Tipping in Germany

Tips are never added to the bill, unless you have a large party of people in an nice restaurant and then it will say this on the menu.

You may see a service charge on your bill, but this does not go to the server. Tipping is anywhere from 5-10% if the service is good and depending on the kind of place it is. A small cafe, you are ok with rounding up a euro or 2 from your bill. The server makes the change, you don't leave it on the table. For example, your bill was 8 €, you give the server a 10 € bill and say 9 €. They give you back 1 €. If your service was awful, you never have to leave a tip.

With counter service, as you described, I wouldn't bother leaving anything at all.

There isn't tip included in German restaurant bills, unless noticed which I hardly ever encountered. But tip isn't the major source of income for waiters in Germany, they get regular pay about €9-10/h. For the airport even more because you need really good staff there. So don't feel bad if you don't tip.

I give 5% if the service was acceptable and up to 10% if I had special wishes which have been met. Tips are usually shared among all the waiters so you cannot reward a single waiter for extra nice service.

First, let me clarify something about the minimum wage of tipped workers in the US. You often hear that the tipped workers only get $2.13/hr and must rely on tips. This is not true. The real Federal minimum wage is $7.25/hour. The "minimum wage" for tipped workers is claimed to be $2.13/hour, but if the $2.13 plus tips does not add up to $7.25, the employer must make up the difference. The tipped worker must get at least the Federal minimum wage. If a tipped employee earns $10/hr in tips, the first $5.12 goes to the employer, the waiter only gets to "keep" $4.88;. So, when you tip the waiter, you are actually tipping the restaurant.

When you see "Service ist inklusive" or "Bedienung ist inbegriffen" on a menu, it indicates that the waiters are paid the minimum wage for their work, not dependent on tips. I think in the past waiters worked for free for the tips they could get. That is not legal in the EU.

I had a long discussion a few years ago with the German Gastgeberin where I was staying in a Privatzimmer. I told her my tipping policy, which was less generous that what Jo suggests. She was aghast, and told me in no uncertain terms that I was overtipping. She said that even if the tip is 9,90€, you should give only 10€. You are not rewarding the server for good service. Like any other non-tipped employee, that is considered a part of their job. It's just considered polite to leave the small change.

At this point I should note two things. First, I was in the Black Forest, which is part of Schwaben. The Schwäbish are noted for being frugal, kind of like the German version of the Scots. They are also culturally related to the Swiss, who are notoriously poor tippers. Two, this was shortly after the introduction of the euro, which was worth almost two Mark, so when one rounded the bill up to the nearest euro, it was like having to round up to the nearest even Mark. where before it was only the nearest Mark. I think the Germans were still fuming over that.

So, not being able to bring myself to "tip" just 10 cent on a 9,90€ bill, I now add 50 cent before I round it up. So I would give eleven euro for a bill of 9,90€. For larger bills, I might add a euro over that. My hostess would be so disappointed.

There is a substantial amount of difference between advice given in a small, family run business in a rural, town setting 15 years ago and today in any medium or large cities in Germany.

Servers in Germany usually have a base pay of 10 € per hour. If they are single, they will bring home half of that as they lose 50% of their gross pay to taxes, their share of their health ins. premium, Soc. Sec. premium, and church taxes if applicable. In return they receive 4 weeks paid vacation, and sick pay. If they are married and have children their take home pay increases of course. They must also declare their tips as income and most restaurant managers have a fairly good idea what this is on average.

Servers in Germany usually have a base pay of 10 € per hour. If they are single, they will bring home half of that as they lose 50% of their gross pay to taxes, their share of their health ins. premium, Soc. Sec. premium, and church taxes if applicable.

That might be a bit too pessimistic. The rule of thumb is that up to an yearly income of 19000 E. there will be no taxes at all at the final count. What you pay is your employee's share on insurances for health (7%), pension (9.35%) and unemployment (1.5%, figures for 2015). For a net income of 19000 E. this sums up to ca. 3400 E. or roughly 18%.

They must also declare their tips as income

Thats not correct. There are no taxes if the tip is intended as a personal acknowledgement for the waiter's service (http://www.roedl.de/themen/trinkgeld-versteuern). Tipping pools, however, are subject to taxation.

