etip has discussed how diners can calculate and deliver gratuities when paying for restaurant meals, including those involving gift cards. Its guide was published on July 31, 2019 and combines tipping suggestions with a description of the company’s cashless tipping app.

For a complimentary or discounted meal, including a gift card-related offer, etip recommends considering what the full bill would have been before the reduction. It also advises checking whether a service charge or gratuity has already been added before leaving another payment.

The guide suggests 16% as a starting point in its US examples, with the amount adjusted for service and circumstances. It gives 20% as a recommendation for a group of eight or more where gratuity has not already been included. These are the recommendations presented in the 2019 article.

etip compares cash, credit or debit cards and mobile apps as delivery methods. It notes that the amount a particular employee receives can depend on a restaurant’s arrangements for pooling and distributing tips, and suggests asking staff how the payment is handled.

The company presents its app as a way to select and tip an individual service employee without carrying cash. Beyond restaurant workers, the guide identifies housekeepers, beauticians and barbers as potential recipients.

The article also points to a tipping calculator and recommends raising food-related problems with a manager, recognising that the issue may be outside the server’s control.