Tipping in Europe

They're used to being tipped by Americans and they spot you as an American. I could see that especially in places that used to be behind the iron curtain but now are used to tourists. I've never experienced that in Germany (though I've had the rare anti-tourist snub).

I tend to tip for good service but nothing like at home. When the service is good, I'll typically round up a bill to an even number (e.g. 22.30 to 23 or 24). I might do a little more for truly exceptional service. I definitely don't tip if the service is marginal or bad (e.g. I have to ask for bread in France; I ask for a carafe of water and they bring a two-liter bottle of Evian).

They don't demand tips off the locals, they would not get a very polite reply.
It is special treatment because you are recognised as a US-American. Ignore it, or treat it as a good reason NOT to give a tip.

It has nothing to do with the fact that you are American. First of all, they have no idea what English speaking country you are from. You could be from the UK or Australia for all they know because they can't tell those accents apart.

I have heard servers tell people of other nationalities this same thing. Do you know why? Because way too many people think that the service charge is a tip, that you don't have to tip, that servers earn a "living wage" whatever that could be. Are they supposed to do this? No, they aren't and some places are very adamant that their servers NOT say this.

So, what do you think that living wage for a server in Germany could be? Did you know they have to pay half of their health ins. premium out of their monthly wages? Did you know that they have to declare their tips? That in many restaurants that they have to tip out to the kitchen staff?

Obviously if they are living in a small village where rents are cheap they aren't expecting large tips, but in a big city, yeah they really do appreciate it.

It should never be more than 5-10% and if the service was poor it is ok to leave nothing. If they remind you about a tip, I wouldn't leave anything either, but I would also tell the manager so that they are aware of this.

So, to end my rant, it is not expected that you tip a lot, they are not as dependent on tips to make up a large portion of their salary like in the US, but they are appreciative. Oh, and don't leave your tip on the table.
(I have worked as a manager in German restaurants and have many friends in this business)

Europe is not a single entity, and tipping expectations seem to vary. On my recent trip to England I noticed that restaurant charge slips often included a proposed (and optional) 10% tip. I took that to mean that tipping is relatively common there and that 10% wouldn't be offensive for standard service.

" I was amazed at the number of servers who attempted to extract a tip from me...."

In all my trips in Germany and Austria regardless of the town/city since 1971, ie, pre-Euro and Euro, I have never ever had such an experience where the server had the audacity to extract basically a tip from me. If they had said that in English to me, that would have ticked me off right way, I would have bluntly replied, "na, und?" ie, you'd be lucky if you get anything, pal.

I've seen in Wien where an Austrian sitting at my table ate/drank a sum of. say 22.40 Euro. When it came time to pay, he paid in cash, the restaurant only accepted cash and paid that exact amount, ie no tip for the waitress. I would have paid at least 23 Euro.

In Germany and Austria I mostly do the round-off of 5-10%. If the total bill was 25.60 Euro, I would tell the server at most, "Es stimmt mit siebenundzwanzig Euro." (27 Euro)

Europe is many different countries with many differences in traditions and ways of doing things. It often feels on this site that "Europe" is perceived as one homogenous place. Tipping varies widely.

In the U.K., for e.g., 10-12% is absolutely usual and may be added to the bill as "service charge." If it's added as a service charge you don't need to tip any extra. But if it isn't, and the service was decent, it would be quite unusual NOT to tip roughly 10%. And if paying by card, the payment machine will prompt you by asking if you want to add a tip.

In tourist restaurants in popular cities elsewhere there may be an expectation of a tip. While a more local restaurant in a smaller town might simply expect a few coins.

But take trouble to understand the tradition in the individual countries you're visiting, please. It really does vary widely.

Tips should be given because the individual dining wants to give a tip. Their reasons may have to do with custom or exceptional service, or other reasons altogether. The point is that a tip is voluntary.

My sister supported herself through a tough period in her life as a waitress. I know in advance that our server will receive a generous tip no matter what. It is my sister's way of saying "thank you" to those people whose tips literally made the difference all those years ago.

I look at a tip as a way to make someone's day just a little better. If you don't want to tip that is ok, and you shouldn't be forced.

