Watch Out For Double Tipping When Dining In Utah

Utah Central Tip Warning: Don’t Double‑Tip Yourself Into Financial Ruin

Utahns are famously polite, but sometimes our niceness costs us—literally. Case in point: the sneaky little line on your restaurant bill that says “gratuity included.”

Get our free mobile app

If you’ve ever missed it, congratulations, you’ve joined the elite club of Accidental Double‑Tippers. And yes… we just went there too.

Gratuity Included Guidelines

Most restaurants add automatic gratuity when:
- Your group is large** — typically 6–8 people or more
- You’re booking a banquet or event
- You request separate checks for a big table
- You’re at a place that applies service charges to all dine‑in parties which has become a growing trend nationwide.

The usual automatic gratuity runs 18–20%, and it’s meant to guarantee servers aren’t stiffed when juggling a crowd.

Read More: This is the MOST EXPENSIVE Restaurant in Utah

The Cautionary Tale

Our company just went out for a celebratory dinner—one of those “we survived another quarter” meals. Spirits were high, appetizers were flowing, and nobody was doing math. When the bill came, we all tossed in our cards, added a generous tip (because Utah business manners), and went home feeling like heroes.

The next morning, someone actually read the receipt.

Yep, gratuity was already included. So, we had essentially tipped twice.
The server probably went home and hugged their kids a little tighter that night.

So here’s your Utah Central PSA: "scan the bottom of the bill before adding a tip." (said in a scratchy governmental broadcast service sort of voice). Restaurants aren’t trying to trick you—well, most aren’t—but automatic gratuity is easy to miss when you’re laughing, chatting, or trying to wrangle a group of coworkers who can’t decide between Diet Coke and Dr Pepper.