# Tipping among cultures



## winegrower

A *tip* (also called a *gratuity*), that is a payment made to certain service sector workers in addition to the advertised price of the transaction (Wikipedia), is a common practice in most countries, though tipping varies among cultures. While by definition a tip is never legally required, and its amount is at the discretion of the person being served, in some circumstances failing to give an adequate tip, may be considered very miserly or unethical. In other cultures, giving a tip is not expected and offering one would be considered condescending or demeaning. What is the situation in your country?
PS. If the topic has already been discussed ignore it!


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## Grop

Here in France tips are welcome, but not *expected*. Service workers are supposed to be paid well enough, and prices take this into account.

In my experience noone would refuse a tip here (well, maybe a cheap tip might be condescending, unless it's just refusing change).

When traveling to other countries, we the French are often surprised when a tip is expected (like mandatory). Or oblivious to this, because we don't know what is not said. We are used to paying the price that was stated.


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## Valeria Mesalina

Same in Spain, you can leave some coins on a plate for the waiter if you want to but it´s OK if you don´t.

As far as I know it is quite common to tip waiters and taxis but though a tip is welcome it´s not compulsory.


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## winegrower

The reason I oppened this thread is my recent experience from a trip to the US, where I was shocked (and unprepared) for the way they see tipping. They have very precise rules about percentages and they consider it more or less obligatory. Coming from a country where tipping is like in France and Spain, I panicked with all the 5$ bills (minimum) I had to give everybody. I'm still having bad dreams about the 40$ laying on the table after we paid a 200$ bill in a restaurant!


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## Valeria Mesalina

I don´t think any Spaniard would understand that system. 

Tipping people around here usually means refusing to take back the change. If a waiter hands us a 195 euros bill we´ll probably leave 200 on the plate; the tip would be 5 euros. O course if we pay with a credit card there is no tipping at all. 

But a 40 euros tip would be something quite unheard of.


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## Wilma_Sweden

Tips in Sweden are welcome, but not required. The waiter might give an extra smile or a thank you if you do, but rarely hold it against you if you don't. Around 10% of the total bill is a standard amount. 

Taxi drivers get tips more rarely - taxi fares are exorbitant in this country  - and I can't think of any other profession that get tipped regularly.

In the UK I've been tipping similar amounts, and so far I have only been 'scolded' once, when I refused to tip a very rude and useless waiter. He didn't say anything, just glared angrily as he counted the money I gave him - just enough to cover the bill, but not a penny in tips!

I don't know if 'service charges' are added to restaurant bills these days - I would assume that tipping wasn't necessary in that case.

/Wilma


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## Chaska Ñawi

In Canada, it's customary to tip hairdressers, bar and waitstaff, taxi drivers and porters.  In the first three categories, you're expected to pay 10 - 20%.  Their salaries are calculated based on the expectation that they will receive tips.  So, yes, if I were spending $200 on the meal I would tip $40.  If the service were terrible, I would tip less or give the tip to the manager with an explanation ... but I would not leave without tipping.

In some establishments the staff pool all the tips at the end of the night; in others everyone keeps their own tips.

We just get used to calculating the cost of a tip into an evening out.  Leaving a restaurant without tipping, unless the service is abysmal, is considered the height of boorishness here.


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## jinti

winegrower said:


> The reason I oppened this thread is my recent experience from a trip to the US, where I was shocked (and unprepared) for the way they see tipping. They have very precise rules about percentages and they consider it more or less obligatory. Coming from a country where tipping is like in France and Spain, I panicked with all the 5$ bills (minimum) I had to give everybody. I'm still having bad dreams about the 40$ laying on the table after we paid a 200$ bill in a restaurant!


I understand that waiters earn different amounts in different countries. Perhaps you're not aware of how it works in the US.

Minimum wage here varies by state, but as an example, in New York State it's $7.15/hour EXCEPT for restaurant employees who get tips. They only get $4.60/hour. Even $7.15/hr is poverty level wages in New York City (just my rent alone is more than those annual wages), so $4.60 is really impossible to live on, never mind raise a family on. They are expected to make up the rest in tips. If you don't tip, or you tip poorly, and you take up the table for half an hour, an hour, or longer, you're putting the waiter on starvation wages and you're preventing other people who _will_ tip from sitting at the table for all that time.  Plus, whatever tip you leave is split with the busboys, etc., so your waiter isn't even getting all of it.

So the way we see it is that the tip is part of the cost of the meal. If you can't afford to pay for the meal + 15-20% tip, that means you can't afford the restaurant. I would rather eat somewhere cheaper that I can afford than to take earnings away from someone already earning so much less than I do.


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## Wilma_Sweden

jinti said:


> Minimum wage here varies by state, but as an example, in New York State it's $7.15/hour EXCEPT for restaurant employees who get tips. They only get $4.60/hour. Even $7.15/hr is poverty level wages in New York City (just my rent alone is more than those annual wages), so $4.60 is really impossible to live on, never mind raise a family on. They are expected to make up the rest in tips. If you don't tip, or you tip poorly, and you take up the table for half an hour, an hour, or longer, you're putting the waiter on starvation wages and you're preventing other people who _will_ tip from sitting at the table for all that time.  Plus, whatever tip you leave is split with the busboys, etc., so your waiter isn't even getting all of it.


Shocking! In Sweden, tipping is 'officially' abolished, i.e. restaurant owners have to pay the same minimum wages as any other industry, without taking tips into account. Any tipping is a transaction between the patron and the waiter, and waiters are supposed to declare tips as taxable income to the tax man, but I suspect that few of them do - tips are paid in cash, and who's to check it?  

/Wilma


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## PABLO DE SOTO

In Spain many bars and restaurants have a "bote", a common box where the waiters deposit every tip and later on, when a significant amount is reached or at a given time, the box is opened and equally distributed among the staff.


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## CuriousCat21

In the UK tipping is not mandatory, its perfectly acceptable to leave an establishment without leaving a tip, especially if the service was poor. However, if the service was acceptable or good, its left to your descretion as to the amount you leave. I myself would normally leave a tip that is between 5 and 10 percent of the bill.


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## effeundici

In Italy are welcome but not mandatory or expected.

I was surprised too in USA about the tips. But I was convinced by an American that it's a good method. In fact, a rude or unpolite waiter will not receive any tip. In Europe you have to pay a hidden tip both to the best waiter in the world and to the worst one.

Actually in Italy it's wise to tip waiters before and not after. You'll be served much better.


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## Frank78

In Germany you usually give small tips in restaurants (but not in Fast Food "restaurants"), to taxi drivers, in pubs and bars. The tips is usually high if the service was good. It can vary from rounding it up to 5%. In fact most people just round up


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## la_machy

Mi maestro de inglés es Británico y ahora entiendo su sorpresa cuando hablámos de este tema en la clace. El no podía creer que en US los camareros ganaran tán poco y algunos de mis compañeros comentaron que precisamente el bajo salario  se compensába con las propinas. Yo personalmente dejo al menos el 15% de propina y creo que puede ser mejor así, pues a veces hasta en los mejores restaurantes u otros lugares de servicio me ha tocado ser atendida por empleados tán desagradables que no merecen ni un solo dólar , en cambio hay algunos tán amables que gustosamente les dás una propina mayor.


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## Etcetera

Frank78 said:


> In Germany you usually give small tips in restaurants (but not in Fast Food "restaurants"), to taxi drivers, in pubs and bars. The tips is usually high if the service was good. It can vary from rounding it up to 5%. In fact most people just round up


Absolutely the same here in Russia.


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## tomzenith

To be honest, I don't think it's anything like universal in the UK, different people do different things. I try to tip as much as I can afford to (I've worked in service industries since I was 13, so I know it's a good thing to do) but I've got friends who won't ever, though they're normally the ones who've never had a job in their life - and annoyingly the ones who could afford to tip easily. Normally the system we use (me and people I know, that is) is that's it's just expected that you round your share of the bill up: if you ordered £17 of stuff, you put in 20 and don't expect change. 

It's starting to get rarer now, but there used to be quite a few places (one or two I've worked in) where the tips wouldn't ever make it to the staff, so I think that made a lot of people reluctant to tip overly generously.

Here, and it looks like it's the same accross Europe from this discussion, it's not about providing money to live on, minimum wage is standard across the board (even if it's not as high as it perhaps should be).


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## sokol

In *Austria *the situation is quite different from those described so far.

First, tips are very common in restaurants and pubs, and taxi drivers too receive tips.
But the amount of tipping differs from region to region, and it isn't strictly fixed like in the US; but there are guidelines.

In rural regions mostly the amount is just rounded, and if the bill makes up 20 Euros straight many might not give any tip at all without any offence being taken, or you might give 21 (while they might round up 18,30 to 20).
In urban areas, and especially in Vienna and its immediate surroundings, it is considered impolite to not give a tip of around about 10%. Of course you still may vary your tip depending on how content you were, but usually you would give those 10%.
Also, discos and festivals and such are a different matter, you don't give tips there usually, there are even no tips expected, prices there usually are rounded already. (Come to think of it: it was like that in discos in the 1990ies, as I wasn't in a disco for a long time I can't be sure if this has changed).

I have been told that in *Switzerland *tips were at some point "included" into wages so that no tips were expected (sometime in the 1980ies I think), but that nevertheless tips were given after that on occasion. Don't know though how situation is there now.


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## curlyboy20

Tipping in Peru is completely optional and not very many people tip. Peruvians usually tip about 5 soles (roughly a dollar and a half) but foreigners tend to tip way more than that. Peruvian waiters do not expect to get a generous tip from Peruvian customers but they do expect tourists or foreigners to be more generous. Taxi drivers rarely get tips.


