(AOL) It goes to show that nothing beats service with a smile.
New research has found that putting a smiley face emoji on a bill can bolster the average restaurant server’s tip by a whopping 11%, according to a study published last month in the International Journal of Hospitality Management.
“We establish that when emojis are included with tip suggestions during the payment transaction, customers tip at a higher percentage than when no emojis are included,” the authors state.
Specifically, the largest increase in customer generosity came in scenarios where multiple emojis were shown with suggested tip amounts. Neutral faces accompanied lower gratuities and, as the recommended percentage grew, so did the emojis’ cheek-to-cheek smile.
At full-service restaurants, the presence of emojis saw rises in the average tip go from 22.86% to 25.38% — an overall 11% relative increase. Typically, a 18%-to-20% gratuity represents satisfaction.
As for food delivery apps, the average tip jumped about 10%, from 14.66% to 16.11%. Takeout orders saw the most growth — 32.8% — with a change from 12.61% to 16.75%.
