Tipping in Ireland and Northern Ireland.....what is expected

The same as the UK. Restaurant's predominantly and no more than 10%. I don't think I've ever given a tip to anyone other than wait staff in a restaurant, usually 10% but if I've had a particularly expensive bottle of wine or two then I won't give a percentage because there's no difference between opening and pouring a £20 bottle of wine or a £60 bottle so I see no reason why a percentage based tip should increase simply because the wine was expensive.

...mmmmmm Northern Ireland is part of the UK....."

I know but it was easier than typing "the same as England, Scotland and Wales".

Even tipping at a restaurant, only a few £ or € depending on the meal. I often don't even break 5% tipping.

I often don't even break 5% tipping.

That's because you're Scottish ; )

what is expected

nothing is expected

thank you for the advice.

I loved France for it's tips included ways....wish we all would do that

Greetings from Ireland, most of the above responses have been posted by either British people or people based in Britain. At the risk of stereotyping, they aren't a tribe or culture renowned for their generosity when it comes to tipping.
As an Irish person, in Ireland, working in the hospitality industry (Ive worked both as a server/waiter and barman/bar-tender in my day)
Tipping is common place (for taxis, bar staff, tour guides and definitely in restaurants) and is always 10-15%.
Personally I'd be embarrassed to tip someone 5% in a restaurant.
If others want to do that, fine. But servers do appreciate it.
If you come to Ireland believing that servers in restaurants don't expect tips or don't mind if you leave nothing, then with respect - you're kidding yourself.
Enjoy and happy tipping, remember the staff who are "well paid" are on minimum wage. Just over €10 an hour, thats hardly Prince Harry style wealth and riches.
le emas/with respect
Stephen McPhilemy
Rick Steves Ireland tour-guide
Dingle, Derry and Dublin

Enjoy and happy tipping, remember the staff who are "well paid" are on minimum wage. Just over €10 an hour, thats hardly Prince Harry style wealth and riches.

That's not a poor wage. As an entry level police officer i was on £15 an hour and my job was a lot harder, riskier and dangerous than that of a waiter, no-one tipped me nor did I expect it. It's a poorly paid job because there's not a lot of skill involved, it's not physically demanding nor is it dangerous. There are many, many jobs on a similar payscale or less that do not attract tips. Simply because somebody is working for less than I earn doesn't mean that I should feel compelled to tip them irrespective of the service provided. And let's not forget that if the money is so poor there're always other jobs.

I was in a restaurant last night in London, the service was poor, exceedingly slow and the food was mediocre when it eventually arrived. I asked for the optional 12% 'service charge' to be removed which resulted in a complete change in attitude from the staff, gone went the false smiles and out came the glares and bad attitude. So much for the appreciation of our custom. I left a fiver only because if I didn't my wife would have left a tenner.

I know this is a Rick Steves forum but for a RS staffer to come out and say 10-15% tip is norm is just not right.
I am Scottish too and 15% is never the norm anywhere in the UK or Ireland and the rest of Europe for that matter,NEVER !!!!!! .10% max and only if the service is good and never tip on top of a 12% service charge.
seriously Americans have totally ruined it for the rest of us,please stop tipping the way you do in the USA.Just stop it.

I’m in Canada and I always ask what the norm is in a country I am visiting because I don’t want to be an “ugly tourist”

I am thankful for all the answers.

Greetings everyone, the topic of tipping is such a touchy subject eh :)

A couple of quick points.

1. I would not like to be living in Ireland on a €10 per hour server job. Its hard work and the cost of living is high here. A policeman in the UK may well start their careers on £15 per hour, but that is a matter for the police officers union and the British Government to sort out, its not the fault of a server in Ireland. I would add that a police officer in the UK, will receive a pension on retirement along with a range of other well-deserved benefits. A server in an Irish restaurant will not receive these benefits if they get let-go by the restaurant.

2. 10-15% IS the norm for tipping in restaurants in Ireland.
   I work in the hospitality industry, on the ground, in Ireland, each day. Fact.
   I'm not saying tipping is compulsory, dont pay it if you dont want to, I'm just saying tipping is the norm.
   I generally tip 10% myself, but I must confess I do feel like tightwad when doing so (I am becoming a little frugal now I've turned 40). I'd never in a million years tip someone 20%. But occasionally, to celebrate life and good service, I tip 15% like almost everyone else in the restaurant, and It feels really good.

Ok, I'm off now to finish my skinny latte and tip the Brazilian server. 15% of €3, that'll be a whopping 45 cents.
Maybe I'll make their morning.

Slainte/good health
Stephen

ps I'm not a "Rick Steves staffer", I'm a self-employed independent contractor like most Rick Steves Tour Guides. Rick encourages us to have our own opinions and independent thought. He also employs us to lead his tours because of our travel expertise and years of experience on travel issues in our own home countries, issues like "how much to tip". Happy Travels

so you have a personal interest in suggesting 15% tips, well next time you get blood works done in a hospital or doctors remember to tip the lab tech that did them,just might be me.