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## perrodelmal

Tipping in Mexico.

Tips in Mexico are expected, but not mandatory. Waiters in bars, restaurants, bellboys and porters at hotels expect a tip as a gratification for their good service. It's expected because tips represent a large part of their total income (I'd say in most cases 50% or more), and most of them don't get paid enought by their employers arguing the estimated tips.

Percentages vary from region to region, but it's acceptable a 10-15% of the bill as tip. If a person leaves an establishment without leaving a tip it is likely that this person will receave a lousy service next time. Tipping also works as a measure for excelence in service, so it is acceptable that a person who has received a bad service would tip less or even not at all as a sort of protest.

Taxi drivers here in Mexico do not expect any tips but if offered they will thankfully accept it. It is common to leave change as a tip, for example, if cab fare is maybe $28 pesos a person would pay $30 pesos and leave change.

There is a tendency now though to tip people like the ones who pack stuff at supermarkets, or the guy at the parking lot, and now with high crime leves at large cities there is people who watches parked cars outside on the streets or even at parking lots, called the 'viene-viene', some of them even in a demanding tone ask for tips, oustside bars at night they even charge a far (maybe $20-30 pesos) and threaten you with the argument that something might happen to your car if not, so you end up paying not knowing if he was reffering to burglars or himself, 'the king and new owner of sidewalks and street'.

Another hight tendency now is to ask for the change (cents only) at supermarkets and convenience stores, if the total amount is $438.35 the chashier asks you if you would like to 'donate' or by 'roundig' the amount to $439.00. All the collected money is allegedly donated to charitable organizations, but no one has ever seen actually done, and if a person who donates his change ask for an invoice in order to make a deductible donation no supermarket or convenience store will accept.

On another hand the people who packs all the goodies at supermarkets and stores or the uniformed guy at the parking lot don't make any salary at all, they only get the tipping so that's basically their way of living, from a few years from now it is common that these jobs are performed by retired or elderly people, or even public schools students as a part-time job (teenagers) and tipping is their only source of income, and won't get any better job anywhere else.

I, myself, think that tipping here in Mexico is a good way to make sure of receiving a good service at bars and restaurants. As a college student I worked as a waiter at bars at the beach during summer vacations to save some money for the next semester and saw a lot of good and bad stuff. Really cheap people and some nice people who returned the next day cause they got a good time.

I always tried to do my best so I could get better tips, and I did it always cause you never knew until the end what kind of tip I could get. I remember one time after serving a couple one night, this really cheap guy left me like $2 pesos for tip (an american dollar dime or so) and I was so upset that, whithout being rude or anything, I followed them to the exit and reached them just outside on the sidewalk, and I told him something like 'sir, you forgot your change' and returned him the coin. He got all red because of the embarrasement in front of his girlfriend.

I forgot, it is common too that at some establishments waiters have a bowl in which they collect all the tips and then split it equally between waiters and cooking staff.

Greetings.

Sorry, another thing...

At touristic places here in Mexico, service personnel preffer to attend foreigners because usually they leave bigger tips than customary. That also could be perceived as a form of discrimination because it turns out that some nationals receive a different treatment or even bad quality services.


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## Metzaka

perrodelmal said:


> Sorry, another thing...
> 
> At touristic places here in Mexico, service personnel preffer to attend foreigners because usually they leave bigger tips than customary. That also could be perceived as a form of discrimination because it turns out that some nationals receive a different treatment or even bad quality services.


 No es sólo porque los mexicanos ganemos menos, sino porque nos cuesta más deshacernos del dinero. Inclusive en E.E.U.U., los estadounidenses dejan mejores propinas que los mexicanos. Estoy hablando de clase obrera. Un estadounidense que gana lo mismo que un inmigrante mexicano, por lo general deja mejor propina que el mexicano. Por lo general trato de dejar por lo menos el 15%. En mi última visita a mi tierra (Chihuahua), le dejé cuatro dólares al mesero. Mis parientes me los devolvieron y pusieron 5 pesos en la mesa.


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## Hakro

sokol said:


> I have been told that in *Switzerland *tips were at some point "included" into wages so that no tips were expected (sometime in the 1980ies I think), but that nevertheless tips were given after that on occasion. Don't know though how situation is there now.


In *Finland* the situation has been similar for decades, I don't know how many. As long as I have had drinks or meals in restaurants (and it's a long time!) there has never been a real need to give any tip, but it's customary to leave some change on the table.

I know that in some Finnish restaurants the waiters keep what tips they get; in other restaurants all the tips are collected and shared among the waiters and the kitchen personnel, and this I find really fair.


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## Chaska Ñawi

curlyboy20 said:


> Tipping in Peru is completely optional and not very many people tip. Peruvians usually tip about 5 soles (roughly a dollar and a half) but foreigners tend to tip way more than that. Peruvian waiters do not expect to get a generous tip from Peruvian customers but they do expect tourists or foreigners to be more generous. Taxi drivers rarely get tips.



These observations also apply to Bolivia, where tipping just isn't part of the economy.  Instead, it works in the other direction - the _yapa_.  If you're a regular customer, or buy a large amount of something, the vendor tucks in a little extra.  It's a little like a "baker's dozen".


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## Aserolf

Valeria Mesalina said:


> I don´t think any Spaniard would understand that system.
> 
> Tipping people around here usually means refusing to take back the change. If a waiter hands us a 195 euros bill we´ll probably leave 200 on the plate; the tip would be 5 euros. *O course if we pay with a credit card there is no tipping at all*.
> 
> But a 40 euros tip would be something quite unheard of.


 This is not the case here in USA. When you pay with a CC, there is also a line included in the receipt where you can write the amount you want to add as a tip, then you will have to sum up, get the total and sign it. I find this very convenient as I don't usually carry cash, or at least not a lot.



Metzaka said:


> No es sólo porque los mexicanos ganemos menos, sino porque nos cuesta más deshacernos del dinero. Inclusive en E.E.U.U., los estadounidenses dejan mejores propinas que los mexicanos. Estoy hablando de clase obrera. Un estadounidense que gana lo mismo que un inmigrante mexicano, por lo general deja mejor propina que el mexicano. Por lo general trato de dejar por lo menos el 15%. En mi última visita a mi tierra (Chihuahua), le dejé cuatro dólares al mesero. Mis parientes me los devolvieron y pusieron 5 pesos en la mesa.


The same has happened to me when visiting family in Torreón . But I always try to sneak in and leave a little more. Just thinking of 5 pesos or 10 as less than dollar, makes me feel guilty of tipping 5 to 10 Dlls. everytime I go to an american restaurant.


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## mirx

Aserolf said:


> This is not the case here in USA. When you pay with a CC, there is also a line included in the receipt where you can write the amount you want to add as a tip, then you will have to sum up, get the total and sign it. I find this very convenient as I don't usually carry cash, or at least not a lot.


 
As for México I don't have anything else to add. All is true in  my own experience. Now, ,about the CC thing, I am sure this varies in different places but as a person currently working in the Hotel Industry we also have the CC tipping facility; Guess where those tips go? Yes, exactly to the profit and loss account of the hotel, as profit of course.

The bad thing is that customers leave thinking that the personnel will actually get their hands on those extra dimes. 

I find Europenas much cheaper at tipping than Mexicans or obviously than Americans, but then again the wages are much better than in either of those countries, and yet most people still expect a tip, if only as an acknowledegment of the service offered.


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## sokol

Aserolf said:


> This is not the case here in USA. When you pay with a CC, there is also a line included in the receipt where you can write the amount you want to add as a tip, then you will have to sum up, get the total and sign it.


Credit cards aren't (yet) as common as in the US (for examle I never had one, and don't intend to get one), and those who use them usually don't use them in restaurants.

But in some cases credit cards *are *used in restaurants - mostly for business lunch because it is very convenient to use the credit card of the firm to pay for the lunch of your business partners (instead of paying in cash and let your employer return that sum to you).
And in these cases, on those occasions I have been to such business lunches, there always was the usual tip added (that is, here in Vienna, around about 10%).


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## Aserolf

sokol said:


> Credit cards aren't (yet) as common as in the US (for examle I never had one, and don't intend to get one), and those who use them usually don't use them in restaurants.
> 
> But in some cases credit cards *are *used in restaurants - mostly for business lunch because it is very convenient to use the credit card of the firm to pay for the lunch of your business partners (instead of paying in cash and let your employer return that sum to you).
> And in these cases, on those occasions I have been to such business lunches, there always was the usual tip added (that is, here in Vienna, around about 10%).


 Same in USA when going to a business lunch, whoever pays the bill, usually with the firms CC, do not have to include a tip, it's been already added.

As for the use of CCs, well, if you use them with wisdom there are always a lot of rewards: DVD players, gift certificates, miles, photo cameras, watches, etc. etc. etc.
Of course, there is also the negative side, debt, high interest rates, etc. etc. 
They could be "un arma de doble filo" as we say in Spanish.


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## sokol

Aserolf said:


> Same in USA when going to a business lunch, whoever pays the bill, usually with the firms CC, do not have to include a tip, it's been already added.


To leave no misunderstanding:

In Austria it would be considered *outrageous *if the tip would be added on the invoice: the restaurant never should suggest a tip, or even prescribe one.

In Austria it is the *customer *who decides on the tip - both on the amount and if to give any at all. But by custom - if you excuse the pun - the customer will add around 10% to the invoice (probably a little bit more, or probably less), even when paying with a credit card, in Austrian restaurants as described above. If no tip is added this would be considered as a breach of etiquette. _Except _if something really had been _wrong _with the meal and/or the service (and with _wrong _I mean _very _wrong).