What one's salary is has no bearing for us regarding tipping.

We tip waiters, hotel maids, car service drivers, and anyone else we would tip in the US, we tip overseas. If the service is horrible, we tip nothing. If the service is exceptional, we tip upwards of 25%.

I've never experienced what the OP has regarding waiters demanding tips. If anything, in Europe, the servers are the opposite and thank us for the gratuities.

Rick's advice for tipping in each of these countries is different at the back of the three guidebooks, but is never recommended to be more than 10%. Germany is generally the place where waiters are very quick to provide your exact change and move on before you can say anything, unless you have told them a higher amount when handing over the cash.

We tip waiters, hotel maids, car service drivers, and anyone else we would tip in the US, we tip overseas. . . . ., we tip upwards of 25%.

Continental and others, PLEASE PLEASE do not do this. You are making yourselves the ugly American tourist and imposing your cultural values, bribery and corruption on others.
You may have a strange system in your country where the employers do not pay their staff, but expect the customers do that on top of paying the bill. This system does not apply in other countries.
Very few people refuse money, but that does not mean you should try to introduce bribery into other countries.

My ex hubby is German, so I am surprised when someone says tipping is a custom in Germany, perhaps a new custom? My german sister in law, my ex , my nieces, all german would disagree.. and to our initial embarrassment, when we had German friends visit us here and take us out to dinner.. they did not tip, they paid cash and when waiter returned with change they openly pocketed the change.( my hubby left the table last and slid some money into the bill folder as he didn't want to embarrass his friends who obviously hadn't read about tipping in Canada. .

Here if a waiter prompted a tourist to tip ( as we do realize some tourists come from non tipping cultures so do not know to tip ) and management saw that , they would likely be reamed out and perhaps even fired.

In France tipping is never expected.. but people do leave change, ( rounding up to newest euro ) and for a nice dinner with GOOD service they will leave 5-10 percent..

I however would find it VERY offensive if a waiter prompted me to tip. They would be very very sorry as I would then leave absolutely nothing done to the last centime..

I rarely tip for bad service, ( bad food I don't punish server ,but bad service I sure do ) , I may leave 5-10% for poor service if I think perhaps its just a bad day for server, but for truly crap service they get nothing.

I dont understand the reasoning for tipping for crap service ?

pat’s post nominated for best one of the day!

Tonight in Amsterdam it was mentioned by the waitress that tip was not included. On the receipt it was also printed , "Tip not included" (which means management is at least suggesting a tip be given, and I doubt they have different receipts based on the customer's nationality). The service was very good. On a 83 Euro total, I gave her a 10-spot. Without the prompting, it would have been 5, but I felt at that moment it was too low. Now, not sure.

On the receipt it was also printed , "Tip not included" (which means management is at least suggesting a tip be given

Tim. you were taken for a succor.
"I gave her a 10-spot. Without the prompting, it would have been 5" - I would have given her nothing, possibly complained the management was trying to extort money from tourists.

Our first meal in Madrid was at a small restaurant/bar we liked so much that we ended up eating there every day we were in Madrid. We tipped much less than we would have for comparable food and service at home. Maybe our tips did make us ugly American tourists, imposing our cultural values, bribery, and corruption on others - but they gave us free shots.

I don't feel like Rodney Daingerfield's character in Caddyshack and I don't feel guilty. I think the hordes of American tourists who came before me have imposed, to some extent, our cultural values, bribery, and corruption on the rest of the world - including Europe.

Somebody asks me for a tip, or says it is not included gets ZERO.

I have found this "Tip Not Included" happing a lot more but only in places that have a big tourist economy ,if it happened to me in my city which is a big tourist place then the server would most likely be having to eat the bill.It has happened to me a few times in Prague a city I visit several times a year and only if on my own ,never when I am with Czech friends or Czech speaking friends.when servers put on the bill or say tip not included then I don't include a tip and tell them so.
Americans in particular really do seem to sweat the tipping issue in Europe and way over tip due to the guilt feelings they have when paying bills.
I just wonder what would happen if I tipped in the US they way I tip in Europe.

