Gratitude and gratuity: a meta-analysis of research on the service-tipping relationship
Lynn and McCall, The Journal of Socio-Economics 29(2), 2000, 203-214. Pooled seven published and six unpublished studies covering 2,547 dining parties at 20 restaurants. Positive, statistically significant link between service evaluations and tip size, much weaker than commonly assumed. Customer mood, patronage frequency and servers favouring big tippers did not adequately explain it. Authors: tippers care about equitable treatment but the motive is too weak to measure server performance or incentivise good service. Reading depth: abstract.
Lynn and McCall, The Journal of Socio-Economics 29(2), 2000, 203-214. Pooled seven published and six unpublished studies covering 2,547 dining parties at 20 restaurants. Positive, statistically significant link between service evaluations and tip size, much weaker than commonly assumed. Customer mood, patronage frequency and servers favouring big tippers did not adequately explain it. Authors: tippers care about equitable treatment but the motive is too weak to measure server performance or incentivise good service. Reading depth: abstract.
Written from the abstract.
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The Journal of Socio-Economics, 29(2), 203-214. doi:10.1016/s1053-5357(00)00062-7 https://doi.org/10.1016/s1053-5357(00)00062-7