Quote:
Originally Posted by Badafro
A question from a Euro tard:
Has the standard tipping percentage always been 20% in the USA?
There's obviously a follow-up question because I have a feeling that the standard hasn't always been 20%.
Have the prices in restaurants etc. not followed the inflation in other areas? Or is it simply a better deal to be a tipped employee than it was 10 or 20 years ago?
Anyone care to offer an opinion on that?
On topic:
You're not expected to tip anywhere in Denmark besides in casinos. Not even taxi drivers expect tips. Some people still tip by leaving change though, but it's not really a Danish custom to tip. However, if you're a tourist in Denmark the service staff would probably expect you to tip because that's what most tourists do.
We do tip when we're travelling though, because we think that every country but Denmark have a custom of tipping.
It wasn't always 20%. It isn't even 20% now. Most businesses when they auto-grat large parties do it at 18%. Bigger cities may vary, but I've never seen an auto-grat above 19%. 20% isn't out of range or anything by much and I would consider it a good tip, but nothing big.
Until the 80s, 10-15% was standard here. Not sure what changed it, some theorize that younger people are more likely to have worked in tipping spots and feel for them more, and then it's a matter of keeping up with everyone else. I wonder if it will keep creeping up more and more, though. I haven't seen any conclusive evidence on what changed it. It most likely comes from everyone wanting to tip just a bit more than average, which raises the average and causes a positive feedback loop.