranked No. 1 on the list
  • Cleveland was also the only city on the list where the average restaurant tip was above 20%

  • Ohio was ranked as the sixth-best state, as a whole, when it comes to restaurant tipping

Restaurant software firm Toast looked at 12 metropolitan areas in the U.S. to determine the best tipping city.

Cleveland ranked No. 1 on the list with diners there adding, on average, a 20.6% gratuity to their checks.

Cleveland was also the only city on the list where the average restaurant tip was above 20%.

“We got a lot of generous people in Cleveland,” said Russ Schultz, manager of India Garden in Lakewood, who wasn’t surprised by the findings of the new report. “They understand it’s hard to make a living and are just helping each other out.”

Cleveland is not the only place in the Buckeye State you’ll find generous folks with generous wallets.

The study also ranked Ohio as the sixth-best state, as a whole, when it comes to restaurant tipping.

For Schultz and his staff, it’s an added boost, helping many restaurant workers get by.

“A lot of our waiters and waitresses are students at Cleveland State, so they appreciate every penny they make," said Schultz.

The Toast study was based on transactions where the tip was added via credit card or digital payment.