The flat white coffee drink was $4. A suggested tip was $3.
The cashier at Café Grumpy, a New York City coffeehouse, swiped the credit card, then whirled the screen of her iPad sales device around to face the customer. “Add a tip,” the screen commanded, listing three options: $1, $2 or $3.
In other words: 25 percent, 50 percent or 75 percent of the bill.
There was a “no tip” and a “customize tip” button, too, but neither seemed particularly inviting as the cashier looked on. Under that pressure, the middle choice — $2 — seemed easiest.
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“The onset of iPad P.O.S. systems is completely changing the way consumers tip,” said Justin Guinn, a retail market research associate at Software Advice, who recently completed a study on the effect of such systems on tipping practices for clients in the restaurant industry. “Just this morning, I gave a 40 percent tip on my $2.50 coffee because the cafe’s P.O.S. system has a ‘smart tipping’ feature.”
Such a feature, he explained, automatically adjusts preset tipping options on orders less than $10 to $1, $2 or $3. But for orders greater than $10, it changes them to 15, 20 or 25 percent.
“It’s genius,” Mr. Guinn said.
A version of this article appears in print on February 1, 2015, on page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: $3 Tip on a $4 Cup of Coffee? Gratuities Grow, Automatically. Order Reprints| Today’s Paper|Subscribe