Chris, lesson learned.

I seriously question the restaurant choices of the OP and others. Only restaurants catering to tourists would have the audacity to note that tip is not included - anywhere in Europe. Tipping is not the norm and never expected - I've even seen tips returned to patrons by servers.

Continental and others, PLEASE PLEASE do not do this. You are making
yourselves the ugly American tourist and imposing your cultural
values, bribery and corruption on others.

Ugly Americans for being appreciative? I could not disagree with you more even if you paid me. The thanks and appreciation we receive especially make me wonder why others aren't as considerate.

Looking for justification not to tip by calling those of us who do as 'ugly Americans" isn't a winning argument. In fact, it doesn't make sense. Ugly travelers by definition are SELF CENTERED. . They are typically loud and expect the country they visit to serve them ice water. THAT is ugly. Being appreciative of others' work is 100% opposite of "ugly".

We traveled in Sicily in September with a French couple who was very appreciative of their unexpected, but well earned, success in many aspects of life. Very, very discreetly, they would hand a five-euro note to the waiters or street musicians, but never in a way to let others know. It wasn't expected by the servers. No one else in our group of 8--although all retired, financially comfortable enough professionals--did the same, nor did this couple make anyone feel bad for not following their example. They were so discreet and lovely with their 5-euros that I could never imagine them yelling at others on line.
Happy Thanksgiving and don't forget to kiss the cook.

Of course the only place I was ever specifically told that "Tip is not included." was at one of Rick's favorites in Venice. On the other hand, a friend treated us to lunch on Lido, kind of place that only locals go, and he wanted to leave a 20% tip and I was not going to argue with him because he was buying. The waitress was momentarily confused as in "That's too much money." so I had to indicate too her it was a tip and she just shrugged to say" OK, you're giving away money, I'll take it."

And I was thoroughly upbraided by a British work colleague at a pub in Scotland when I left a tip. "You people got to quit doing that crap! Pretty soon they'll start expecting me to do it."

"And I was thoroughly upbraided by a British work colleague at a pub in Scotland when I left a tip. "You people got to quit doing that crap! Pretty soon they'll start expecting me to do it."
and pretty well sums up why we get annoyed at Americans tipping in Europe the way they tip at home.

Funny, I distinctly remember meals in Paris at least 20 years ago where "service non compris" was pre-printed on the bill. And believe me, these were NOT high-end restaurants.

Some restaurants in France used to be "service non compris" but it was a long time ago. We had to always look closely. However, I haven't seen that in 30 years.

Do the Americans who can't (or refuse) to leave their tipping habits at home when they go to Europe, accept that a lot of Europeans bring along their non-tipping habits when they visit the USA? I seem to have heard over the years a lot of whining from waiters etc., in the US that the British or the French, and even (hard to credit!) the Canadians, don't tip or if they do they are cheapskates. Sauce for the goose, etc.

It's better to follow the local customs when you know what they are--and you should try to find out what they are before you visit.

That said, giving people money when you don't strictly have to is pretty far down on the scale of human faults.

In the USA and Canada, service workers are caught in the bind that their employers expect them to be able to get part of their living wage from tips. So not tipping is more than a cultural faux pas; it's an economic hardship. Yes, it would be better if the full cost of labor were included in the price as it is in most goods or services, but your principled stand against the practice is just going to stiff some low-income worker.

I hope that the American practice does not spread anywhere else; I try to follow the local rules when I am traveling. When in doubt, I usually leave a tip (see the second paragraph above).

I wonder how many of the restaurants where people are told tipping is not included are mentioned in guidebooks like Ricks? I rarely go to restaurants I see in popular guidebooks. More than likely, these places are getting more than their fare share of tourists and locals have probably stopped going. If it 's mostly tourists, then the owners and waiters know the quality can go down and they can press for tips because unknowing Americans think this is the norm.

