Tipping...getting the check...seating for dinner?

Tipping in Germany: I had a big discussion about this with my hostess (a native German) in the Black Forest some years ago. She told me in no uncertain terms that I should never do more than round the bill up to the nearest euro. Of course, she was Schwäbish, which are the German equivalent of the Scots. I can't bring myself to give a 10 cent tip on a bill of 9,90, so I customarily add 50 cent before I round it up. So 9,90 euro plus 0,50 is 10,40 which rounds up to 11,- euro. That's an 11% tip, not too bad. When I get to higher amounts, I customarily add a few more euro.

Tipping in Germany is not so much a gratuity for good service as it is kind of petty to take the small change. That is, unless you get into a very touristy area, where they expect Americans to be BIG tippers.

I should add that when I had this discussion, Europe had just gone on the euro, which was worth about 2 DM, so, in essence, they were having to round the bill up to the nearest even DM. I think some of the Germans were still seething over this.

Generally, you do not wait to be seated (unless there is signage to the contrary, which you can't read). This, in my opinion, is one of the neat thing about Germany. I've had many a nice encounter with people I met because they sat down with me at the same table.

In general, Germany is a cash society. I find that small hotels and pensions don't normally take, or want to take, credit cards. If you go to a place that accepts credit cards, you are probably paying more than you should. The same would be true with small restaurants. Major department stores and German Rail will take credit cards for purchases without blinking.

I have been tipping 10% and a roundup to the nearest Euro for good service. I see that USA Today travel tips recommends this as well.

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/restaurant-tipping-germany-59081.html

One thing that surprised my husband and I when we visited Germany a couple years ago is that you have to be assertive when you want the bill. The waiters aren't going to pester you and bring it to you on their own. You have to get their attention and ask for the bill otherwise you'll be waiting a looooong time! Once we realized they weren't ignoring us, we appreciated the fact that we weren't being shoved out the door as soon as the last bite was in our mouth!

For seating, unless a place is jammed full with people or there are a lot of tables with reserved signs on them, you seat yourself. There are some chains, like Maredo or Block House where they want you to wait to be seated but why go to those when you are in Germany?

When you are done eating, you need to ask for the bill. They will never bring it to you unless you ask for it.

For tipping, you can round up for small bills such as coffee or for a meal tip 5-10% if your service was good. This is anyplace in Germany, not just touristy places. If your service was not good, then you do not have to tip anything but in this case I would also speak to the manager and let them know. Do be aware that servers here may have a lot of tables to take care of, unlike the states where they may just have 4-5 tables. Here they may have 20.
Do not leave the tip on the table. When the server gives you the bill, you tell them how much you are paying and they give you the proper amount of change back. Let's say your bill was 35€. You would give the server 40€ and say "38€" and they give you back 2€. Same thing if you are using a credit card. You need to tell the server if you want the tip on your credit card as they need to type that amount in on their machines. At the end of their shift, they would get this amount when they cash out for the day.

Don't confuse the Service Charge with a tip. The servers do not get this money, this goes straight to the owners.

Advice about tipping from one lady in a small rural establishment 16 years ago, is not very current nor accurate. Having worked in the restaurant industry in Germany I beg to differ about this advice and having dozens of friends who make a living as servers, I know they would feel the same way.

Cash is preferred, especially in small restaurants or for small purchases. At market stands, bakeries and the like, you have to use cash.

When you are done eating, you need to ask for the bill.

Get the waiters eye and say, "Zahlen, bitte". The waiter will show you the amount of the bill, written down.

Don't confuse the Service Charge with a tip. The servers do not get
this money, this goes straight to the owners.

First place, I've never seen a service charge listed as a separate item in Germany. The menu just says "Bedienung ist inbegriffen" (service is included). That might be by law. Secondly, in Germany waiters are paid a full salary, at least minimum wage. It's not like the US, where waiters get a pittance from the establishment and are expected to make a living off of tips.

Thank you for all the info. I am happy I asked...I can see me standing in a doorway for an hour thinking they don't want to seat me. 😀

Also, I will be sure to keep euros on hand for meals. We will be in a few smaller towns so I am sure I will see more of the cash only type places there. Makes it easy not to worry about how much I will owe on c/c when I get home.

Any other tips? Please nothing is too small....lots to learn before we go.

As correctly pointed out above, you seat yourself especially in a small establishment. Don't just stand there at the entrance. Don't sit at an empty table if one of these two signs are there: "Reserviert" (obviously), and "Stammtisch". That's not for the outsider walking in but reserved for the regular customer always at their table. Yes, you sit with others, or others will sit with you.

@Lee -- Jo was referring to the written "service included" on the menu, not something added to the bill. That could indeed be misleading to an American who equates the word service with tip. Furthermore, in French "service compris" does refer to personnel pay.

I am native German...round up is fine or an extra euro. No tipping is needed in Germany people make a living wage. However we sometimes have a larger gathering in a German restaurant and I always tip an extra 10 or 20 euros. Not because its a must but I want to reward the waitress for her services.

Minimum wage in Germany is 8.84 euros per hour or about 18,000 euros per year. Once before when this topic was discussed, that was the living wage listed for waiters. I would have trouble living on that, even in a two income family.

I rarely have less than good to excellent service in Germany and am happy to leave 10%. That said, I rarely eat at expensive restaurants in the USA or Germany.

Hi,

"...nothing is too small." ..... What if you want to eat at a time other than usual lunch time, then see if the restaurant/eatery has these words written outside, "durchgehende Küche." (kitchen open all day/continuous kitchen) in Germany.

In Austria that same message is expressed as follows: "ganztägige Speisen"

When I last visited Germany some 4 or 5 years ago, Germany did not have a minimum wage. The German minimum wage took effect in 2015. The former East Germans had a higher percentage of workers below the new 2015 minimum. Ironic in that trade unions were the primary economic force in achieving living wages in Germany.

Those of us fortunate to be able to afford travel would likely be hard pressed to live on the German minimum wage.

My husband and I like to dine well and share a bottle of wine when we travel, so in Europe the bill is usually 75-100 euros, or more. In Germany, I round up to the next €5 or 10€ mark that will amount to a 10% tip. For example, I would round an €81 bill up to €90. I give the exact cash to the server and say "Stimmt so" (roughly, "This is correct").

Your all so kind to take the time to post.

I am so looking forward to this trip. Praying it goes well and that we love it so much we can't wait to go back.