What cultural etiquette should I know for San Francisco?

The tipping expectation in San Francisco is higher than most American cities. Restaurants expect 18-20% on the pre-tax total, and many have moved to 20-22% as suggested minimums on their checkout tablets. You'll notice Square terminals at coffee shops in the Mission and Hayes Valley that flip to face you with 18%, 20%, and 25% options for a $6 cortado. Skipping the tip on a sit-down meal is rude, full stop. At Tartine on Guerrero Street or any taqueria along 24th Street, counter service still expects $1-2 per item or 15-18%. Bartenders at spots like Smuggler's Cove in Hayes Valley expect $1-2 per drink. Hotel housekeeping gets $3-5 per night, left on the pillow with a note so the housekeeper knows it's intentional. Uber and Lyft drivers get tipped through the app, 15-20%. The one place you don't tip is at a food truck, though even there a tip jar sits on the counter.

San Francisco's progressive reputation is earned and lived daily. People share pronouns in introductions at workplaces south of Market Street in SoMa and in most social settings in the Castro, Noe Valley, and the Haight. If someone offers their pronouns, reciprocate. You will encounter people experiencing homelessness on Market Street, in the Tenderloin, and around Civic Center BART. The local approach tends to be eye contact and a brief acknowledgment if someone speaks to you, rather than looking away. Giving cash is a personal choice, not an obligation. Don't photograph people without consent. That said, San Francisco is less formal than visitors expect. First names from the first handshake. Business casual means a Patagonia fleece over jeans in most SoMa offices. The environmental consciousness is real and sometimes intense. Bring reusable bags. California banned single-use plastic bags statewide in 2014, and San Francisco banned them back in 2007. Plastic straws are uncommon at most restaurants.

Food etiquette in San Francisco has unwritten rules worth knowing before your first meal. At a Mission District taqueria like La Taqueria on 25th Street or El Farolito on 24th, order at the counter, find your own seat, and bus your own tray. Nobody is coming to take your order. The sourdough at Boudin on Fisherman's Wharf is for tourists. Locals get their loaves from Tartine on Guerrero or Josey Baker Bread in the Western Addition. Dim sum at Yank Sing in the Rincon Center or Dragon Beaux in the outer Richmond follows traditional etiquette. Tap the table twice with two fingers to say thank you when someone pours your tea. Wait for the eldest person to start eating. Dungeness crab season runs mid-November through June, and you'll smell the steam and brine at the Fisherman's Wharf stalls. Eat it with your hands. That's expected.

On BART and Muni, let riders exit before you board. This seems obvious but the crowd pressure at Powell Street station during the 5pm rush makes it hard. Stand on the right side of escalators, walk on the left. San Franciscans will tell you if you're blocking the left lane. Bikes have the right of way in most situations along the Wiggle, the flat bike route through the Lower Haight. Jaywalking is common and rarely ticketed, but cars on hills have limited visibility, so the steep blocks around Nob Hill and Russian Hill deserve caution. Cannabis is legal for adults over 21 since California Proposition 64 passed in 2016, but you can't smoke in public, on sidewalks, or in parks. The fine is $100. You'll smell it on Haight Street near the Golden Gate Park entrance more than anywhere else in the city. Noise complaints are taken seriously in residential areas. The Richmond and Sunset districts are quiet by 10pm.