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## Gwan

Here, tipping is not traditional - it seems to be creeping in a bit more these days with jars on the counter for tips or sometimes you see credit/debit card machines prompting you to add a tip to your bill if you wish, but beyond perhaps occasionally saying "keep the change" in a taxi or when paying at a restaurant, people really don't tip. 

When travelling overseas, I try to find out what the custom is and abide by that, because I am conscious that, as has been pointed out, some people in other countries do need tips to survive. 

However, I personally - and I think this is perhaps a general attitude here - am strongly opposed to a culture developing where, as in the US, people are paid starvation wages and have to depend on the generosity of their customers. It should be the employer's responsibility to ensure workers are paid a fair wage, and if there are any tips on top of that, they should be genuine bonuses, not obligatory levies that are required for the worker to live on. I don't mean this as an attack on Americans, from what I can see you are, as customers, mostly generous and mindful that your waiters need these tips, but rather as an attack on the system which gets away with paying its workers less than they need for the cost of living.


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## mirx

Gwan said:


> However, I personally - and I think this is perhaps a general attitude here - am strongly opposed to a culture developing where, as in the US, people are paid starvation wages and have to depend on the generosity of their customers. It should be the employer's responsibility to ensure workers are paid a fair wage, and if there are any tips on top of that, they should be genuine bonuses, not obligatory levies that are required for the worker to live on. I don't mean this as an attack on Americans, from what I can see you are, as customers, mostly generous and mindful that your waiters need these tips, but rather as an attack on the system which gets away with paying its workers less than they need for the cost of living.


 
I don't want to get too off-topic but those salaries are paid in the USA with the understandng that every single waiter will get tips. If tips were not taken into account for calculating their wages, the increases would simply be put into meal prices. So, give the tip to the waiter directly, or pay more for your meal and we'll in increase the waiter wages.


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## ExMax

sokol said:


> In Austria it would be considered *outrageous *if the tip would be added on the invoice: the restaurant never should suggest a tip, or even prescribe one.


But they usually have something like “Service charge” or “Bedienung” in their bills  .
I *never* enter any additional fees into a bill  when I pay with my credit cards, but I put cash into their “bill folders” even when I see “Service compris”  in bold type in a bill (especially when I feel a gratitude to a pretty waitress for her excellent service  ). 
I consider a tip as a game to play and a sign of a person-to-person gratitude, but not an obligation. Therefore I never pay a tip when I feel rudeness, for instance. So, I consider American tipping system as a really strange one. I *must* pay an extra-fee to a plumber, a taxi-driver, a waitress, a porter, a hairdresser and so on - without regard to their skill, benevolence, etc. 
I always try to pay a tip to a hairdresser for her skill and patience, but we have a strange situation in Russia when hairdresser's owners try to forbid them to accept any extra-fees and use a cash desk only..


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## sokol

ExMax said:


> But they usually have something like “Service charge” or “Bedienung” in their bills  .


Oh, do they, in Austria?
The thing is, I never ever visit top-class restaurants except when I'm invited to a business dinner in which case one of my superiors will pay (with credit card; and yes you're right: the tip's added in cash and not by credit card; I think - as I don't do the paying in these cases I'm not entirely sure).

So that "Bedienung - service charge" position on bills might be used in top-class restaurants - I haven't seen it ever in restaurants I visit. Anyway, your experiences here, concerning Austrian restaurants, obviously are more accurate than mine even despite the fact that I'm native.


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## Gwan

mirx said:


> I don't want to get too off-topic but those salaries are paid in the USA with the understandng that every single waiter will get tips. If tips were not taken into account for calculating their wages, the increases would simply be put into meal prices. So, give the tip to the waiter directly, or pay more for your meal and we'll in increase the waiter wages.


 
Not to continue getting off-topic but...  It's not paying more that I (and I guess others who don't like tipping) object to, it's that people aren't _guaranteed_ a fair minimum wage. Yes, tipping is firmly entrenched in US society, but if only one table comes in to the restaurant that night, then the waitress goes home with less than she needs even if they were generous, and that, I think, makes people who aren't familiar with US-style tipping uncomfortable.


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## Valeria Mesalina

jinti said:


> So the way we see it is that the tip is part of the cost of the meal. If you can't afford to pay for the meal + 15-20% tip, that means you can't afford the restaurant. I would rather eat somewhere cheaper that I can afford than to take earnings away from someone already earning so much less than I do.


 
I don´t get it. I simply don´t get it.

That means, does it not, that if people decide to stay home and not go out too much due to the crisis those people who are supossed to live on tips will not be able to make a living.


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## JamesM

Valeria Mesalina said:


> I don´t get it. I simply don´t get it.
> 
> That means, does it not, that if people decide to stay home and not go out too much due to the crisis those people who are supossed to live on tips will not be able to make a living.


 
Well, that's true whether or not tipping is involved, isn't it? Many restaurants will likely go under during this recession and I don't think tipping will be the decisive factor.  If people stop going to restaurants, the waiters won't have jobs; a lack of tips will be the least of their worries.  They are not guaranteed a position whether or not there are customers.

If 15% is the determining factor between eating out and not eating out, it's probably best not to eat out. On a $30 bill the difference is $4.50. If you can't spend $34.50, you probably shouldn't spend $30.00.

If tipping were to go away, the most likely way to handle it would be to raise all prices by 15-20% and pay the waiters the difference. 

It is a cultural issue. It is a tradition here that having a portion of the waiter's income directly tied to his or her care of you during the meal is "the way things are done." Cultural norms often don't make sense to people living in other cultures. I think it's good if we all leave some room for our differences.


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## Odysseus54

It's simple, really - as a customer, you are expected to pay a 15% or more as a tip to the waiter.  It is an 'honor system' thing.

Where I live , though, many restaurants in the busiest tourist districts are automatically adding a 15% to the total, I guess because of all these out-of-towners stiffing the waiters.

The system works - I don't think it is better than in Europe or worse, it is just different.


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## JamesM

Odysseus54 said:


> It's simple, really - as a customer, you are expected to pay a 15% or more as a tip to the waiter.


 
It's a little more complicated than that. You are expected to pay a 15-20% tip to the waiter if you have received good service from the waiter. If a waiter ignores you, is unpleasant or rude, or fails to take care of your needs while you are being served by him, you are _not_ expected to leave a tip.

It's not so much an honor system as a payment for good service rendered. If you receive poor service you do not "owe" a tip to the waiter.

Let me just add that it provided a huge incentive to make sure my customers were happy when I was a poor college student working my way through school as a waiter.


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## Valeria Mesalina

JamesM said:


> It's a little more complicated than that. You are expected to pay a 15-20% tip to the waiter if you have received good service from the waiter. If a waiter ignores you, is unpleasant or rude, or fails to take care of your needs while you are being served by him, you are _not_ expected to leave a tip.
> 
> It's not so much an honor system as a payment for good service rendered. If you receive poor service you do not "owe" a tip to the waiter.


 
I´m sorry if I have offended anyone. I didn´t mean to, but the system is utterly alien to me.

So, the difference is that in my country you pay for the meal and the service is included, and in the U.S. you pay for the meal and the service is not included.


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## JamesM

Valeria Mesalina said:


> I´m sorry if I have offended anyone. I didn´t mean to, but the system is utterly alien to me.


 
No offense taken. 



> So, the difference is that in my country you pay for the meal and the service is included, and in the U.S. you pay for the meal and the service is not included.


 
Well, I think we even see it differently. Technically your statement is accurate. Our points of view are still different, though.

As we see it, in your country, service must be paid no matter how well or poorly that service is executed while in our country service is (theoretically) rewarded only if it is good service. The customer determines whether or not the service is good and (theoretically) rewards it accordingly. Where our tradition falls down a bit is that some people won't leave a tip no matter how good the service is and others leave a standard tip that bears no relation to the quality of the service.

I recognize that it's quite different from the European model.


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## winegrower

What is really amazing, is the way you American fellows defend your system!
In Europe we have the exact opposite attitude on similar matters, that is we jump at the first good opportunity to blame the government, the authorities, everybody for everything we don't like.
By the way, when I started this thread, I had some queries of mine about "overseas tipping traditions" but held back for obvious reasons and never expected the discussion to go this far! Now I will never get a visa for the US again!


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## JamesM

I'm sorry if it came off as defensive. I was trying to explain the difference in approaches. 

I think our system has serious flaws. For example, it's almost impossible to be a career waiter except in the most exclusive restaurants. The system is used as an excuse to underpay countless numbers of waiters. Things completely outside the waiter's control affect his income: customer turnover, a cranky chef, poor advertising by the restaurant, or being assigned more tables than one person can reasonably serve.

I am not defending the system, but by the same token I don't think it's unreasonable to ask for the same kind of understanding for our differences that anyone expects for his country's own "quirks."


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## ExMax

sokol said:


> Oh, do they, in Austria?


Sokol,  that was my fault! I turned inside out my pockets, and I found few crumpled receipts from Austrian road cafes. Actually, no service charge! MWSt 20% (Mehrwertsteuer, or VAT - in English) only! Oh, that is EU, when poor alien drives underbridge, and he cannot recognize that he is in Germany/Slovenia, but not in Austria, or in the Netherlands - not in Germany… It’s my fault, I’m sorry!


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## Aserolf

JamesM said:


> ...I think our system has serious flaws...
> I am not defending the system, but by the same token I don't think it's unreasonable to ask for the same kind of understanding for our differences that anyone expects for his country's own "quirks."


