Montrealers tip better than any other city in Canada

A woman pays a bill with her phone. (Marcus Aurelius/pexels.com)

Montreal is the most generous tipping city in Canada, with an average of 14.5 per cent, according to Lightspeed Commerce, a point-of-sale and e-commerce software provider.

The company notes that the city ranks ahead of Vancouver (13.4 per cent) and Toronto (12.3 per cent).

• READ MORE: Hundreds of Quebec bars and restaurants earned complaints about tipping practice

Data show that 41 per cent of Montrealers tip in the 11-15 per cent range, while 37 per cent do so in the 16-20 per cent range - the most generous tip distribution of any major Canadian city.

Additionally, the numbers show that only 22 per cent feel pressured by digital tip screens, versus 30 per cent across the country.

“Montreal tips the most and feels the least coerced into doing it,” the survey states.

Montrealers are also considered the least worried when it comes to portions and sodium, compared to other major Canadian cities.

“Only 23 per cent of Montrealers are more mindful of portion sizes than before, versus 32 per cent nationally,” the data show. “Low sodium demand sits at just 13 per cent in Montreal versus 24.5 per cent nationally - half the national rate.”

• READ MORE: Montreal diners more demanding but better tippers than most of Canada: poll

Additionally, the survey finds that 36 per cent of Montrealers have never written a restaurant review, compared to 26 per cent nationally.

“They dine, they enjoy, they say nothing online,” the company quips. “When they do review, Google dominates: 62.5 per cent of Montreal reviewers use Google versus 53 per cent nationally.”

Montreal, according to the survey, is also the least price-pressured dining city in Canada, with 27 per cent of people saying they share dishes because of costs, compared to 37 per cent in the rest of the country.

Poor service

Overall, the survey finds that Canada ranks #1 globally when it comes to “doing nothing when service is poor.”

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It states that nearly one in four (22 per cent) Canadian diners admit to staying silent when something goes wrong, despite 82 per cent insisting that attention from staff matters to them.

“Restaurants are losing customers without a single piece of evidence explaining why,” the company points out, noting that 60 per cent of respondents confessed to rarely or never leaving a review.

• READ MORE: Tipping guide to Canada: When, where and how much to tip for restaurants, taxis and more

Prior research in Montreal in 2025 shows that 37 per cent of Montrealers cite rude servers as their top dining frustration, with 48 per cent saying they won’t return if service is poor.