World Cup 2026: Restaurants Add Mandatory Tips for Visitors

Restaurants in U.S. cities gearing up for the FIFA World Cup 2026 are introducing mandatory tips on customer checks. This proactive measure is designed to accommodate international visitors who may not be familiar with American tipping customs, ensuring that service staff receive fair compensation.

Several host cities are seeing businesses adopt this policy. For instance, T's Brunch Bar in Atlanta is increasing its automatic gratuity from 18 to 20 percent. Similarly, Boston establishments are considering a mandatory 20 percent tip. Restaurant owners emphasize this is crucial for supporting their employees.

While some owners, like George Pantos of Jimmy's Pub & Restaurant, prefer encouraging voluntary tipping, others, such as Mike Burris from the Missouri Restaurant Association, advise mandatory tips to prevent potential income shortfalls for servers. These temporary measures are expected during the tournament.

However, some experts caution that mandatory tips could face backlash from locals already dealing with high costs. David Henkes of Technomic notes that perceived price increases risk alienating customers, especially if additional tipping is still expected.