Totally agree!!


JamesM said:


> ...You are expected to pay a 15-20% tip to the waiter *if* you have received good service from the waiter. If a waiter ignores you, is unpleasant or rude, or fails to take care of your needs while you are being served by him, you are _*not*_ expected to leave a tip.
> It's not so much an honor system as a payment for good service rendered. If you receive poor service you do not "owe" a tip to the waiter...


Again, excellent answer!
Expected is not the same as to be obliged.


JamesM said:


> ...As we see it, in your country, service must be paid no matter how well or poorly that service is executed, *while in our country service is (theoretically) rewarded only if it is good service*. The customer determines whether or not the service is good and (theoretically) rewards it accordingly. Where our tradition falls down a bit is that some people won't leave a tip no matter how good the service is and others leave a standard tip that bears no relation to the quality of the service.
> 
> I recognize that it's quite different from the European model.


I just wanted to add, that these same "rules" apply to everything else, whether is a hairdresser, a taxi-driver, a porter, etc., etc.
There have been times I had to be a tightwad myself, if the service wasn't good.


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## jinti

Valeria Mesalina said:


> I don´t get it. I simply don´t get it.
> 
> That means, does it not, that if people decide to stay home and not go out too much due to the crisis those people who are supossed to live on tips will not be able to make a living.


Yes. If people don't go to restaurants, the restaurants will fail. The waiters won't have jobs, let alone tips. Same for any industry, whether there are tips involved or not.

And yes, if a restaurant stays open but not many people go, the waiters' total tips will be lower. Theoretically, restaurant owners are supposed to fill in the gap between $4.60/hr and the minimum wage of $7.15/hr (I'm using New York numbers here) if the waiter's tips don't cover it, but $7.15/hr is still below poverty level if the waiter/waitress has a child. It's also still below my rent for a 1 bedroom apartment, never mind food or electricity, etc.) So yes, a lack of tips can be catastrophic to a waiter.

Of course, if menu prices were higher to allow higher-than-minimum-wage pay to waiters, I don't think it would somehow encourage people to eat out more, and then there would also be no difference in take-home pay between good waiters and lousy waiters.

A final point that I'm surprised no one seems to have mentioned yet is that tips are, ahem, cash. Your employer reports your wages to the government for income tax purposes, and you are theoretically supposed to report all tip income yourself and pay taxes on that as well.  I think you can predict what really happens.  If tips were eliminated and wages raised instead, I have a feeling the real earnings of many, many people would go down, not up.


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## Valeria Mesalina

jinti said:


> A final point that I'm surprised no one seems to have mentioned yet is that tips are, ahem, cash. Your employer reports your wages to the government for income tax purposes, and you are theoretically supposed to report all tip income yourself and pay taxes on that as well.  I think you can predict what really happens.



Oh well, I did not mention it (and I assume the rest of us didn´t mention it either for the same reason) because tips may be not so high in our countries - but whatever tip we give, is always cash. 

So I am afraid what happens in the U.S. happens everywhere else - people forget to report tips on their income tax forms.


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## jinti

Valeria Mesalina said:


> Oh well, I did not mention it (and I assume the rest of us didn´t mention it either for the same reason) because tips may be not so high in our countries - but whatever tip we give, is always cash.
> 
> So I am afraid what happens in the U.S. happens everywhere else - people forget to report tips on their income tax forms.


  Yes, but my point is that in the US, tips generally make up the majority of waiters' income.  Under-reporting tips here has a much bigger effect on total income than under-reporting tips in a country where tips are relatively unsubstantial.


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## Jacobtm

I worked as a waiter for a month over a break from school, and was paid only $4 and change an hour. As a new waiter, I got alot of shifts during lunch time on weekdays, which is the slowest time, and I would end up making maybe $10-$12 an hour with tips. It's pretty easy, serve 2 people food that comes out to $30, get $5 or $6 in a tip. You can handle quite a few tables at a time (hopefully), so it works out nicely. On weekends, especially dinner time, you could make about $20 an hour, and even more if people were drinking alot.

I don't know the procedures at other restaurants, but where I worked, tips were pooled. After every shift, all the tips would be recorded and divided up evenly between the waiters with a small amount given to the busboy and the hostess. The forms were then kept by the manager of the restaurant and used to report income taxes.

But beyond that, people expect tips in more and more places now. I see tip jars in cafes all the time, as well as pizza places, delis etc. where you traditionally don't tip. I usually will tip at places that give you a particularly good deal, but even then I feel generous when throwing $1 into a jar. 

There are lots of cafes where you wait on line, put in your order, sit down, and someone brings out your drinks and food. It's not as formal as being served at a restaurant, but just having your food brought to you pressures some into leaving at least a dollar in the tip jar. Usually though, the things are filled with the change people didn't want to put in their pockets.

The difference in tipping is understandably shocking to foreigners. However, when I've been in Canada, the difference in sales tax was shocking to me too. 7% in New York vs 15% in Montreal is a BIG difference, and practically makes up for the difference in expectations in tipping. I know this isn't uniformly true, but many countries have much higher sales taxes or VAT's than the U.S. does, so it evens out in a way.


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## panjandrum

I don't know if this is true everywhere, but in the UK if you tip by adding to the amount on your credit card payment the tip goes to the restaurant management.
They may have an arrangement to transfer this amount directly to the staff tronc or to the staff member involved, but perhaps not.  In some circumstances the waiting staff do not receive anything from a credit card "tip".
If this bothers you (as it does me) ask the waiting staff if it is OK to include the tip in the credit card payment.  If in doubt, leave cash on the table.

Tipping for good service - for normal service - is expected here.  It is not essential.  My daughters have worked in restaurants and are very well aware of the techniques that can be used to optimise tips 

What really surprises me is the tips jar in places like Starbucks, where there is no service involved.


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## asm

A friend of mine, the owner of a restaurant, told me once that tipping should be calculated with no tax. In Mexico all prices have the tax (iva) included, so what the menu says is 85% the real price and 15% this tax. What he told me (and makes sense) is that you should leave 10% of that 85%. This is what I always do; in Mexico I leave 8.5% of the total amount, in America I leave 15% of the bill before tax. I think is fair enough, I don't expect them to claim for the tip that goes to Uncle Sam. 




winegrower said:


> A *tip* (also called a *gratuity*), that is a payment made to certain service sector workers in addition to the advertised price of the transaction (Wikipedia), is a common practice in most countries, though tipping varies among cultures. While by definition a tip is never legally required, and its amount is at the discretion of the person being served, in some circumstances failing to give an adequate tip, may be considered very miserly or unethical. In other cultures, giving a tip is not expected and offering one would be considered condescending or demeaning. What is the situation in your country?
> PS. If the topic has already been discussed ignore it!


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## shoam

Tipping here, in the US has become an obsession. It is totally arbitrary, you tip certain people who provide you with a service and others you don't.

It’s deplorable that in a bar, at a busy bar, they serve you in a rush and there is no service provided to you, just the drink put on the bar for you, they are rude and not nice at all. But they expect a tip and give you a dirty look if you don’t tip. Similar situation at a coffee shop.
 
In my opinion, this is related to the fact that business is on top of everything and nobody seems to see anything wrong with that. It is always money, money, money.

Now I am used to it, but when I started to see that “public hospitals” have a BUSINESS OFFICE, I thought that something was not quite alright.


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## shoam

jinti said:


> Yes. If people don't go to restaurants, the restaurants will fail. The waiters won't have jobs, let alone tips. Same for any industry, whether there are tips involved or not.
> 
> And yes, if a restaurant stays open but not many people go, the waiters' total tips will be lower. Theoretically, restaurant owners are supposed to fill in the gap between $4.60/hr and the minimum wage of $7.15/hr (I'm using New York numbers here) if the waiter's tips don't cover it, but $7.15/hr is still below poverty level if the waiter/waitress has a child. It's also still below my rent for a 1 bedroom apartment, never mind food or electricity, etc.) So yes, a lack of tips can be catastrophic to a waiter.
> 
> Of course, if menu prices were higher to allow higher-than-minimum-wage pay to waiters, I don't think it would somehow encourage people to eat out more, and then there would also be no difference in take-home pay between good waiters and lousy waiters.
> 
> A final point that I'm surprised no one seems to have mentioned yet is that tips are, ahem, cash. Your employer reports your wages to the government for income tax purposes, and you are theoretically supposed to report all tip income yourself and pay taxes on that as well.  I think you can predict what really happens.  If tips were eliminated and wages raised instead, I have a feeling the real earnings of many, many people would go down, not up.


 
What is wrong here? 
Other countries in the world serve food at restaurants for a profit, people go out and eat in restaurants (Europe, Japan, etc) , economy works fine and customers can enjoy a more relaxed experience. They look at the prices in the menu; decide what to eat, pay and go home without having to worry about feeling it is their responsibility to pay for wages of the workers...
Presented the way they do, for the US system, sounds like no other place in the world can function without this tipping system...


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## deadbattery13

In the US waiters are always tipped in restaurants - usually around 18 percent.  If they do a poor job, you tip less.  If they do a good job you tip more.  This is because, at least in my state, restaurants can pay their waiters less than minimum wage.  Minimum wage is not enough to live on.  Many areas fight for what is called a living wage.  That is a wage higher than minimum wage so that the people living in the area might be able to afford to live.  Fast food is not usually tipped, because fast "food" is "serve yourself."  If the group is large, usually over 5 or so, the tip is included on the bill/check already.