There are no taxes if the tip is intended as a personal acknowledgement for the waiter's service (http://www.roedl.de/themen
/trinkgeld-versteuern). Tipping pools, however, are subject to taxation.

Technically correct but as soon as you pay cash, the state will not see any cent of taxes. Well, it's "tipped" with a "believeable" amount. The whole German restaurant business relies on that. That's why cash is king over here.

I have never been a waiter but I have worked at jobs where a small amount of additional money (by my current standard of living) would have made a significant difference. I am not the type to throw money around but I would rather be a bit too generous than a bit too tight.

By any of the data above, I suspect that the wait staff are not rolling in money. I would not want to live on 15,000€. I leave about 8/10%. No waiter/waitress has ever sneered at me for leaving too much. I am sure that I have not undermined the social order.

So, does one follow the tipping practice of the place they are from, or the place they are visiting? If the former, what do you advise visitors from Europe to the US?

When in Rome. . . . . .

If the former, what do you advise visitors from Europe to the US?

Simply round up in a way that at least one solid Euro is included. If service was outstanding, feel free to give more. If the waiter / waitress is grumpy, don't give a cent.

BTW, in Germany it is very common to »pay separately«. So, from a table of four the waiter will earn a tip of at least 4 euros.

as soon as you pay cash, the state will not see any cent of taxes.

And in that special case, I welcome that. It was that »socialist« Schroeder government, which invented taxation of tipping in 2002, and it is widely felt ill-founded from a perspective of common ethics. If you pay with card, you still can leave some coins on the table.

@sla019 I was trying to point out that Americans (especially servers) are often aghast if European visitors failed to follow the local tipping customs while here. A 1 euro tip on a $30 meal could get you an earful or at least earn an "Ugly European" reputation in an American restaurant. [expletives omitted]

I had the experience once of being at dinner with group of 6 European business folks who refused to entertain the idea of tipping the waitress serving our table. So seeing the shoe on the other foot, I think one should always follow local custom.

Interesting discussion. We traveled with German friends during our first trip to Germany in 2010 and again in 2012. They told us that Germany did not have a minimum wage (at the time) and advised that tips are appreciated and appropriate.

Looks like Germany adopted a minimum wage in 2014. WSJ background story on the minimum wage adoption is interesting: http://www.wsj.com/articles/german-parliament-approves-minimum-wage-from-2015-1404386860

Re: does one follow the tipping practice of the place one is from or the place he is visiting? In regards to Germany and Austria I follow their practice. If the restaurant is one where I am a Stammgast such as in Berlin and they know me. then I tip a bit more. There are places also in Germany and Austria where I leave nothing.

At the Frankfurt airport as described above, I don't leave anything.

In Vietnam I was once stuck in Da Nang. Two air cavalry officers suggested we go out of a couple drinks. I bought the first round and tipped pretty modestly. They thought the tip was too large and told me in front of the waitress that I was screwing up the economy. Later the waitress came back. The 2 other officers declined another drink but offered to buy me a one, a hardly acceptable offer. The Vietnamese waitress looked hard at them and said, "You're couple cheap Charlies".

I wonder if Germany waitresses were answering this question, what would they say.

I worked in the restaurant industry in Frankfurt and I know exactly what the servers think cause they always told me. It is why I know how much they make, how much their take home pay is and how they have to tip out to the kitchen as well as declaring their tips.

@sla019 I was trying to point out that Americans (especially servers) are often aghast if European visitors failed to follow the local tipping customs while here.

@stan: Sorry, i have misread your contribution. If in the US, I do what my daughter (who lives in Princeton NJ) tells me: "forget your Franconian parsimony and add 20%".

Thank you for your replies. They were a real 'eye-opener' for me!

I am native German...when in a restaurant I tip maybe 5o cents. Tipping is not expected or "mandatory". Customers unlike in the USA do not supplement the waiters income due to greedy owners. No tip is ever expected. We had a large wedding anniversary party and no tip was excepted ..however we did anyways because the service was excellent.

Susanne, all of my German friends would just call you cheap. If all you ever tip is 50 cents, I would be embarrassed to dine with you.