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Tipping in Chicago
Illinois
Standard 18–20% at restaurants, with one local wrinkle: Chicago is in the middle of phasing out the tipped subminimum wage, and the timetable moved in 2026.
What to tip in Chicago
| Service | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sit-down restaurants | 18–20% | On the pre-tax subtotal. Chicago's combined restaurant tax is among the highest in the country, so tipping on the post-tax total costs noticeably more. |
| Bars & pubs | $1–2 per drink | $1 for a beer, $2 for a cocktail. On a tab, 18–20% of the total. |
| Taxis & rideshare | 15–20% | Card readers in Chicago cabs prompt for a tip by default. |
| Hotel housekeeping | $3–5/night | Leave it daily with a note so it is clearly intended as a tip. |
| Valet parking | $3–5 on return | Common downtown and in River North, where street parking is scarce. |
| Deep-dish delivery | 15–20% | Deep dish takes longer to bake and travels heavier than most delivery. The driver waited too. |
| Counter service & coffee | Optional | Tip screens are standard. $1 or nothing are both normal. |
What's different here
- •Chicago passed an ordinance in October 2023 to eliminate the tipped subminimum wage — the “tip credit” — by 2028. In May 2026 the City Council voted to pause that phase-out by two years, pushing full elimination to 2028 for larger employers and 2030 for smaller ones. Until it completes, tips still make up a substantial part of a server's pay here.
- •Restaurant tax downtown is high enough that tipping on the pre-tax subtotal, rather than the total, is worth doing deliberately — the gap is larger than in most cities.
- •Winter changes the calculus for delivery. Drivers working through a Chicago January are generally tipped above the usual range, and locals do it without being asked.