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## JamesM

shoam said:


> What is wrong here?
> Other countries in the world serve food at restaurants for a profit, people go out and eat in restaurants (Europe, Japan, etc) , economy works fine and customers can enjoy a more relaxed experience. They look at the prices in the menu; decide what to eat, pay and go home without having to worry about feeling it is their responsibility to pay for wages of the workers...
> Presented the way they do, for the US system, sounds like no other place in the world can function without this tipping system...


 
This is a cultural difference, which makes perfect sense to discuss in a cultural discussion forum.    I don't think anyone is saying that there is no other way for this to function.  We are answering the questions about how and why it works the way it does in the U.S. compared to other countries. 

I'm sure there are things that work differently in any country compared to other countries.  If someone asks why they work that way in your country, your only option is to explain the reasoning behind the practice.   It doesn't mean that you agree with the reasoning or the practice or that you are unaware or unsupportive of them working another way.  I'd say that's a leap to a conclusion that's not very helpful when trying to discuss differences.


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## jinti

shoam said:


> What is wrong here?
> Other countries in the world serve food at restaurants for a profit, people go out and eat in restaurants (Europe, Japan, etc) , economy works fine and customers can enjoy a more relaxed experience. They look at the prices in the menu; decide what to eat, pay and go home without having to worry about feeling it is their responsibility to pay for wages of the workers...
> Presented the way they do, for the US system, sounds like no other place in the world can function without this tipping system...


I can see how my post might look that way... if one didn't read the back and forth of posts that this was part of.   I think if you do, you will see that it's an explanation of the US reasoning and situation, based on our particular starting premises (like base pay), in response to someone drawing a debatable conclusion from one of my previous posts.

But perhaps you can move the discussion forward in a new way that we haven't touched on yet?


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## coeurdenids

Tipping in New York City is not like tipping in the rest of the U.S. which admittedly is still called "the provinces" by many, even after a long period here of cultural urbanization (most people here now live in cities). Although willing to abide by the changing customs, which have changed a lot here in the last 20 years, it's beginning to get a little painful to pay a bill. 

The customary tip nowadays - get ready - is no longer 15%, but 20%. After living in Paris and leaving "une piece" which earned me a genuine smile and "Merci beaucoup, m'sieu'", I was shocked when, after finishing a meal in a New York cafe, my friend told me "multiply the first two digits of the total by 2." "What?" That's right, so for a $40 lunch, the tip is? Ding! $8! _Incroyable ca!_

It's difficult not to oblige this sudden "upgrade" but it does leave one more conscious of what to order, and "early-bird" specials may soon become more popular.


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## ywf

In China, we don't take tips in China, wherever we are. I think it is the same in most countries in eastern Asia.http://dict.youdao.com/search?q=Asia&keyfrom=E2Ctranslation


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## silwilhith

In France in the early 80's it became mantatory to mention on menus and bills "Service 15% included". It means that each price includes the 15% "tip".
Before that some places were doing like North-Americans, some other like today's Europe, and it was a mess: You never knew what to leave.
The presence of this mention is perhaps fading today as everybody tends to know that it is always included. 
The other reason for this mention was for the customer: A simple addition (without extra multiplication) was enough to select meals and drinks according to the planned budget, and to double-check the bill at the end.
But this regulation, plus the overall cost of living raising in the country caused waiters to receive less and less tips, turning their earnings (then comparable to an IT person in big brasseries) into something more humble, causing less attraction for a career as waiter and consequently making more hard for employeers to find skilled and experimented staff.
Hopefully for them, North-American tourists in France tend to forget that the service is included in the bill and still provide waiters with a double tip. 

Concerning USA, I would like to relate (but not to chat) a personal experience, perhaps confirming the "Provinces/Cities" differences : 
In 1994 I spent a couple of weeks in the State of NY.
In NYC my first café (near the WTC @ lunch-time) was a bad experience: The waitress was very unpleasant, the café crammed (obviously) and I left 10% only, which was still to me (a freshly landed Frenchman used to leave that in his country) a fair amount. That woman shouted on me (I didn't understood what) when I left the place while I was wondering "what's wrong with her?".
I got explained the 15% thing and subsequently tipped more in other places in the Big Apple. 
But the next week I did a trip through the NY State little towns up to Buffalo. And in each places I asked how much I should leave. And I was always told (except in Buffalo City) that nothing was expected from us. Nevertheless I used to leave 5%-10% (like in France) and got warms "thank you".

So is the 15% rule applied only in US cities please? 
Or were the Frenchmen already knew for their stinginess in all the most remote places ?


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## SDLX Master

curlyboy20 said:


> Tipping in Peru is completely optional and not very many people tip. Peruvians usually tip about 5 soles (roughly a dollar and a half) but foreigners tend to tip way more than that. Peruvian waiters do not expect to get a generous tip from Peruvian customers but they do expect tourists or foreigners to be more generous. Taxi drivers rarely get tips.


 
Althought what curly~ has stated is right, I feel I need to elaborate:
Generally speaking, Peruvians are not enthusiastic about tipping. If waiters get it, it is usually an amount that would never exceed 10% of the bill or even a bit less, and that because the customer was treated exceptionally well. Cab drivers never get it. In fact, they always get the customer to bargain the fare before going for the ride. Hotel bellboys would always expect a tip, and it is up to the local peruvian to comply or not, at risk of getting a disapproving look from the bellboy.
However, Peruvians know that foreigners come from a society that is aware of tipping, and that is when cab drivers, waiters, hotel personnel and in general, anyone rendering a service of any kind, expects a tip. The longer, greater or better the service rendered, the larger the expected tip.


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## jinti

silwilhith said:


> But the next week I did a trip through the NY State little towns up to Buffalo. And in each places I asked how much I should leave. And I was always told (except in Buffalo City) that nothing was expected from us. Nevertheless I used to leave 5%-10% (like in France) and got warms "thank you".
> 
> So is the 15% rule applied only in US cities please?



No, actually I'm from a small town in the Pennsylvanian countryside and I can tell you tips are expected there, too.  Manners are also expected, though, and I can understand someone from a small town being loathe to tell you what size tip to leave.  A smile and a "whatever you want" would be a common answer, regardless of what the waiter was thinking privately.  And it's hard to picture someone from a small town yelling at a customer about a small tip or chasing them onto the sidewalk, which does happen from time to time in the cities, as you mentioned.

But then too, a poor tip may not mean as much to a small town waiter:

-- They get far fewer foreigners, so if a foreigner doesn't tip (well), there's not much impact on their income.  In New York, foreigners may often be a large percentage of the day's customers, so if they don't tip (well), it makes a big difference in income at the end of the day. 
-- Minimum wage (or restaurant wages + tips) goes much further in rural areas because the cost of living is substantially lower.  For instance, Pennsylvania and New York have the same minimum wage.  But my rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in New York is considerably more than my brother's mortgage for a 4-bedroom house in rural Pennsylvania.  Food, transportation, parking, and just about everything else cost more, too.  It would make sense for New York waiters to depend more on their tips and therefore to be more aggressive about them.


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## Hitchhiker

In America there are standard tips. Waiters do get paid less than minimum wage but if they work in a small town without much business the owner is required to match minimum wage if there aren't enough tips. So waiters all get at least minimum wage. In busy expensive places like New York City the prices are higher and the business is busy. The waiters in New York City make much more than minimum wage and do quite well. It's normally required that all tips are pooled together and the wait staff splits the money.

When my mother worked in a restaurant there was no minimum wage and tips were 5%. Later tips increased to 10%. During the last recession there was a freeze of minimum wage and waiters' wages. To make up for their loss tips went up to 15%. These days for some reason 20% is fashionable if the service is good. 

Now many places have a "service charge". This is usually at tables with 5 or more people (sometimes 3 or more). This service charge is legally part of the bill and is required by law to be paid, unlike a "tip". This is because large tables require a lot of service. When the service charge is added to the bill the tip is not expected. 5 or more people at 15% is a lot of money. The service charge is added to the wait staff tip pool. If you fail to pay a tip you can't be charged with a crime. Failing to pay a service charge is considered the same as failing to pay the bill and is considered a crime. Places that have a service charge are usually suppose to tell you in advance but in places where it is law it is often considered common knowledge and you might not be told. There should be a sign or a note on the menu. If a service charge is added to the bill you know not to leave a tip.

When I was in South Africa a 10% tip was considered normal and expected.


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## shoam

*My cousin told me this story; she lives in Kentucky.*
 
A waitress chases a couple whop are living the restaurant after they finished their meal. The waitress said, “you forgot this on the table" (a very low tip). The couple said, “No, it’s your tip”. The waitress answers while she is putting the money in their hands, “take it, you need it more than I”
 ...........................................................
 
In Miami Beach, they are adding 15% percent to any restaurant bill. My guess is that they have so many tourist from everywhere in the world that the restaurant owners had to do something about this tipping shortage. They have to get their tip. An Argentinean restaurant gave us one of the worst service experience I have ever seen in the US (yes, and I am from Argentina). When the bill came I told them I wanted to decide how much to tip. The manager came to us and asked, "Are you on vacation?" YES, we said. Well, let me tell you how tipping works here”. No need, we are on vacations but we do live in the US!!! They took it off the bill.


