A re-examination of cultural influences on restaurant tipping behavior: A comparison of Japan and the U.S

Abstract

"This study extends research on tipping by examining tipping-related service quality dimensions in an international context. It was expected that Japanese and American restaurant consumers would show cultural differences in how they perceive tipping-related service quality dimensions. Hofstede's dimensions of national character were employed to predict cultural differences in tipping-related service quality dimensions. However, the results of hypotheses testing provided weak evidence of the existence of traditional patterns of national differences in these aspects. The unexpected results appeared to be due to the different reactions to rewards in relation to service quality or to a lesser extent of the existence of divergent national cultures than the theorized effects of cultural differences suggest. Implications for these findings for international Japanese and American restaurant consumers are considered, arid future directions for research are suggested.