Make tipping automatic for the World Cup? Many KC restaurants say they ‘have to’
The 2026 FIFA World Cup has long been looming in the distance for Kansas City, inching closer like a slow rolling fog.
With the fanfare comes much excitement and — restaurant owners hope — plenty of business. But there’s also much to prepare, and plenty of unknowns associated with one of the world’s largest sporting events landing in KC. Some nerves, even.
One question business owners are asking themselves: Will foreign guests understand American tipping culture and be able to appropriately compensate employees?
Perhaps not, thinks the Missouri Restaurant Association.
The MRA, which provides tools and advocates for restaurants in the state, is recommending that its members in Kansas City implement automatic gratuity. It’s a policy that’s less frequent in the U.S. and scoffed at by some, except when dealing with larger parties.
But it’s commonplace overseas, said Trey Meyers, director of marketing and communication. And in some countries, tipping at restaurants isn’t standard at all. So they’re recommending restaurants implement 20% gratuity temporarily regardless of party size.
KC expects to welcome fans from Argentina, Algeria, Ecuador, Austria, The Netherlands, Curaçao, Tunisia and beyond.
“We have a concern that a lot of our serving staff … would not have an opportunity to collect a tip from those individuals who travel here,” Meyers said.
The MRA is also recommending that restaurants clearly communicate their updated policy to customers, so nobody is surprised by the bill. Signs on the doors or windows and staff giving customers a heads up are among the ways they can choose to do so.
And technically, restaurants are well within their rights to implement this policy whenever they’d like, World Cup aside. Many don’t, though, because it’s not standard practice.
There’s no exact number for just how many will adopt automatic gratuity in the metro, but Meyers said many will. Fine-dining restaurants, casual restaurants and bars are included in this.
“What we hear from restaurateurs is that most of them are gonna adopt this policy,” Meyers said. “We don’t keep a running list of who those are.”
One of them is Amante Domingo, who owns The Russell, Noka and Le Champion. He, too, is concerned that his employees won’t be compensated for their work.
“Somewhere where there’s a lot of international travelers, we’re gonna have to do it,” Domingo said. “It’s not meant to be rude, it’s not meant to be anything. It’s meant to protect the employees.”
According to travel magazine Travel + Leisure, many restaurants in European countries include a service charge on the check, though gratuity on top of that is welcomed, and Scandinavian countries generally don’t expect gratuity.
Travel publication Lonely Planet asserts that, in many South American countries, automatic gratuity is common as well.
In some cases, tipping can even be considered offensive. According to a 2023 BBC article, tipping in China has historically been seen as rude, though “times are changing” in bigger cities with many foreign visitors and travelers. Japanese service workers may also refuse tips or take offense to the offer.
For these reasons, Domingo is following the MRA’s lead.
“I don’t think anyone would have intention on stiffing anybody, but culturally, there are just different cues in this business,” Domingo said. “We’re in unique waters because we have so much tourism.”
Some restaurants aren’t going along with it, however. Jasper Mirabile of Jasper’s Italian Restaurant isn’t keen on the idea. He thinks employees might be shorted by regulars if automatic gratuity is applied, and he doesn’t like the idea of picking and choosing who a service charge is applied to based on where they’re from.
“We have so many customers who have been dining here for years who actually tip more than 20%,” he said. “I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.”
Like Meyers, Mirabile is hearing most of his colleagues express a desire to apply automatic gratuity. But Mirabile said he’s a little farther south than many of those restaurants. He’s at 1201 W. 103rd St.
Regardless, the MRA isn’t recommending restaurants keep up with the policy year-round. They expect things to go back to normal once the crowd leaves.
“This is only a temporary thing,” Meyers said. “We just want to make sure everyone’s taken care of.”