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## Hitchhiker

shoam said:


> *My cousin told me this story; she lives in Kentucky.*
> 
> A waitress chases a couple whop are living the restaurant after they finished their meal. The waitress said, “you forgot this on the table" (a very low tip). The couple said, “No, it’s your tip”. The waitress answers while she is putting the money in their hands, “take it, you need it more than I”
> ...........................................................
> 
> In Miami Beach, they are adding 15% percent to any restaurant bill. My guess is that they have so many tourist from everywhere in the world that the restaurant owners had to do something about this tipping shortage. They have to get their tip. An Argentinean restaurant gave us one of the worst service experience I have ever seen in the US (yes, and I am from Argentina). When the bill came I told them I wanted to decide how much to tip. The manager came to us and asked, "Are you on vacation?" YES, we said. Well, let me tell you how tipping works here”. No need, we are on vacations but we do live in the US!!! They took it off the bill.



When the 15% is added to the check / bill it is a "service charge" in place of the tiip. Most places by law this must be paid, unlike a tip, unless agreed on otherwise with the restaurant. There is a difference in a service charge and a tip. A small tip can be left if service is good but a full tip is not expected when there is a service charge. 

As for the tip in Kentucky, I have been in restaurants there and other places that were in less traveled areas. If there are enough tips to bring the wait staff's pay up to minimum wage the restaurant must pay the difference to make minimum wage. I have been told by one waitress to not leave a tip because there aren't enough tips at her restaurant and she ends up with minimum wage anyway. It wouldn't matter how much tip I left her, she would get same amount of pay.


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## tvdxer

Chaska Ñawi said:


> In Canada, it's customary to tip hairdressers, bar and waitstaff, taxi drivers and porters.  In the first three categories, you're expected to pay 10 - 20%.  Their salaries are calculated based on the expectation that they will receive tips.  So, yes, if I were spending $200 on the meal I would tip $40.  If the service were terrible, I would tip less or give the tip to the manager with an explanation ... but I would not leave without tipping.
> 
> In some establishments the staff pool all the tips at the end of the night; in others everyone keeps their own tips.
> 
> We just get used to calculating the cost of a tip into an evening out.  Leaving a restaurant without tipping, unless the service is abysmal, is considered the height of boorishness here.



The expected tips are more or less the same in the United States as in Canada, though I can say that in the border state of Minnesota, Canadians are reputed to be lousy tippers   Perhaps that's because the "minimum" tip there (10%) is a bit lower than the socially accepted "minimum" tip here (15%).  

Although it's annoying knowing that a "cheap" meal with a $8 entree and $4 appetizer is eventually going to cost you nearly $20 with soft drink, tax, and tip factored in, I think tipping is a good system and I wouldn't do away with it.  It gives waiters and waitresses an incentive NOT to be rude and to please customers.  Say I'm paying for dinner for 10 people at a nice establishment (hopefully not out of my pocket).  After drinks, appetizers, tax and all that jazz the bill comes to $500.  

If the waiter is nice, attentive, does not rush us, has a likable personality, and is knowledgeable, he'll collect as much as $150.

Or the waiter could be rude, uninformed, inattentive, and mean-spirited.  In that case, he could easily miss out on $100, or even the full $150 (though I have a hard time imagining stiffing even a terrible waiter that much!)

So it's an incentive.

In addition, it seems like in many countries with a comparable level of development to the U.S., it costs more to eat out anyway, tipping or not.


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## silwilhith

tvdxer said:


> Say I'm paying for dinner for 10 people at a nice establishment (hopefully not out of my pocket). After drinks, appetizers, tax and all that jazz the bill comes to $500.
> 
> If the waiter is nice, attentive, does not rush us, has a likable personality, and is knowledgeable, he'll collect as much as $150.


 
For the countries I can tell (France & NZ) you would get (and *need*) more than one waiter for a table of 10. Between 2 and 4 depending on the course served.
15% of your $500 (that is $75, not $150) shared between average 3 waiters gives $25 each. 
Restaurant managers wouldn't keep any waiters who is rude, because all customers would run away and never come back! (in small countries reputation and word of mouth is much important!)
And there is no reason the other staff in the kitchen doesn't get any incentive as well because if your food is good and your dishes are without spots, that's their jobs, not the waiter's job.

Therefore in France & NZ tipping comes as an "extra reward" from the "happy customer" and is equally shared between the staff, including the cooking staff and the cleaning staff. Because there is no reason this "hidden staff" could be deprivated of getting your tips as well.
So from your $75 (or $150 if you want) it won't leave to each of them much to live on, will it?


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## mirx

silwilhith said:


> So from your $75 (or $150 if you want) it won't leave to each of them much to live on, will it?



Oh, but it will. The restaurant doesn't have only 1 table for 10 people, and the waiters are not permanently attenting only to one table. Being a waiter is a nicely rewarded job, that's why in developed countries you can see older people serving tables, as opposed to young people and students that usually do so in least developed countries.


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## tvdxer

silwilhith said:


> For the countries I can tell (France & NZ) you would get (and *need*) more than one waiter for a table of 10. Between 2 and 4 depending on the course served.
> 15% of your $500 (that is $75, not $150) shared between average 3 waiters gives $25 each.
> Restaurant managers wouldn't keep any waiters who is rude, because all customers would run away and never come back! (in small countries reputation and word of mouth is much important!)
> And there is no reason the other staff in the kitchen doesn't get any incentive as well because if your food is good and your dishes are without spots, that's their jobs, not the waiter's job.
> 
> Therefore in France & NZ tipping comes as an "extra reward" from the "happy customer" and is equally shared between the staff, including the cooking staff and the cleaning staff. Because there is no reason this "hidden staff" could be deprivated of getting your tips as well.
> So from your $75 (or $150 if you want) it won't leave to each of them much to live on, will it?


 
Well, first, $150 is 30%; a large tip but not unheard of if service is excellent.  15% would be a fairly small - average tip.  Even with the tips though, dining out is much cheaper in the U.S. than it is in France.  Don't know about New Zealand.  

Although I'm sure it varies, waiters and waitresses in the U.S. generally make a decent sum of money, after tips, for a job that requires virtually no education. Remember that waitresses and waiters serve multiple tables over the night, as well as simultaneously. A party of 10 might require two waiters / waitresses, but they will have many other tables to serve.

Waiters are paid a small wage in addition to the tips as well. This varies greatly between restaurants. It's probably the minimum that can legally be paid at cheap restaurants (which is often lower than the general minimum wage), which tend to be staffed by family members, immigrants, and younger people (often a combination of the three), and much higher at fancy restaurants, which often employ more "mature" staff (but still a lot of young people). For a university student, waiting tables is a great job - and I would wager that it pays more with tips than a similar job available to students in France.


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## JamesM

silwilhith said:


> For the countries I can tell (France & NZ) you would get (and *need*) more than one waiter for a table of 10. Between 2 and 4 depending on the course served.
> 15% of your $500 (that is $75, not $150) shared between average 3 waiters gives $25 each.


 
I think you are assuming that your model is the same everywhere.  The waiter here is the serving "manager" for that table, in a sense.  He or she will be assisted by multiple busboys or assistants who will help to deliver the food, refresh the drinks, and take care of basic maintenance of the table.  Busboys share a portion of the tips in some restaurants (especially if the waiter is smart and far-thinking), but not a split.  As they develop their skills and experience they are often promoted to waiter when a position opens.



> Restaurant managers wouldn't keep any waiters who is rude, because all customers would run away and never come back! (in small countries reputation and word of mouth is much important!)


 
Waiters can afford to be rude to tourists who won't be returning, particularly if it has no impact on their income.  Locals are a different set entirely for waiters. 



> And there is no reason the other staff in the kitchen doesn't get any incentive as well because if your food is good and your dishes are without spots, that's their jobs, not the waiter's job.


 
A smart waiter will share with the kitchen staff here, too, particularly on a large tip.  It is not unusual for a table to send a tip back directly to the chef, too, if the food was unusually well-prepared.  However, the chef is usually already paid quite a bit more than anyone else in the kitchen or on the wait staff.



> Therefore in France & NZ tipping comes as an "extra reward" from the "happy customer" and is equally shared between the staff, including the cooking staff and the cleaning staff. Because there is no reason this "hidden staff" could be deprivated of getting your tips as well.
> So from your $75 (or $150 if you want) it won't leave to each of them much to live on, will it?


 
Our tables here turn over more quickly in the U.S. than in many countries.  Even a party of 10 may only take a portion of a waiter's time here, so the tip from the one large table will not be his only income for the evening.


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## shoam

Some people state that tipping is necessary for good service. So... service is always poor in all those countries where tipping is not socially compulsory? I don't think so.
Some of the opinions here describe the job of a waiter in a restaurant as if there were no good restaurants, with excellent service anywhere else in the world…

In general, people in the US tend to eat super fast without really enjoying the experience and the food the way we do in other countries. I heart many times the comment “we have to vacate the table for those people waiting”, when in other countries, is import to enjoy and relax. I learn, saw and had to adapt to this situation from the very first time in this country. Many people for the US told how great is to seat back after a meal in a restaurant and enjoy a cup of coffee or some more wine for a while like other people who know how to take pleasure in life.
 Everything is excessively business-related here.


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## oiseauxlahaut

shoam said:


> Some people state that tipping is necessary for good service. So... service is always poor in all those countries where tipping is not socially compulsory? I don't think so.
> Some of the opinions here describe the job of a waiter in a restaurant as if there were no good restaurants, with excellent service anywhere else in the world…


I'm living in France this year, where people usually don't leave tips (and if they do they're change or if the restaurant really was phenomenal). But, waiters here earn a real wage. In places like the US, servers get a very low wage (as little as $2 or $3/hour) so they really do depend on tips- happy tips are happy waiters.


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## Lugubert

I don't trust credit card tips. In any country, I pay the exact amount. If I'm sufficiently happy with the service in a restaurant, I leave up to 10% in cash. Exception so far: China. I get the feeling that tips are close to illegal there. I do try though, sometimes.

