Yeah - I know, I feel weird creating a thread on this topic as my experience on TripAdvisor and CruiseCritic shows that it can get a little....."interesting", LOL!
I understand that the norm is to tip 10-15% for meals as well as to tip taxis/drivers, porters and tour guides but in the US, I also tip Housekeeping. Is that an area where tipping is expected or accepted?
in the Czech republic 10-15% is not the norm,10% at most if service is good if not then nothing.rounding up is quite common so if a bill came to 380Kc then 400kc would be reasonable. if a beer cost you 49 kc and gave a 50kc coin then I would not expect change but if it was 45kc I would. housekeeping / tour guides I would not tip .taxis again just round it up, maybe 10% if they have helped a fair bit with bags.
Please try and keep the American style of tipping in America and for heavens sake don't tip barmen or leave money on the bar or table.
tjw0740, do a Search on tipping and you'll find a lot of "interesting" threads. Take a look at what Rick says at the Travel Tips link on the left side of this page.
No. whoever said that "the norm is to tip 10-15% for meals" was a US-American who thought they had to tip because it was in their bones.
The norm is not to tip. If the bill says €19.90, you hand over your €20 note and wait for your €0.10 change.
You can, if you wish, tip at a restaurant if you think you have got above average service or your group have given them a lot of work. If the bill is €18.50, hand over an €20 and say keep the change. But you don't need to do this, only sometimes if you feel it is exceptionally deserved.
Taxis you don't need to tip, unless they have done extra like carry your bags.
This is also to do with "the price quoted is the price". Menus always list prices, that is what you pay, all taxes and everything included. If the price is higher on the bill, they are conning you and you can get angry. Same in a shop, the price on the shelf is what you pay. You can count out the correct money while waiting to pay, and hand it over.
No need to tip in Europe, wait staff earn a living wage. The problem is, in places where significant numbers of American tourists visit they have created a sense of expectation amongst many restaurant etc staff. We own several weeks at Spanish Marriott resorts and when signing purchases to your room there is space to write a tip, even if this is going to the bar or beachside snack bar. I also noticed on the bill from a tapas bar in Marbella Old Town yesterday with the words 'service not included', yes it is, that's why I'm paying substantially more than if I cooked it at home.
I tip in the US because it's not the fault of the staff that greedy owners won't pay them a proper wage but I won't in Europe unless the service has been exceptional.
Thank you for this topic. I know this, but some restaurants are more aggressive...or their waiters. I did not tip on my last trip to UK/Netherlands. However, at the start of the trip I was confused for one time. The Pilot's Bar in terminal 5, Heathrow, had a tip spot on my charge receipt. I looked right at the waiter and said, but service is included. He claimed it was not. Even with my British son-in-laws words "don't tip" ringing in my ears, I added a tip...smaller than usual, but... On the way back through, I left none, because I was now more in European mode. I will not be fooled again. Old habits do die hard. At no other point or place was I pushed for a tip. Nonetheless, this is my favorite foodery in terminal 5 as it is kind of removed from the crowds.
Hmmm.....Thanks for the replies.
I normally don't tip in Europe (some places already add a Service Charge) but from my research on the interweb, I have seen on more than a few sites that Prague is a tipping town and that 10-15% is the norm for meals and drivers, porters and guides also expect gratuities. If that is not the case, than I won't worry about it!
Stan - I did do a search on tipping but my main reason for the thread was to ask about housekeeping. I didn't see anything about that so I figured I would ask
Thanks all!
Housekeeping staff in Europe don't expect tips except for American guests as they are used to receiving them. Feel free to buck the trend without guilt.
Those restaurants in the UK that add a service charge are trying to pull a fast one, it's not obligatory, you don't have to pay it and I would advocate not paying it unless service was exemplary (which it rarely is). Restaurant prices include service that's why it costs so much more to eat out. Adding an additional 'service charge' is pure deceit and greed.
