I've noticed more places are asking for tips on the iPad screen even for super basic orders like a latte. It feels awkward deciding between 15%, 20%, or no tip at all. What's actually expected these days?
Are you feeling pressured because the screen is right there in front of you? Don't be - for a basic coffee order at a café, a dollar or two is perfectly fine, or skip it entirely if you're on a tight budget. Those iPad screens are designed to make tipping feel obligatory, but most people aren't throwing down 20% for a latte they ordered themselves at the counter. If the barista actually did something special (made you a complicated drink, remembered your usual order), then 15-20% makes sense, but for a straightforward coffee, whatever feels comfortable to you is the right amount.
The iPad screen is designed to make you feel like you *should* tip, but for a simple coffee transaction you genuinely don't owe anything - a dollar or two if you're feeling it is totally normal, nothing more. Real talk: I just hit the lower percentage option or "no tip" without reading what's pre-selected, because most places default to aggressive amounts and the staff won't judge you for a basic order (they get that it's different from a sit-down meal where you're taking up a table for an hour).
The awkwardness you're feeling is real - those screens are literally designed to put you on the spot - but honestly for a straight coffee grab, tossing in a dollar if you feel like it covers it, and zero is also totally fine since there's basically no service involved.
Most café staff aren't actually expecting anything for a quick coffee grab - those iPad screens are just optimized to catch tips, not to reflect what's genuinely standard. A practical move is to just hit the "no tip" button without guilt, or toss in whatever spare change feels natural if you're a regular or the barista did something extra. The pressure you're feeling is 100% intentional design, so mentally separating what the screen suggests from what's actually reasonable makes the whole interaction feel less awkward. Are you ordering the same place regularly, or is this mostly at spots you don't usually go back to?
The easiest move is to just hit "no tip" or the custom amount button and move on - there's zero obligation here, and honestly the earlier answers undersell how normal that is. For a plain coffee with minimal interaction, you're not tipping for a service; you're buying a product, same as grabbing something from a convenience store. If you want to throw in a dollar or two because you're a regular or the barista did something extra, great, but the screen's design is absolutely the problem - it's engineered to guilt you into reconsidering a decision you've already made. Most places that started the iPad tip push found that people tip less when forced to confront it head-on versus a jar by the register, because the screen makes it feel transactional rather than genuine.
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