Applicable and compulsory service charges in Sweden are always clearly stated on bills. Many years ago, I was very surprised to learn that ladies' hairdressers in England expected some tips.

Swedish taxi drivers used to get 10%. Nowadays, when everybody pays with cards, it will normally be less and in cash if at all. Presenting the receipt with a pencilled reasonable tip added has so far been accepted by all employers and accountants for reimbursement and tax purposes.


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## papa majada

Conozco bastante bien las costumbres de dos países: España y EEUU. No digo que el sistema en cuanto a propinas sea mejor o peor en o el otro, pero lo que me viene a la mente es el dicho en inglés "you get what you pay for" y el servicio en general (no en un establecimiento de 5 estrellas, pero en el restaurante "normal") es un reflejo de esto. Los camareros en EEUU son, en general, educados, serviciales, amables (incluso pecan de demasiado amables a veces), atentos y rápidos. Claro, son así porque tienen un gran incentivo: la propina. Saben que si no trabajan bien no recibirán nada. En España, la gente no suele dejar mucha propina. Los camareros no esperan propinas y no las necesitan porque tienen su sueldo fijo trabajen como trabajen, y ahí se explica cómo es el servicio en España.. no hace falta decir nada más.


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## Pedro y La Torre

In the Republic of Ireland (as in France and many other European countries) you can tip over and above the normal bill if you wish, but in most restuarants a "service charge" is included so there is no need. If the food, or service was amazing, then a big tip (greater than the included service charge) would be in order but this is rare.


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## mirx

papa majada said:


> "you get what you pay for" y el servicio en general (no en un establecimiento de 5 estrellas, pero en el restaurante "normal") es un reflejo de esto. .


 
Completamente de acuerdo. En Europa muchas veces pasan por groseros y maleducados, los gringos por el contrario llegan a ser empalagosos y hasta pueden fastidiar.

También es cierto que en EE.UU. y Canadá los meseros muchas veces hacen carreras exitosísimas dentro de la industria hostelera, en Europa se ve más como un trabajo temporal para estudiantes.

So you are right, there are many factors when it comes to tipping. It cannot all be attributed to lack of generosity.


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## HBZ55

There's no tipping at all in my country, if the counter in the taxi says for example 6,50$, I expect the driver to give me my 50 cent back. To be honest, I've never tipped one in my life, and neither most of the people I know. There are the rich people who like to show off their money by saying keep it all, but it's very rare where I live.
Like I said, no tipping for taxis, hairdressers, restaurants, etc.


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## newg

sokol said:


> In *Austria *the situation is quite different from those described so far.
> 
> First, tips are very common in restaurants and pubs, and taxi drivers too receive tips.
> But the amount of tipping differs from region to region, and it isn't strictly fixed like in the US; but there are guidelines.
> 
> In rural regions mostly the amount is just rounded, and if the bill makes up 20 Euros straight many might not give any tip at all without any offence being taken, or you might give 21 (while they might round up 18,30 to 20).
> In urban areas, and especially in Vienna and its immediate surroundings, it is considered impolite to not give a tip of around about 10%. Of course you still may vary your tip depending on how content you were, but usually you would give those 10%.
> Also, discos and festivals and such are a different matter, you don't give tips there usually, there are even no tips expected, prices there usually are rounded already. (Come to think of it: it was like that in discos in the 1990ies, as I wasn't in a disco for a long time I can't be sure if this has changed).



Very late contribution. 

I hate the way tipping works in Austria. I'm happy to give a tip, but I hate the fact that you have to say how much you want to give to the waiter. Maybe it's similar in other countries but I feel uncomfortable doing that. For those who don't understand what I mean, basically when you get your bill and your bill is, for example, 3.5€ then either you give money to the waiter without saying anything or, if you want to give a tip, you will have to say the total amount that you want to give. In that case, I would probably give 4€. 

The thing is:
1) Service in Vienna is terrible! I think it's a fact that waiters are not friendly and IMO do not deserve a tip
2) The waiter really expects you to give a tip and will wait for you to say how much you want to give him or her. Some are subtle and don't really care but others won't even say goodbye if you don't give them a tip. Seriously?


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## Frank78

newg said:


> Very late contribution.
> 
> I hate the way tipping works in Austria. I'm happy to give a tip, but I hate the fact that you have to say how much you want to give to the waiter. Maybe it's similar in other countries but I feel uncomfortable doing that. For those who don't understand what I mean, basically when you get your bill and your bill is, for example, 3.5€ then either you give money to the waiter without saying anything or, if you want to give a tip, you will have to say the total amount that you want to give. In that case, I would probably give 4€.



Well, you can also give him/her exactly 4 € and just say "Stimmt so.".

By the way, how should the waiter know how much to give you back without you telling him how much the tip is?



Lugubert said:


> Many years ago, I was very surprised to learn that ladies' hairdressers in England expected some tips.



Same in Germany. Hairdresser is one of the worst paid jobs here.


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## newg

Frank78 said:


> Well, you can also give him/her exactly 4 € and just say "Stimmt so.".



That's what I do usually, if I have enough _Kleingeld_. But when I have a 10€ note, then I kind of have to say how much I want to give. 



Frank78 said:


> By the way, how should the waiter know how much to give you back without you telling him how much the tip is?



Thing is, I'm used to French tipping. In France, you are not expected to give a tip but if you want to give a tip, you usually leave the money on the table. I like it because you have time to think about the service you received and decide whether or not you want to give something. In Austria, they usually come to you and ask you to pay and it's a bit frustrating because you have to decide immediately.


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## Frank78

newg said:


> Thing is, I'm used to French tipping. In France, you are not expected to give a tip but if you want to give a tip, you usually leave the money on the table. I like it because you have time to think about the service you received and decide whether or not you want to give something. In Austria, they usually come to you and ask you to pay and it's a bit frustrating because you have to decide immediately.



That would make ME feel uncomfortable. It looks strange and I would think it's a little humiliating for the waiter to leave "some coins" on the table.


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## Embonpoint

In the U.S., there's a story that goes like this: A guy goes to a diner and eats a few eggs over easy with bacon and coffee. He pays for his breakfast and leaves a 25 cent tip. The waitress comes running after him and returns the 25 cents. "Here," she says, sarcastically. "You need this more than I do."

I would like to correct a few things said earlier about U.S. tips:

1. It is not true that you can easily cheat on your taxes. That used to be true pre-1985 or so, but now if you work in the restaurant industry the IRS expects you to be reporting a certain amount of tips and is going to be looking at you very closely.

2. It is not true in the U.S. that you can safely leave no tip if the service is poor. That is called "stiffing" and is just beyond the pale. If you do that, you can never, ever go to that restaurant again, and most likely you shouldn't even go back to the neighborhood. If you want to send a message that the service was terrible, a 10% tip is the way to do it. If you want to be incredibly rude, give 8% or so. Anything under 15% sends a strong message either that you are a cheapskate or that you felt the service was terrible.

3. The tip is not really 10-15%. It's actually more like: 10% at a counter (like a diner), 15-20% at a normal restaurant for good service and easily 20-25% at a fancy place where you have an amazing meal and stay for hours. 

Another interesting fact is that in most restaurants, tips are pooled. So if you go to a restaurant and get Nasty Jane as your server, undertipping her actually hurts everyone, including your favorite waitress who didn't happen to have your table that night. It hurts a person's 'cred' when they earn less tips than others and if you stiff a person entirely (no tip) she has to explain that. The others may not believe her and think she pocketed the money. 

Is it a good system or a bad one? I've also lived in France (I live here several months of the year) and I guess I'm used to both systems.

There is one thing that makes it perhaps really worth keeping for us: If it weren't for the tip system, we probably would have trouble getting service workers for Friday and Saturday nights. We tend to have less unemployment in general than Europe, and people can afford to be fussier about where they work. And Americans don't want to work Friday and Saturday nights, as this is the time you spend with loved ones or friends. With the current tipping system, we do get enough people to work those days because  restaurants are disproportionately busy those nights (even more so than in Europe) and the tips are high. In fact, the amount waiters and waitresses make in a successful establishments on Friday and Saturday nights can be astronomical. Even obscene.

Even if the base wage were tripled from $7 to around $20, it's not enough to get people to come in consistently on Friday and Saturday nights. People would just call in sick.  And if they got fired for doing that? So what. There are plenty of jobs for $20 an hour that are way easier than flying around a restaurant with trays full of food on a Saturday night.


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## merquiades

I mix countries so much nowadays I don't really know how to tip anywhere.  I think I overtip in America and undertip in France.  Actually I hardly ever tip in France and  usually tip over 20% in America.  I'm horrified just how many French people tell me they go on holiday to the US and don't leave tips for people in the service industry.  It's like a slap in the face, as if you worked an hour or two for free.  I agree you should run away and never come back ever.  Usually when French people tell me the US is so dirt cheap, the first thing I ask is if they left their tips.  Still I like it more than the French system.  It guarantees good service with a smile.  When it doesn't matter if the customer is satisfied, why make an effort.  So often the servers leave to go outside to make a call or smoke, or it takes forever to get a drink, or they get the order wrong, the difference in America is appreciable.  Sometimes I have heard waiters in France say really rude remarks to customers like "chacun son goût" or "tant pis".


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## Embonpoint

merquiades said:


> the difference in America is appreciable.



My feeling is that the U.S. varies widely by region and by the establishment. It can be great, and often is. On the other hand, it is entirely possible to get terrible service in the U.S.--even comically bad with forgotten or mixed up orders, spilled items, rudeness etc. I spend a few months a year in France it seems that here, it's more consistent, by which I mean that there is a minimum level under which it rarely falls. The U.S., when it is good, can be very good but it can also be very very bad.

