This thread has probably been done before, but I couldn't find one using search.

Looking through the stinginess thread made me think about tipping etiquette in various countries. Since I was born in Europe and travel there nearly every year either to visit relatives or sight seeing, but live and spent half of my life in Canada, it gets confusing at times figuring out what the correct custom is.

In most European countries, as most of you know, tipping in restaurants is usually rare but has risen in the past few years. Still most waiters do not expect it unless it's special circumstances. In some poorer countries leaving change on the table is the usual way of tipping although sometimes it draws odd looks. From my experience, in some more "western" places like Germany or in the U.K. people round up the amounts most of the time (at restaurants) but it generally does not exceed 10%. The only thing that is tipped universally is taxi drivers imo. I think this it is the same in most Asian countries, but not sure since I have only been there once.

Anyway, in Canada the majority of people tip 15%, and when paying by credit card you often get the add 15% tip option when you pay at restaurants. I think the amount of people going slightly over/under this is proportional as well.

On the other hand, I know how important tipping is in the U.S. and people regard 15% as the minimum for waiters.

This makes me wonder why do Americans put such importance on tipping? I know that most waiter jobs are paid somewhere around minimum wage (or lower in some cases), but why instead of getting restaurants and food joints to raise the salary of employees do people support high gratuity and it is maintained as the norm, effectively paying the waiters' salary? Not to mention other jobs offering services that generally require tips that is uncommon elsewhere.

Are you all fine with paying 15-20% extra for services that don't cost anything in other places, all the time whenever eating out?

Oh and in b4

You are ******ed

This will end well.

And by well, I mean not well.

I like living in a system that allows me to free-ride at my convenience.

f your experience of the UK. standard is 10%, less is cheap.

Your ethnographic work leaves much to be desired.

I hate you so hard

I want to get up in that.

idiot

after living in europe for 2 months, I can definitively say that the USA system is way, way better

Tips should be included in the costs if only so as to avoid tipping etiquette threads... so tilting

lol, my favorite kind of logic.

why?

there should be no tipping at all. tipping for almost everything drains everyones wallets. if waiters complain about making no money, get a better job, as simple as that.

And if you haggle, then...well the mark prices inflate, and you know what happens, we are all ****ed by your pettinessssss

Yes. Also despite people claiming that you don't tip in Europe that has in no way been my experience. I have spent a lot of time in Europe and people tip.

Not in France or Belgium as a service charge is included in your bill. In Ireland and the UK, most people would tip 10-15%, In Germany it tends to be less common.

I can't remember if people tipped in France -- i did but I don't remember if anyone else did. My cousins are French and they tip and very generously but this was outside of France so I don't know if they do so at home. I have a place in the Algarve and it is mostly British and French tourists and at least while on vacation they tip.

in my experience of germany everybody i know tips in rounding up , e.g. 6,40$ is 7$ , 75,50$ is 80$ and so on, but no where anything close to a 20% tip imo.

and what tilts me so hard, waiters at clubs keep tips without getting them paid, e.g. drinks i 5,40 u pay 10 and they only give u back 4 euro, so f annoying.

You should definitely tip in Europe, but not as much. Also agreed that the US system is much better, you actually feel like the waiter is trying to do his job, here you usually feel like an idiot when having to deal with people from service

I won't complain if they just keep the change without asking, but it guarantees that's the only tip they're getting from me.

The waiters being nicer is obv directly related to them expecting high tips, and yeah they are more indifferent in Europe. At least if you're in a non tipping country you find out whether a waitress is really flirting with you or not.

And since tipping is related to service, if two people order an expensive bottle of wine coupled with the most expensive main courses with it, who don't require anything after that, as opposed to a group of 4 who order more dishes and always ask for refills on water etc. why should the former group pay more for service?

Bought 1 beer at a party yesterday which cost 2.5$ and tipped 1$.

Just gonna say that we mostly tip 10-20% in resturants/cafes in Scandinavia but very rarely in bars. 90% of the tippers I meet are British/Irish or tourist


EDIT: Probaly depends on the "class" of the bar, student bar vs 25-35ish bars

[ ] lived

Not going to read the rest of your post, just wanted to let you know that you fail.

I have never experienced this. fwiw, in most European countries you DON'T tip in clubs, bars, and other places where you're served over the counter. For example, afaik, it's rude to tip in a pub in the UK. In Germany, you may round up when paying at a bar but it's def not expected if you were served over the counter.