Interesting video by Deutsche Welle (DW) about do's and dont's when dining out in Germany.
https://p.dw.com/p/57lxN
Close to that topic is the DW video "How to fit in at a German dinner party"
https://p.dw.com/p/4shOj
Thread is open for posts with own views and experiences. I think that some things are missing or need to be clarified in detail but I will post it later on.
The 1st film was kind of ok, but a few things seemed off.
Firstly, at a majority of German restaurants, you just walk in and sit down. No need to wait. 2nd, it is not usual for wait staff to ignore guests while setting tables. 3rd, if parents want their kids to have a drink, it is fine. No one cares about the age. 4th, 130€ for 4 people seems a bit high. 32€ per person for a pizza and a beer? 5th, one usually gets a larger glass of tap water if other drinks are ordered. A shot glass of water would be rude, and is only served if you would order a coffee. 6th, I have never heard a German use a back-handed compliment about food like this. If they liked the food, they say so. That it is delicious.
The 2nd film was just a bit odd. It didn't really show anything important or helpful.
Thank you for great feedback, Ms. Jo. Very helpful because you know two different cultures and the restaurant industry.
Thank you for posting. Looks pretty much like my experiences in Germany. The video would be good for any first-time tourist. A few things were exaggerated but in doing so they made the point. So that’s okay and I think it was meant to be a little light and a little entertaining. If you have been to Germany a lot it might seem a little empty, but it will serve its purpose well for a first time American tourist. I think more of this sort of thing would be really helpful. Well done.
unlike in the United States, service staff in Germany earn at least
the legal minimum wage. This means they aren't as dependent on tips as
their American counterparts.
For the non-US readers here, DW is incorrect. Service Staff (all staff) in the U.S. are sometimes dependent upon tips in the same way that European service staff are sometimes dependent upon the Service Charge, but in the end and in both cases, the Service Staff must go home with not less than the minimum wage.
The Service Charge in Germany does NOT ever go to the servers. It goes to the owners of the restaurant. Other countries might be different but this is the German forum with a film about German restaurants.
the Service Staff must go home with not less than the minimum wage.
Surely by definition a "wage" is what your employer pays you for working for them, not what some rando decides to gift you out of the goodness of their heart?
For the non-US readers here, DW is incorrect. Service Staff (all staff) in the U.S. are sometimes dependent upon tips in the same way that European service staff are sometimes dependent upon the Service Charge, but in the end and in both cases, the Service Staff must go home with not less than the minimum wage.
Keep in mind that the minimum wage in the U.S. for tipped employees is less than the minimum wage for regular employees in many areas. For example, the federal minimum wage in the US is $7.25 per hour. However, for tipped employees, it is only $2.13 per hour.
Of course, this is only the federal wage. Minnesota's minimum wage is $11.41 per hour for all employees, regardless of whether they are tipped or non-tipped, as Minnesota law does not allow employers to take a tip credit. All tips are additional income, and employers must pay the full minimum wage directly to staff.
If anyone is interested, here's the full list of what states mandate for minimum wage for all employees. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/minimum-wage/tipped
However, for tipped employees, it is only $2.13 per hour.
Maybe important to add that even in areas of the US where the $2.13 tipped employee wage applies, the employer is required to assure a wage equal to the Federal minimum of $7.25, either in tips, or by supplementing. No one goes home with less than the Federal minimum. Most tipped workers in the US in even a moderately busy restaurant easily make the minimum, many far exceed the minimum, and now a portion of those tips are exempt from taxes.
These videos are sort of odd. I am not sure what anyone can glean from them? Mary Jo's observation are spot on.
That shot glass of water, very odd. I have never encountered that.
I think maybe missing is the realization that an American couple going into a restaurant will have a different experience than a German couple. Waiters know their audience, and adjust accordingly, more so in touristed restaurants, less so if you were to stray well off the tourist path. I didn't see anything wildly unreal (well, maybe the shot glasses of tap water, but I never order tap water).
I think the whole thing could be summed up as; don't expect the same frequent interruptive or doting service style as in the US, while not required, tipping is a thing in Germany, and carry some cash with you.
A tip they missed (about tipping actually) is if paying in cash, no problem, but tell them the extra is for them, or only ask for some amount back in change. If paying by card, you need to tell them what to make the amount, to include the tip.
Tipping is much more open, Americans tend to want to sit alone and calculate a tip on the credit slip, or tuck some cash under the receipt, but you really should let them know what the tip is.
We lived in Germany from 87-91 and found differences between Germany and the USA.
Some restaurants included tips in the SERVICE CHARGE. Most do not have a service charge, but tipping in Germany is not 15 or 20% like in the USA. I usually tipped at least 10% there.
For restaurants that we visited frequently, the staff got to know us and our service was great. I then tipped more than 10%, usually 15%.
Visiting restaurants were no one knew us, the service could be spotty or slow, but not so slow to aggravate us. People in Europe tend to dine slower and are not in a hurry. We liked that.
