And finally…Scots the UK’s biggest tippers

According to a new survey, just 6 per cent of Scots said that they never left a tip when eating out, compared to 21 per cent of those in the Midlands and 15 per cent in the north of England.

60 per cent of consumers in Scotland were also found to always tip between 10 – 20 per cent of the bill.

This is compares to 34 per cent in Wales and 37 per cent of those in the Midlands, who often leave less than 5 per cent if anything.

The research als o revealed that most frequent restaurant-goers can be found in London.

The UK capital sees 33 per cent of the population eat out once a week or more.

This compares with 27 per cent of Scots.

Overall, the most important factor for people when leaving a tip is friendliness of staff (76 per cent), followed by quality of food and drink (53 per cent) and the speed of service (50 per cent).

However, despite discretionary charge being voluntary, 44 per centof people said they would be too embarrassed not to leave a tip at the end of a meal, rising to 49% among women.

Gerald Grimes, managing director at Hitachi Capital Consumer Finance, which carried out the survey, said: “It’s interesting to see the regional differences in how people feel about tipping. The Scottish tight-fisted stereotype is clearly not accurate with Scots being most likely to leave a substantial 20% tip when eating out, particularly when at an independent restaurant or café. This is clearly in contrast to Wales, the Midlands and cities in the North such as Manchester and Leeds.

“People also need to have confidence about what happens to the money they leave behind. There is also a strong consensus – 67% of those surveyed – who think that tips should go directly to the waiter or waitress who served the table, rather than split between all staff.”