Hey RS forum,
Getting ready to embark on my European travels, and will be spending a good bit of it enjoying real ale in some of the great British brewing cities.
What exactly is the tipping etiquette in British pubs? I know tipping throughout Europe is not the as in the US, but I have read that tipping is not expected in pubs. I want to be culturally sensitive during my travels and be confident I'm doing the right thing.
Thanks!
Mostly not. Sometimes there's a jar near the till but there's never much in it.
I don't know much about the tourist places.
While there's no expectation of a tip, my husband and I pretty much always tip a modest amount. It's always been appreciated, as far as I can tell. We're in the UK at least once a year, and spend quite a bit of time in pubs - and not touristy joints, either. I think it just makes us feel more comfortable - like we're not coming across as uncouth, uncivil, loudmouth-tourist American prats. :-)
Maybe it has the opposite effect, and we look like clueless backwater buffoons from the Colonies - but I dunno. People who work in pubs in the UK make almost $11/hour on average - way better than bartenders here - but still. The UK is expensive.
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-g186216-s606/United-Kingdom:Tipping.And.Etiquette.html
The main thing is that it's not expected, Americans are quick to criticise people from the UK who don't tip or don't tip enough when they go to the States, it works both ways. The suggestion of "one for yourself" to the barman is not a general thing, I personally have only seen it done when the person buying the drinks knew the barman.
There really is no need to tip for drinks service in pubs. If you are eating and you get a degree of table service (ie your order is taken and brought to the table) then you may consider leaving a pound or so per person if it has been OK but you won't get chased down the street if you don't.
Some of the bar staff you will meet, in London especially, aren't British either. Plenty of European Union students can be fioundd pulling the taps of that traditional local around the corner. You carry your own drink back to your table anyhow, so tips aren't expected (a table-service meal means more work for the staff.) But if I have found a place with interesting "real ales" and have discussions about what to choose, I like to leave a euro or two as an authentic tip, trying to be discreetly British about it if I can.
I like to leave a euro or two...
Or leave a quid.
"I like to leave a euro or two as an authentic tip,"
Euro? Not a lot of use in the UK.
Sorry for making a dumb-colonial currency slip, especially in a sentence containing the word "authentic".
