Tipping in restaurants

A fifteen % tip is not normal in Italy. I might leave between 5-8 % if the service and food are very good. I tell my people it’s nice to leave a few euros, just round up a bit, €1/2 per person at sit down meal.

The tour company is wrong.
Maybe they go to the same places and want you to uptip so as their tours are given better treatment.
Round up.
Plenty of tipping controversy all over the world.
It is not good for anyone.

Wow, may I say, please take any of their other advice with hesitation? My husband just commented that maybe the tour company dips into the group collected tips. Whew!

No, that is not normal. The round up of a few Euros is fine for tourists. The comment makes me wonder if they are going to try to have you eating at the touristy restaurants, too. Don’t go to any restaurants where someone is waiting outside trying to get you to come inside. And avoid the places with menus with pictures of the food. Walk a few blocks away from any main sites to get a better local experience.

Hope you have a nice trip!

Jean my first trip to Europe was in 1962. I have been in quite a few restaurants and have done a pretty good job of avoiding the tourist traps. That is why I questioned the 15%. Also when we go as a group to a restaurant the tour pays for the meals and tips. We do not individually tip so they are not dipping into the tips. The 15% tip advice was from an individual tour leader concerning the meals we would purchase on our own. I will be a be a bit leery about any of his financial advice.

” I will be a be a bit leery about any of his financial advice.”. ; )

LOL! Have a great time!

I will be a be a bit leery about any of his financial advice.

smart move

said in an email a 15% tip is normal in restaurants

Sure, it must be normal in their dreams. The usual mandatory tip is zero and anyone saying the opposite is lying.

We were in Italy in 2022. We didn't tip. This question comes up over and over and over again on the RS forum. Italian natives and frequent Italian travelers all agree - tipping in Italy is not expected. Worse yet, if dumb Americans tip, this creates an expectation in wait staff that all tourists are dumb, leading to a culture where tourists are expected to tip.

Don't tip in restaurants in Italy.

We found the restaurants in Rome to be very aggressive in asking Americans for tips when we were there 2 weeks ago. But passive to non-existent expectations in Sorrento.

An opposite experience from Allan.
We were shocked in Sorrento when a Rick Steves' recommended restaurant had "Service not included add tips ________" at the bottom of the bill...in English. The waiter even took our card instead of letting us tap or insert it. He held the machine, inserted the card, then asked us if we wanted to add a tip. Guess what I said. Normally, the staff holds out the machine and the customer taps or inserts

I sent a photo of the bill to RS Europe with the suggestion that they take a second look at their recommendation. The place didn't feel right from the beginning. Sometimes being anointed by the guidebook ruins a place. We learned it was in the guidebook afterwards.

Normally, the staff holds out the machine and the customer taps or
inserts

We must have been lucky. This was our experience for every meal in Sorrento. In an upcoming Trip Report I was going to name a couple of restaurants worthy of the guidebook, but maybe I'll keep it my secret.

I’m sorry to say that all of you who can’t resist the temptation of wanting to impose the American custom of tipping upon other cultures have now ruined it for all American travelers because now many restaurants catering to American tourists have gotten used to the expectation that Americans MUST pay a tip, while others don’t need to.

Good job!

For those of you who prefer to stick to the local Italian custom of not leaving a tip, I suggest that you don’t go to restaurants suggested by Rick Steves because those are the most likely to be catering to Americans. Avoid also those in the main tourist streets in major American destinations like Sorrento or Florence.

Sometimes being anointed by the guidebook ruins a place.

And I think not being anointed by RS can help preserve a place - I'm looking at you Pompei! We had a wonderful meal at Garum, and my husband wanted to round up the bill - basically leaving less than a 5 Euro tip for a magnificent meal that would have cost twice as much in one of the anointed towns. Our waiter politely told us that tips were not necessary.

Our waiter politely told us that tips were not necessary.

We did a tour of Naples 3 weeks ago via Shared Tours which is endorsed by RS. There was just us and one American couple on the tour at a cost of €45/pp. The American tried to give the guide a €20 tip and the guide refused. Not only did he say tipping was not necessary, but then he hailed a cab for the 4 of us to take us to the train station and had an animated conversation with the driver not to rip us off.

It's normal not to tip in Italy

We have been in Italy since April 24th. Have not tipped once. If we pay with cash they seem happy if I make correct change. With a CC they tap and walk away. It did feel odd at first.

It seemed to me that most restaurants in Italy have a modest charge for service.

geovagriffith is correct, most restaurants will add a service charge ranging from 10% to 20% (12% is the most common I've seen) to the bill. In addition many restaurants will also add a fixed Cover Charge (also called Bread and Cover Charge of €2 to €5 per person, which is supposed to cover for the cost of occupying a chair and a table space. This latter charge has been banned by the Region of Lazio (Rome).

To be noted the above extra charges, by law, MUST be stated in the menu (so they cannot be a surprise) but they do not go to the staff. They all go to the restaurant (the owner). The waiters get paid a salary as per the employment contract, which is Italy is negotiated at the national level by the representing unions.

The value added tax (VAT) of 10% (for restaurants and hotels), which is like the Sales Tax, must be however included in the price of the dish, therefore there will be no tax added at the end, as it is common with the Sales tax in the US. The bill will, in most cases, state the amount that was included as tax. So for example the bill will say TOTAL €110 (of which €10 VAT, or IVA in Italian, as in Imposta Valore Aggiunto)