For places that do that, or others that automatically include a 12% service charge, rarely see me a second time. If the service was good I will leave extra change for the service person or round up on a credit card receipt. (I'm beginning to see tip lines on credit card slips or you get asked if you want to leave a tip right on the credit card machine. )

The only time we've gone to a restaurant that posted a copy of the RS book outside, lo and behold, the waiter told us the tip wasn't included. This was some restaurant in Murren, Switzerland that we chose based on the specialty sausage on their menu, not the blue and yellow sign. OTOH, in St. Galen, Switzerland, when we asked the waitress if the tip was included, the owner ran over to assure us that it was. Draw your own conclusions.

I try to find out whether tipping is the norm and about how much if so before I visit. However, particularly outside the tourist zone, I generally tip more than locals. Why? Because my language skills, or lack thereof take up staff time and energy. I've yet have anyone appear unhappy to receive a tip.

Ill tell you who is unhappy about you leaving the tip - the locals. Not the servers! That’s the whole point.

This topic comes up every few months and it appears that people are never satisfied with the answers. "When in Rome, do as the Romans" is the standard time-tested advice for most travel behavior. It is not surprising that people will take extra money if you give it to them, but if you are unwilling to accept that tipping American-style is not a universal cultural custom, then you are missing the point. I don't believe that people tip in the US out of a genuine judgment of the the quality of service, but out of guilt, and fear of being judged as cheap. Servers are better paid in most of Europe and have benefits our low-end workers would only dream of. Unless you tip the supermarket cashier, the postal clerk, the grocer, the railroad conductor, etc., for their good service, then you are tipping servers because you assume serving food is as un-rewarded and low-status as it is in the US.

I have had the experience of being at dinner in a restaurant with a large group of non-tipping Europeans. Guess how happy the waitress was of their not following the local customs?

The problem I have, Stan, is that for some countries it is unclear to me what the local custom is. We've had situations on this board where long-term residents and/or very frequent visitors have disagreed.

acraven, I agree. I've guessed wrong before. It makes a good topic for conversation with locals over there.

To find the tipping custom in any country or city, I found this great resource. It's called the internet. Just Google "tipping in..." and you will get lots of responses. Surprisingly, there are people who know a lot about Europe and aren't on this board.

When in doubt, ask a local.....or two.

Seriously, take a look at this website. It might help:

Who To Tip

"Ill tell you who is unhappy about you leaving the tip - the locals. Not the servers! That’s the whole point."

Why? I assume because you are afraid you will be expected to tip next or that tourists will get better service. I doubt my tipping waiters outside the tourist zone who end up translating half the menu for me, will lead to waiters expecting locals and less troublesome patrons to tip. It won't get me anything special either as my visits to resurants are one offs. Within the tourist zone, the food is mediocre and expensive. Why would anyone local want to eat in them? I spend most of the day in that zone but usually exit it to eat out.

I have been lead to believe that generally speaking salaries of waiters and waitresses are high enough in Europe that tipping is not >> required. However, tips can still be given for truly exceptional service.

Well as a Swiss I can tell you that is simply not true! Most of the service staff you will meeting in Switzerland are not Swiss, simply because most Swiss would not work for those wages! The staff comes mainly from Eastern or Southern Europe, work for poor wages and accommodation, which generally means they sleep in dormitories. They work for minimum wage and because the season is so short they do not qualify for unemployment benefits and are either forced to return home out of season or rely on social services to make ends meat.

Swiss people usually tip as follows: If it is a coffee or some thing small round up to the next Franc or so. If it is a meal then the expected tip is 10% to 15%.

I have seen Rick's comments on tipping and have long come to the conclusion that it is main to satisfy his own continuous for being a poor tipper.

Jim,
There appears to be disconnect somewhere here. In every travel site that I looked up it said that restaurants in Switzerland normally added a service charge to the bill and in those cases tipping was not expected. So, this is not a Rick Steves thing. If the service charge is not getting to the wait staff then this looks like a problem the Swiss people should address. The customers should not be expected to pay this charge twice, especially in a country as expensive as Switzerland.

Rick Steves believes, as many others do, that tipping is archaic and should be abolished as a norm and only be for exceptional service and that people should be paid a good wage. To this end, Rick pays his staff (tour guides, bus drivers, etc.) well and tells all his customers not to tip them. His staff must be happy with their pay as most of them have been with him for many years. He does however say when on your own you should tip in accordance with the norms of the country you are in. Note, he also says that when the tour provides a meal at a restaurant his tour company has payed the tips.