Just to add, here in Prague if you decide to tip then you don't leave it on the table. You tell the waiter how much to keep or if you are not confident with the numbers let him give you your change and give your tip straight back to him. Also some places don't allow you to add a tip to a credit card payment so again you should use "round-up" and tip in cash if you want. I tip for good service and places where I go regularly. Jason.
To make it crystal clear: Yes, you tip in C.R. even in non-touristy places. Not to tip is considered rude, stingy or dissatisfaction with service. You don't tip as much as in America. You won't leave the tip on the table. You don't tell waiter how much tip to keep. Instead you say how much you pay. Let's say your bill is 278 crowns. So you say: "Three hundred." Just round up. If the bill is 299 crowns then to say "Three hundred" would sound little stingy. I would say "Three hundred twenty." Or let's say - the bill is 473 crowns and you have 500 crowns. You hand the money to the waiter and say: "To je dobre." It means: It's OK. Or you can say it in English. Waiter will understand. Housekeeping - tipping is usually not expected but probably would be accepted.
Unfortunately, despite what the previous poster stated, it's not crystal clear!
Tipping is not the norm in the Czech Republic, it never has been however due to a significant number of tourists bringing their tipping culture with them there is now an expectation from many service staff of a tip, they've become accustomed to it, most notably in the main tourist cities and towns.
If you go off the beaten track you won't find an expectation to tip.
Why would the CR be different to all its neighours? There is no expectation to automatically tip anywhere else in Europe, why should the CR be any different?
Well, I don't know where JC got his information from but tipping culture (especially in pubs and restaurants) existed in what's now Czech Republic for a long time although tips were not as high as in America. I know from my grandparents that tips existed even when it was still Austrian Hungarian Empire and then democratic Czechoslovakia. When communists took over in 1948 they tried to get rid of this so called bourgeois anachronism with not too much success. They ordered to hang signs in pubs which said: Don't insult us with tips. Quite often some waiter put the word "low" before the word "tips". It was hanging there for some time before some zealot communist noticed, then it had to be changed back but then it happened again. It's true when Communism collapsed and Americans came, waiters in touristy areas of Prague got spoiled and expect higher tips. Czech Republic is not unique in this. I travel around Europe a lot and tips are expected at least in restaurants and pubs almost everywhere (but it's not 15 to 20%). If you are interested why I should know this better than JC, check my profile.
Well, I don't know where JC got his information from
From a native Czech.
Well, that native Czech either did not go to pubs and restaurants or (s)he is too young to remember how it was under communists or before. It's true that communists tried to get rid of it (not with much success). Under communism it was expected that you tipped (bribed) your doctor, your car mechanic, office clerk - if you needed permit or something, shop assistant if you needed goods in short supply, and so on. Communists were officially against it but many of them took bribes too.
You're making a lot of assumptions about someone you know nothing about!
To clarify regarding tipping and tours (from a tour guide's perspective):
In the case of small-group, personal or private tours, it is the norm to tip the guide, as it shows satisfaction with a job well done. This is especially true if the guide has taken particular care of you, or has answered lots of questions for you.
Whereas the financial aspect of tipping the guide is undoubtedly appreciated, there is a deeper significance to the gesture as a way of acknowledging that the client has been well looked-after. It is a codified way of expressing gratitude, hence the word "gratuity" - originating from the Latin gratus - pleasing or thankful.
Thank you for this topic. I know this, but some restaurants are more aggressive...or their waiters. I did not tip on my last trip to UK/Netherlands. However, at the start of the trip I was confused for one time. The Pilot's Bar in terminal 5, Heathrow, had a tip spot on my charge receipt. I looked right at the waiter and said, but service is included. He claimed it was not.
Service charges are very rarely included in the UK. They are added on as a voluntary item, or it is down to you to make up your own. The reason advanced by the hospitality trade is that this avoids them being subject to VAT. Since this is not in a UK part of the forum I will leave it at that.
Well.....I certainly did not mean to open a can of worms, lol!
But I appreciate all the comments. I will continue to tip (but not as I do in the US) but be wary of how and where I am when I do so
This topic always opens up a huge can of worms, especially on the Italy Forum site, having participated in several 'discussions' there.
