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Tipping in San Francisco / Bay Area
California
Tip 18–20% at restaurants, 15–20% for rides, and $3–5 per night for housekeeping.
What to tip in San Francisco / Bay Area
| Service | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sit-down restaurants | 18–20% | Watch for “SF Health Mandate” surcharges (3–5%) on your bill. This is NOT a tip. |
| Coffee shops | $1–2 | Tip screens are universal. $1–2 for drip coffee, more for specialty drinks. |
| Bars & pubs | $1–2 per drink | Standard. SF has excellent cocktail bars and wine bars. |
| Taxis & rideshare | 15–20% | Uber/Lyft originated here. Both widely available. |
| Hotel housekeeping | $3–5/night | SF hotel prices are among the highest in the US. Housekeeping tips are still expected. |
| Cable cars | Not required | $8 per ride. A tourist experience, not daily transit. No tipping needed. |
| Stadium food & drinks | Not required | Levi’s Stadium concessions are typical — no tip expected. |
What's different here
- •Street parking in SF is extremely limited and expensive. Use transit or rideshare.
- •California allows no tip credit at all. Employers must pay the full state minimum wage — $16.90 an hour — in cash before a single tip is counted, which puts SF among the few US cities where a tip really is on top of a wage rather than instead of one. The convention is still 18–20%.
- •Many SF restaurants add a surcharge of 3–5% labelled for healthcare or employee benefits. It is not a tip and generally does not reach your server as one. Tip on the pre-surcharge subtotal.
- •Street parking is scarce and expensive enough that valet and rideshare are the default downtown. Budget $3–5 for valet on top of the parking charge.