I think one thing they might have included is that the whole tables' food may not all come at once, but rather trickle out as it's ready. At least thats been my experience.
geovagriffith, in the German produced video the German narrator said that the service was poor because the service providers didn’t care about tips so they didn’t care about being nice to the customers. Of course the video is wrong about other very important things like how American waitstaff are compensated (corrected by Paul) and the size of water glasses, so hmmmm. But you say the service providers ignore you as a cultural benefit. I don’t know, but over the past 4 years I have gotten used to it. Of couse it was humor. The video is sarcastically full of humor. One of the reasons I loved it. Even the $50 US tip for the cup of coffee. Funny.
As pointed out by one of the other posts, this is only about Germans and no one else. I agree, don’t try and apply it to other European countries. May not work. For instance, the splitting of the check doesn’t over well in other countries. That was a new one for me, I didn’t know it was so commonplace in Germany. Good lesson.
This brings up a suggestion for Americans. When the staff clears your plates from the table, ask for the bill. That will still provide you 15 minutes to relax before it actually comes and its not like you have to leave the table immediately after paying but does give you some control over the clock (you can do this outside of Germany too).
Okay, the second video kicked up the humor a notch and in the process clarified the intent in the first. Very well done. I think I am a bit more willing to give them a pass on the US waitstaff compensation issue. The only sad thing is many will believe it was truth instead of satire. I did some checking, made some phone calls, and discovered that Tommy later blamed DB.
When we all laugh at ourselves and each other it much more fun. Good comedy is always rooted in a bit of truth.
If you are in a smaller German restaurant, the sort where they are using your coaster to keep your tab, it is the norm to settle your own bill. Waiters and waitresses are not stupid. They can easily figure out how a group will pay by sizing up the table. Couples generally pay together and if someone is settling the entire tab, it is typical for that person to do it away from the table at the bar or cash register. Bigger restaurants are different. You should explain your intent.
WRT the timing of food coming from the kitchen. Too funny. We used to eat at a small family restaurant in Salzgitter that had wonderful food, but only one frying pan. That was our take on the way the food came out. To keep busy while waiting for your food, always have a pils ready to. We were in the habit (they are a slow pour) of ordering the next one as soon as one was delivered.
In most restaurants we dont ask for tap water in the US. And we never ask for more than one cup of coffee for tea (in the South).
I saw a cooking show a while back where these guys went around the world sampling the best traditional national street food from each country they visited and then ranked it. The German window meat did very well in the competition.
I have never been in a restaurant in Germany where they keep your food as a tab on your coaster. Your drinks maybe, but not anything else. Bars will do that too. I used to own a bar, so know this for a fact.
What in the world is "window meat"? I have never heard of this.
First before the ranting about the faults of my generational and cultural reference ;-) which admittedly is out of date in countries like Germany that now enforce good food safety standards I find the whole concept behind German Doner Kebabs really fascinating. It’s one of the odd little histories that I really enjoy when I travel. And since the topic was eating out in Germany, and since this is the single most popular “eat out” food in Germany according to a lot of sources …..
Reading about this today I learned Döner is a Turkish word referencing turning, Gyro is a Greek word referencing turning, Shawarma is an Arabic word referencing turning and Doner, often spelled Döner, is a German word referencing a completely German invention. ;-)
Here is some fun background https://youtu.be/of87Z-cMfTg?si=e_gm7BEkMDc03tO9 I think I have eaten it at least once on every trip to Germany over the last 15 years and a few times at places that looked like this: https://www.politico.eu/cdn-cgi/image/width=2640,quality=80,onerror=redirect,format=auto/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/28/GettyImages-1407116810-scaled.jpg. But generally speaking the Germans, it has been my very limited experience, do up Kebab shops into some really magnificient fast food restaurants.
But all in all, I have never had a bad experiene in a German restaurant. Service was always on par for European and so far, good food at reasonable prices. The only surprise was I didnt have enough cash for the bill a few times. Thank you son.
I have a tendency to stay in small family run places that are short on formality so maybe what I have experienced is not 100% the norm.
But that said, I must say, that I almost always ask for and drink tap water wherever I go in the US. Most places offer water when you are seated. It would be odd to be offered anything else. Unless I am having tea, wine or beer, I ask for water. I never ask for bottled water unless I am in Europe. In Asia, I drink tea or beer, occasionally wine, but never tap water. In South America, I generally steer clear of the water and also the ice. In India, never tap water...
Indeed, service employees do not receive the service charge on your bill as a tip - the service charge helps the employer fund the employee's normal wage, however, so it functions in a similar way.
If you ask just for "water" you may not be asked which kind and end up with bottled water or mineral water. "Leitungswasser" (Lye-toongs-vah-sir) should turn up a glass of tap water.
U.S. Tipped-employee minimums vary hugely by state.
California: $16.50 min. paid by employer.
In MANY states, employees receive an employer-paid $2-$3 minimum, with a guarantee of $7.25/hr, which is expected to be earned through tips; employers kick in additionally if tips + employer-paid minimum do not reach $7.25.
VIDEO:
That bill sounds really inflated, but I haven't been in Germany for a year. Perhaps the limoncellos are exhorbitantly priced.