In the US people are used to tipping a large amount because, by law, companies are allowed to pay people who get tips less than 1/3 of the minimum wage. Ridiculous!!! Much worse than Switzerland.

In every travel site that I looked up it said that restaurants in Switzerland normally added a service charge to the bill

bob, service is not an extra charge. If a restaurant adds an extra charge over and above the amount on the menu, they are trying to con you by quoting a price on the menu which is not what you will have to pay. If it says "CHF 17,00" on the menu, this includes everything, food, cooking, service, cutlery, cleaning, everything. You hand over 20 Franks and wait for your 3 Franks change.

So we have two people from Switzerland saying two different things. One says to tip, while the other says it's included.

Bets, I am not saying a service charge is "included", I am saying there is no service charge, there is nothing extra, prices are all inclusive of everything.
It is no more included than a charge to Donald Trumps retirement fund is included, you just don't have to pay something that doesn't exist.

My little rant, at the risk of offending many. Of the European destinations I have visited, locals do not tip a hefty percentage of the total. By hefty I mean ten percent, which is toted as a regular 'custom' on some travel sites. I usually round off, which is what the locals do, if they do that at all. It is one of the joys of eating out in Europe. The best food I ever had in Germany was this year at the Deutscher hof in Iphofen. The waitress appeared genuinely happy with a tip of four euros on a seventy six euro dinner, which included wine, beer, a liqueur, three courses for me and two for my wife. I would never receive such a high standard of food anywhere in North America for that amount of money. No regular stiff like myself tips ten percent in Italy or France. Tipping in Britain was virtually nonexistant when I lived there for a while many years ago. Sure, customs change, and from where did this particular change originate? I have never once been asked for a tip in Europe, or received any suggestions regarding a service charge ( apart from the petty 'coperto' charge in some Italian establishments). I hardly ever eat out back home in Canada.
I have not read or heard it personally but If Mr Steves believes tipping is archaic then I am in full agreement. It has become so ingrained in North American society that if one does not tip the expected percentage, he or she is treated like a dose of leprosy. When I was a young man and first started dining at swanky places, ten percent was the going rate here. What was the exact date when it magically transformed to fifteen percent? Then a few years ago the debit card hand-helds began to suggest eighteen or twenty one percent - why? I am not an economics major but inflation is not a reason. In all provinces and most states (I stand corrected if this is not true), a server's wage has to be supplemented by the owners if their tips do not meet the required minimum wage. There you have it. Some servers will try to guilt you into believing that you should not be dining out if you cannot afford to tip. Using the same logic, an entrepreneur should not be opening a restaurant if he cannot pay his or her staff a decent wage. Why should I be paying twenty one percent extra for the 'artisan' pizza or 'world famous' chicken wings?

A service charge and a gratuity are two different things.

Could someone explain the difference between a service charge and a gratuity. Is the service charge for the silverware and bread?

A service charge is a fee for sitting at a table. A gratuity is a fee for being allowed to escape the said table.

Stan , if you are referring to me, I realise they are different but both have been brought up during this conversation.

Gundersen, no I wasn't referring to your comment (which I liked) but noting that people often ask about one but mean the other. In my understanding, a charge is a charge, a gratuity is voluntary.

Off to a grocery instead of a restaurant. Issue solved.

Bruce, don't forget to tip the cashier. The going rate is twenty five percent.

So we have two people from Switzerland saying two different things. One says to tip, while the other
says it's included.

Well I have lived and worked here for over thirty years, most of the time I dine with Swiss friends or business colleagues, not expats nor tourists and all I can do is tell you what we do.

@ Gundersen: And I thought I was so clever in avoiding the tipping question....one of the always memorable topics on the Travel Forum.

When in doubt, 10%.

Hard to go wrong.

Those places in Europe that indicate on the bill in English ie, not the local language, that "Tip Not Included" and especially I'm told, ie, reminded of that too, don't get anything. My position also. Telling me that in English turns me off.