A policeman in the UK may well start their careers on £15 per hour, but that is a matter for the police officers union and the British Government to sort out, its not the fault of a server in Ireland. I would add that a police officer in the UK, will receive a pension on retirement along with a range of other well-deserved benefits. A server in an Irish restaurant will not receive these benefits if they get let-go by the restaurant.

I think you're missing the point. I'm not attempting to pin any blame on anyone, I was simply pointing out that €10 an hour is not that poor a wage and is commensurate with the skills required and for what the job entails. There are thousands of people working for similar wages or less that don't receive tips so why should wait staff be any different? It's not so much the tipping that I object to but rather the expectation of one irrespective of the service. A tip should be reserved for recognition of exceptional service not as an automatic supplement for low wages.

And yes, the police pension is a very good one however considering I pay 17% into it it's not quite the 'free' one many would have you believe. As for other benefits, there are none!

I'm not sure about Ireland but in the UK it is law that every employer has to provide a pension for its employees.

How can a question about tipping in Ireland morph into a debate about the Police officer pension in a different country.

I haven't anytime to comment further on this except to say that in Ireland, tipping DOES happen.
I'm not saying its always deserved, its definitely not compulsory, but it does happen and its usually 10-15%.

I've no vested interested in tipping, not one iota of my various incomes is derived from tips.

As a Rick Steves tour guide we get fairly and generously paid and do NOT receive tips.

But the question is "what is the tipping guidelines for Ireland and Northern Ireland?"

As a tour-guide, who is actually Irish and lives in Ireland, I'm giving you the answer. It's 10-15%.
If you don't want to tip, don't bother, the world will still turn. But if you want the answer to the question, there you go.

Happy travels everyone, I'm off to enjoy the sun
Stephen

I just got back from Dublin and during a craic about...well pretty much everything, the owner of the pub I was talking to as well as his bartender and a regular were dismissive of tipping. Though its possible they were referring to people sitting at the bar as we were. I didn't tip at any pub though I always was ordering at the bar my entire time there.

There's no reason to tip at a pub, no-one tips at a pub, why would you?

I recall buying two beers in a bar in Philadelphia, I handed the barman a $20 dollar bill and had to ask for the change because he just assumed that it was his tip. Why would I tip someone simply for pouring me two beers!

Well in the US that is where they make their money. They make below minimum wage but a good server or bartender can rake in the cash via tips. Pints are cheaper in general so I'm tipping a buck a beer depending on where I'm at and if the service is any good. If I'm sitting there twiddling my thumbs waiting for service while they are chatting it up with someone tips suffer.

I’m actually sorry I asked now.....LOL

I just wanted to know if tipping at restaurants was like in the UK or France. Seems like it was in the UK. We tipped in the UK about 10% (15 % if it was awesome service )

Looks like we will be ok.

For cabbies we rounded up a £ or 2 and tipped more if he out all our bags in the back or unloaded them cause we did not travel light.

Looks like I will be ok.

I have to admit, I much preferred France for that. Service included was awesome.

Well in the US that is where they make their money.

I can't remember how much the beers were but let's say $4 each, that would be $12 he assumed to be his tip! I don't think that's the average practice for an American at a bar.

Coming from the Chicago suburbs where a 20% tip seems to be the norm at restaurants, hair salons, and so on, I appreciate this post as we are leaving next week for two weeks in Ireland. Thanks!

I can't remember how much the beers were but let's say $4 each, that would be $12 he assumed to be his tip! I don't think that's the average practice for an American at a bar.

Unfortunately, there are shady rip-off artists in all corners of the world. Your bartender probably figured you might be too drunk or too confused to realize you were owed a significant amount in change, or too timid to ask for it.

I had a cab driver try to pull the same stunt on me just a few weeks ago. I paid in cash, he made no move to give me my change, I asked "Do you not have any change?" and he said "I thought that was my tip." He ended up getting no tip from me.

He ended up getting no tip from me.

Exactly! I tip in the US because it's the standard practice and he would have received a tip had he not tried to rip me off, the idiot shot himself in the foot due to his greed and arrogance. I don't know why he thought I'd suck it up as it was my first beer and there's no way he would have considered me drunk, I put it down to him thinking I'm a naive tourist.

Or it could be his standard procedure (for all but his regular customers, anyway). He probably succeeds in ripping people off enough of the time that it's worth it to try as often as he can.

I assure you, though, that this is far from standard practice in America generally. But unfortunately, there are always some bad apples around - here and everywhere else.

I assure you, though, that this is far from standard practice in America generally. But unfortunately, there are always some bad apples around - here and everywhere else.

I know, I've been visiting the US at least once a year for some time and I've experienced enough to know that he's not typical.