I don't think tax was discussed... The VAT tax is shown on your bill as MwSt. but included in all prices on the menu... a very different practice than back here at home. Prepared meals are taxed currently at 7%, Drinks at 19%. But the price you see on the menu is all you pay in the end. Refreshingly honest.
Back home here... If your menu price total is, say, $15, then $1.50 (10% roughly) would be added for state/local tax to the bill total. But that's not the end of it. It's become common practice to add 2.5 - 3% if a credit card or bank card is used, as Americans almost always prefer to do
(let's add $.40 for that.) When the receipt comes, you are provided TIPPING options that suggest tipping percentages that sometimes start at 20% and then do the math for you.
https://www.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/65ae25a56dd64_t0p5a7dkex6c1-jpeg__700.jpg
The math, however, uses the subtotal AFTER local tax and credit fees have been added ($16.90 in my example.) So if you tip the minimum suggested percentage in this restaurant, your 20% tip will add $3.38 to your bill. The $15 total you might have predicted based on menu pricing is now $20.28 If you're in a "resort" area, you may have an additional tax to pay as well.
IMO our whole system is mostly deceitful and insulting and borders on pickpocketing. I can figure out how much I want to tip. And I can adjust that tip if I wish either upward or downward based on the state's minimum wage practices. And if the service should happen to stink, the absence of a tip provides valuable feedback.
The average dining experience in Germany is more dependably comfortable, clean and pleasant than the average one back home, more relaxing and uncomplicated, and by a wide margin, IME.
I don't know if it's a Dept. of Consumer Affairs rule (in NYC), or if it's just a practice at intermediate and higher-level restaurants, but in my experience, suggested tips in NYC are almost always based on the sum of the food and drink, not on the net cost of the meal.
I wonder if you're referring to the ubiquitous customer-facing POS terminals at delis, bakeries, and order-at-counter places. I don't give their numbers much attention, because if I tip, I give cash, to make sure that the owner has trouble getting his hands on the tip.
The average dining experience in Germany is more dependably
comfortable, clean and pleasant than the average one back home, more
relaxing and uncomplicated, and by a wide margin, IME.
All the restaurant owners and staff in all the cities and all the states in the US thank you for your observation.
Sorry, I don’t know about denial.
it is the obligation of the owner to pay their staff. It is not the
duty of he clients
Where do you suppose the owner of the restaurant gets the money to pay the staff?
Again every employer in the US is required to ensure that each employee with combined salary and tips makes the federal minimum wage of 7.25 per hour. Most sources that I have found say that US waitstaff income is twice the minimum wage and is somewhat higher than their European counterparts.
In the U.S., the median hourly wage for waitstaff before tips is
approximately $15.36 to $16.23 per hour, or about $31,940–$33,760
annually, according to 2023-2024 Bureau of Labor Statistics data
The difference between the European system is cultural. Part of the fun and education of travel is looking at how other cultures solve the same issues that we have in the US. No need to be critical. Just to learn. In Europe everyone makes the same income no matter how hard they work; but maybe have more income security. That German produced video that started this even joked about the result of that. The US wait staff is a bit like self-employed entrepreneurs and the harder they work, the more than can make; but less income security I guess. Different cultures, different ways of doing things.
In every survey I found the US waitstaff prefers the tipping system over the fixed income model so arguing against it is a personal thing and not helping the waitstaff any. https://minimumwage.com/2024/07/survey-tipped-employees-nationwide-prefer-keeping-the-tip-credit/ and https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2024/05/restaurant-association-says-servers-want-tips-not-higher-wages.html#:~:text=COLUMBUS%2C%20Ohio%20%E2%80%93%20An%20April%20online,of%20any%20mandatory%20service%20charge
In the US restaurants don’t save any money with the tipping system. Either way they have to pay the bills and if the tipping didn’t exist, they would just raise the menu prices or do the service charge like the Europeans do.
Just one thing to mention about the already mentioned round up for tipping. A guest shall ensure not embarrassing himself by rounding up a 59 Euro bill to 60.
Ganz genau...certainly not 60 Euro if the bill is exactly 59 Euro. One had better round off to 61 or better still, 62 Euro.
Pretty normal by me. You get what you ordered and can ask for a small/senior portion and substitutions for most. Things are competitively priced based on the quality and type of local food. You will pay more for Deer than Pork roast. Goose more than Duck. You can ask for tap water, but not everywhere will serve it. You get bottled water and in some places only .75l. At local Zoigl Stuben they do put your food on a beer coaster along with drinks. A simple round up plus a euro will do for a tip, unless you are happy and generous. Many places are still family owned and operated and they put pride into their cooking and restaurant. Keep in mind this is off the tourist route in Oberpfalz. Personally the cleanliness of local places by me is really much better than the US. Even the 100 year old places. Some of the places I have visited for years I am a Stammgast (regular). As soon as we enter we get our coffee and Bier. The Family and cook know us. I am always happy to tell them the food was great and get their smile and nod. Not sure how to describe it, but its's more of a shared culture. But that should not discourage any guest! Try the favorite local places.