The BBC has an article about the practice:

http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20171122-the-psychology-that-motivates-tipping?ocid=global_capital_rss&ocid=global_bbccom_email_27112017_capital

I don't think tipping excessively makes you necessarily an ugly American but it does indicate that you don't know the local culture. Tipping like a local is one more way you can avoid standing out as a tourist, similar to knowing at least polite words in the local language.

Worst case scenario, it may seem to others that you are throwing your money around to display your wealth. Think of when you go out here with Americans who tip 50 or 100 percent (I know some).

In France tipping is never expected.. but people do leave change, ( rounding up to newest euro ) and for a nice dinner with GOOD service they will leave 5-10 percent..

Precisement! My first French teacher, who was born and raised in France, told me: "The French never tip." I think she was overstating things a bit, but I tend to follow the rule quoted above.

Worst case scenario, it may seem to others that you are throwing your money around to display your wealth.

Last year we had dinner with a couple of Americans who have lived full-time in the Loire Valley for about 15 years. Dinner was outstanding, as was the service. When I asked the couple whether we should leave a tip, they said only a nominal amount, otherwise it's like you're just throwing money at them.

otherwise it's like you're just throwing money at them.

Now that's ugly no matter what nationality.

Discretion is the key, no matter how rich you may be.

I would think many European wait staff are aware that Americans come from a big tipping culture, and sometimes aren't clued in to local customs before they come, so they shouldn't get into a tizzy when given a big tip.

Funny to think that most American wait staff would have a hard time wrapping their heads around the concept of being "insulted" by a big tip.

I would think many European wait staff are aware that Americans come from a big tipping culture, and sometimes aren't clued in to local customs before they come, so they shouldn't get into a tizzy when given a big tip.

Wait staff aren't getting into a tizzy when given a big tip, why would they? If someone was to give you free money would you get into a tizz?

The point that's being made is that it goes against the local custom and the risk is that if enough tourists leave generous tips then there's almost an expectation that everyone should. Do you risk creating a situation where wait staff upon identifying American tourists provide more attention to those to the detriment of others simply because they expect a bigger tip?

The old adage "when in Rome" is very apt with this topic.

So if folks from the US are hell-bent on bringing their customs to Europe and inserting a tipping culture, then I guess that Europeans can come to the US and not tip in an attempt to insert their culture? What is the difference?

As stated, when in Rome...

Not me Emily.

Emily,

I general I like he Idea. However, not tipping in the US would be a real hardship on the wait staff. Because of our crazy wage laws, the wait staff is paid less than 1/3 of the minimum wage. If they do not get tips they really suffer.

Actually, employers are supposed to make up the difference if an employee's tips plus their direct pay is < the federal minimum wage. But US employers are more than happy to offload their employees' labor costs to customers, and they're more than happy to have customers assume that they are responsible for their staff's wages. The tipping culture in the US is seriously screwed up and inequitable. Especially for the back-end workers who are slaving away at the kitchen and don't get any tips at all.
https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/wages/wagestips

I've been to some restaurants, the last being in Seattle, where there were no tips allowed at all but there was an 20% mandatory service charge instead and an explanation that the restaurant believed this was the fairest way to compensate all their employees.

Like Agnes, above, I recently ate at a restaurant (in Portland) which added a mandatory 20% gratuity (their words). I fully support the notion of adequate wages vs the whims of the customers. However, this place had the temerity to print a place on the charge slip for an additional tip and to inform the customer what 15, 20, or 25% would amount to. 25% on top of 20%? Give me a break!!! This is American tipping culture gone berserk. I added nothing.

Why should there be an additional service charge? The fact that you're paying more to eat out than it would cost to cook at home is because of the costs involved which includes staff.

The reason I'm paying £18 for a dish that I could make at home for £3 is because I'm paying someone else to cook and serve it to me and to cover all the other overheads. Why should there be an additional 20% on top of that to pay the staff when the costs have already been covered?

Bob - I am American and worked as a waitress for years, depending heavily on tips. I get it. I’m just trying to make a point - not tipping in the US is the same as tipping in Europe, as neither follow local custom!

They don't demand tips off the locals, they would not get a very polite reply