If you want to know what I mean, I heartily recommend a trip to Bar Harbor, Maine during the summer season. Lovely town. Great biking in Acadia National Park. But really best to bring your own food!


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## newg

merquiades said:


> I'm horrified just how many French people tell me they go on holiday to the US and don't leave tips for people in the service industry.  It's like a slap in the face, as if you worked an hour or two for free.  I agree you should run away and never come back ever.  Usually when French people tell me the US is so dirt cheap, the first thing I ask is if they left their tips.



Slap me in the face then.


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## merquiades

newg said:


> Slap me in the face then.



Did you stiff somebody in America, Newg? 
I guess tipping is not discussed much in guidebooks.  If I had an establishment frequented by Frenchmen I would explain tipping in the menu or write it on the wall someone.



			
				Embonpoint said:
			
		

> If you want to know what I mean, I heartily recommend a trip to Bar Harbor, Maine during the summer season. Lovely town. Great biking in Acadia National Park. But really best to bring your own food!



I'd love to go to Bar Harbor.  Surely there must a nice restaurant there.   I have always thought highly of Maine, even though I've never been there.


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## newg

merquiades said:


> Did you stiff somebody in America, Newg?
> I guess tipping is not discussed much in guidebooks.  If I had an establishment frequented by Frenchmen I would explain tipping in the menu or write it on the wall someone.



Well... even though I've lived abroad for a long time, I'm used to tipping like a Frenchman. To be fair, I tipped when I was in the US but I remember once, I wanted to get rid of my cents and I gave it to the waitress; she looked at me and said 'we don't accept cents'  

But tipping more than 15% is for me really difficult (I'm a poor student ) - once in New York, my partner and I went to meet friends of his who are British but live in New York. At the end of the evening, when the bill (or should I say the _check_) came, my partner's friend said 'Do you want to tip New York style?'... We agreed and we ended up adding $75 to the bill! I was shocked and I wanted to cry. 

In the UK, most of the restaurants have service charge and I prefer that... at least I know in advance I'll have to give 15 to 20% and I don't need to worry about it. That's the way it is and I have no say in it. When I am offered the possibility to NOT give a tip, the stingy (and French) person that I am will feel tempted to stiff.


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## Embonpoint

newg said:


> at least I know in advance I'll have to give 15 to 20% and I don't need to worry about it.



But you do know in advance that you have to give 15% to 20%. We Americans mentally add tax and tip to the meal when we are deciding whether we can afford it. So if I can afford to spend $20 tonight, I need to set my sights on a restaurant where I can get meal and beverage for $15. 

I can understand how it could be difficult if you're not used to it. In my state of Massachusetts, there is a 6% sales tax which does apply to restaurants, and then on top of that you have to tip at least 15% unless service was terrible. So a $10 meal becomes $10.60 after tax, and $12.10 after tax and tip.


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## newg

Embonpoint said:


> But you do know in advance that you have to give 15% to 20%. We Americans mentally add tax and tip to the meal when we are deciding whether we can afford it. So if I can afford to spend $20 tonight, I need to set my sights on a restaurant where I can get meal and beverage for $15.



Yes, that's true and I think that's very interesting. I lived in the UK for 2 years and as a Frenchman, I was not used to tipping... during my time there, I started to mentally prepare myself before going to a restaurant -- I knew I was going to have to leave a tip. I think the same would have happened if I had lived in the US. 

Here in Austria, I really don't get used to it! I hate giving waiters tips because the service is always terrible. They never smile, they never at least pretend to be nice to you... nothing! Still, you're expected to give a tip! How rude!


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## merquiades

newg said:


> Well... even though I've lived abroad for a long time, I'm used to tipping like a Frenchman. To be fair, I tipped when I was in the US but I remember once, I wanted to get rid of my cents and I gave it to the waitress; she looked at me and said 'we don't accept cents'
> 
> But tipping more than 15% is for me really difficult (I'm a poor student ) - once in New York, my partner and I went to meet friends of his who are British but live in New York. At the end of the evening, when the bill (or should I say the _check_) came, my partner's friend said 'Do you want to tip New York style?'... We agreed and we ended up adding $75 to the bill! I was shocked and I wanted to cry.
> 
> In the UK, most of the restaurants have service charge and I prefer that... at least I know in advance I'll have to give 15 to 20% and I don't need to worry about it. That's the way it is and I have no say in it. When I am offered the possibility to NOT give a tip, the stingy (and French) person that I am will feel tempted to stiff.



Since there is no gratuity just look at it as adding back on what was already taken off.   In the end, even by adding a tip of 20% it might still be a bit cheaper than in France.  Yes, if you eat out in a fancy restaurant and you have a check that's hundreds of dollars the tip just might be $75!  If not remember you don't need to tip at McDonald's or KFC.


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## newg

merquiades said:


> If not remember you don't need to tip at McDonald's or KFC.



I will remember that from now on! Thanks for the tip


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## luitzen

merquiades said:


> Usually when French people tell me the US is so dirt cheap, the first thing I ask is if they left their tips.


From a European (Dutch) perspective: American restaurant owners are considered cheap, because they refuse to pay their employees a complete salary. Instead they rely on their customers to do that. If restaurant employees receive a full salary, they can still earn tips if they do a good job.



> Still I like it more than the French system.  It guarantees good service with a smile.  When it doesn't matter if the customer is satisfied, why make an effort.


If the customer isn't happy, he'll visit another restaurant the next time. That's really bad for your business. Besides that, there's nothing Dutch people hate more than a fake smile and fake friendliness. It's considered extremely dishonest and Dutch people loathe it as much as they loathe fake apologies (i.e. people who keep saying sorry for every little trifle). To a Dutchman, a waiter that asks customers every couple of minutes whether they're still ok or whether they need anything else, is obviously trying to get as many tips as possible and not really interested in the customer at all. If I go to a restaurant, I expect everything I need to be served at the same time so that I can enjoy my food and talk with my friends/family/date/etc. and have a good time rather than having to tell a waiter every couple of minutes that I still have enough napkins. It is obvious that you've finished eating when you've emptied your plate or pushed it away. That is the right time to ask me whether I'd like something for dessert.

Making sure that the customer has everything he needs all at once shows that you're really considerate and have thought about the customer.



> So often the servers leave to go outside to make a call or smoke, or it takes forever to get a drink, or they get the order wrong, the difference in America is appreciable.


That's a sure way to get fired if you work in a Dutch restaurant. If the restaurant owner pays you a full salary, he expects you to take your job seriously and only take a break if you actually have a break. Maybe the poor work ethic of Americans (or so I have been told) is also a reason for this.



> Sometimes I have heard waiters in France say really rude remarks to customers like "chacun son goût" or "tant pis".


If you go to a restaurant, it doesn't mean you can be rude to employees, just because they should be kind to you in all circumstances. Waiters are normal people too and should be treated as such. If you are rude, you should expect to be called out for that and you shouldn't expect the owner to side with you, because he will not. Restaurant owners are more interested in creating an environment where their employees can do their jobs than responding to the whims of every rude customer. They will be very happy to see you go.

 Add to that the fact that Americans are notorious for their sexual harassment and that a lot of young women are working in this sector and I completely understand why Americans have heard waiters say rude things to them.


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## JamesM

This is getting a little off the topic of tipping but it is another cultural difference.  There is a more egalitarian view of waiters in Europe, in my experience.  Having been a waiter to work my way through college I envy that view.  

I'm not defending the American mindset, just explaining it.  Here, the waiter is treated much like a servant.  The social conventions are similar to the master of the house telling a servant what he wants.  It is a truism in America that "the customer is always right" and this permeates the entire relationship between a customer and a service employee of any kind here.

So the "fake smile and fake friendliness" is really a type of subservience, an eagerness to please.  I can understand how it can be annoying, but it's just a different cultural role here.  It is no more or less fake than a Japanese businessman who has arrived to buy out your company and bows to you at the door.  It is a social convention.  It is a reinforcement of the social pact that "I am here to serve you and you are here to be served."


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## luitzen

I'm not saying that it's bad either, but that's how it appears to me as a European, specifically as a Dutch person (this is important to mention as Dutch people are well known for their directness, which is considered rude by most people) and I'm able to transcend that.


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## Mackinder

newg said:


> Slap me in the face then.



lol that made me laugh 

Here, tips are optional, and not many people tip, (at least in the restaurants I've been to). Instead, you get free mints when given the bill in the tray!!!


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## Ёж!

I think I realize what I don't like about the American system. It's that it makes customers do a little bit more work, management work. Sure, the amount is very little, but work is work; one could say, once this work is in the hands of the customer, he could try to do it better than the restaurant, but...


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## إسكندراني

In Egypt it's common in restaurants, but nowhere else. I wouldn't say it was mandatory everywhere, but it is the main source of income for waiters in most places. Ba'sheesh should always be left at cafés. 

But being a resident of England for the majority of my life, I dislike being forced to tip. Not because I don't, but because I am not used to being forced to I guess.


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## funnyhat

JamesM said:


> It's a little more complicated than that. You are expected to pay a 15-20% tip to the waiter if you have received good service from the waiter. *If a waiter ignores you, is unpleasant or rude, or fails to take care of your needs while you are being served by him, you are not expected to leave a tip*.



I've got to disagree here.  You are always expected to leave a tip at a restaurant in the U.S.  If you receive terrible service, you could give a lower amount than usual, but to leave absolutely nothing is considered to be in very poor form.


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