In the United States, tips are expected for practically everything (sometimes even on self-checkouts). But at a restaurant like Texas Roadhouse, how much should those tips actually be? And who gets to make that decision — the restaurant or the customer? Those questions came together on Reddit after a Texas Roadhouse customer found some strange tip calculations suggested for their bill.

A picture posted to r/EndTipping in early 2026 shows a Texas Roadhouse bill totaling $74.53 before tax and $80.68 after tax, with a suggested 15% tip of $13.45. One problem: If you get out your calculator, you'll find that 15% of the pre-tax amount is $11.18, and 15% of the taxed total is $12.10. In other words, the minimum suggested tip labeled 15% was not actually 15%, but more than $2 higher than how a 15% gratuity would generally be calculated.

Texas Roadhouse does offer a disclaimer on the bill that the tip is calculated after tax but before discounts, but even so, the math doesn't quite add up. Neither the original poster on Reddit nor commenters could fully explain what was happening, but it's not the only time diners have questioned Texas Roadhouse's gratuity options. A similar situation was discussed in a video posted to TikTok, showing a total bill of $50 and a suggested 22% tip of $21 (22% of $50 is $11). Once more, it was not entirely clear why these discrepancies exist.

There's no standard for tipping, but 20% to 25% pre-tax is a safe bet

A seated restaurant diner chooses a tip amount on a tablet held by a server in a cafe

bigshot01/Shutterstock

Tipping is a subjective practice that, while expected in a sit-down restaurant, isn't controlled or regulated in any way. There are no hard-and-fast rules on how a customer must tip, although around 20% is customary at a full-service eatery, and tipping 25% is looking like the new norm. In general, it's standard to calculate gratuity based on the bill before tax, but many diners tip on the post-tax amount.

Texas Roadhouse calculates the suggested tip from the taxed total. "Suggested tip amounts are calculated after tax and before any discounts are applied, which can affect the suggested totals you see on the receipt," a spokesperson for the restaurant told BroBible. The Reddit post questioning the chain's seemingly miscalculated tip suggestions doesn't show a discount on the bill, but the receipt in the TikTok video did include a discount, possibly explaining the discrepancies.

Even if the suggested tips don't seem right, it's important to still leave one. In most restaurants, tips make up part of the servers' salaries. Wait staff are typically paid below the standard minimum wage with the expectation that tips will bring their rate up to minimum wage (or above). The national minimum wage for tipped employees like servers has been as low as $2.13 per hour, far below the national minimum hourly wage of $7.25. Some states have higher rates, such as New York, which requires restaurant workers to be paid at least $10.70 an hour (and slightly higher in areas like New York City).