Tipping Shakedown

Laurel, I have a photo of a CC receipt from a pizza restaurant in Luzern, 2017, that has a line for the customer to add "Trinkgeld" (lit., drink-money, an old-fashioned term for a tip.) I took the photo, because I knew some people wouldn't believe it.

I'd be unhappy too, but I'll bet that same waiter has had 9 out of 10 Americans ask him if "tip/gratuity/service was included" so he probably sees it as doing a service to tell Americans in advance.

Ah, yes. No doubt the waiter has a menu of tactics to
extract as much as possible from uninformed Americans. On my first trip to Switzerland after college, after paying for lunch I reflexively left a tip on the tray . The Swiss food server saw it and explained a service charge was the “tip “ and insisted that I take back the cash. I realized that’s how it’s done in Switzerland. but the tipping reflex kicked in which I found tough to ignore. I left it on the table as a reward for honesty.

Kudos for having the backbone to not be guilted by the grifter waiter you had. A conversation with the manager would have been in order, but the waiter probably would then just impersonate the manager!

Twice on our recent trip to Italy, waiters handed us the bill, saying "Service not included," in English, even though we had been conversing with him in Italian. And the topper was the time in Rome when a waiter handed me the bill saying, "Service is included, but you can give more." Grrrrr.

We were also reminded once in England some years ago that "Service is not included."

Not sure that just mentioning that the bill doesn't contain a tip rises to the level of a shakedown. It is a fact that Americans have a reputation of tipping regardless of local custom. And yes I realize that not all Americans are the same. It's still completely up to you whether you leave anything or not. JMO, but for me that would be a minor annoyance and something quickly dismissed as unimportant.

In Switzerland, you are not required to tip. You can, if the service / food was beyond your expectations but there is no obligation. And any waiter expecting a tip is a rude guy!

Tipping seems to be expected more often here these days as well, even though the wages for servers and other staff have increased significantly (the minimum wage in BC is currently $15.65/hour). Many restaurants have the tip pre-configured to start at 18% although there is also an option for no tip. The expectation for a gratuity seems to be more prevalent now than before the pandemic, and it seems this trend has caught on in Europe and other places.

I agree, Ken, it has become more widely expected but what I hate is the double standard of asking North Americans for tips but knowing the locals will scoff at them.

In addition to wanting to vent, I hope others will feel empowered to follow local cultural norms and not be coerced.

Ok so first of all, what the waiter said is not correct, as service is included in the bill. Second of all, you are in no circumstances required to tip, and I would also be offended to be told what you were told. Thirdly, you are totally right that the tourism website says what it says. (And finally, I am not Swiss, although I did work in Basel for two years, so take the following as you will).

Nevertheless, it is really very normal in CH to round-up/tip about 5-10 %, even with the service charge. I just did some searching of this in German-language sources including Swiss newspapers and so on (to see if I and my Swiss colleagues were somehow outliers on this), and see that this seems standard advice. According to the survey discussed here in German, 95 % of Swiss tip at restaurants.

So: that tourism website seems rather out of touch with actual customs in the country, and if people want to "do as the locals" in this case, then the safe bet is to tip something in the 5-10 % range, but of course: only if you are happy with the service.

Azra I really appreciate your input.

We do tip at dinner in Europe, and in cash, rounding up a bit or leaving 5-10% (rarely 10% - has to be exceptional and usually a place we will return to), but being asked for a tip is indeed inappropriate. I am glad to know what Europeans would do in this situation.

In the US, we are expected to tip even when we get a coffee from a barista. I will do so when it is a place I frequent, but not at a one-off place I do not expect to return to.

As travelers and diners we are facing higher prices as well, some of which is because wages are up (a good thing!).

Laurel, Having lived in Italy, you know that the custom is different in different countries, so we can't say "Europe." France is like Italy, nothing expected from a French-speaker. Evidently, at least this part of Switzerland is like Germany and Austria: 5-10%.

No matter, it's rude of the waiter. He heard your accent in Italian and went for the small change. We're hearing about this happening in France, too. A member of an expat group, new to France and just learning French, reported how several waiters had told him tip wasn't included. Tip might not be, but SERVICE is always included. Playing with words. So, yes, he was targeted and played to the point that he asked online if tips were expected. All the French speakers and near bilinguals were outraged. It had never happened to any of us----

except once in the Berner Oberland at a RS listed restaurant over ten years ago. That is German-speaking Switzerland, so Azra's advice would hold. Nonetheless, our waiter, as well as yours, should never have put either of us in an uncomfortable situation while trolling for cash.

Dear Laurel, yes, Being asked for a tip is inappropriate in my opinion.

At the same time, I just wanted to gently counter the idea that I see here from time to time that “locals” don’t tip. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland we, as a rule, do (at restaurants, at least!).

Edited: Bets—my ‘tipping sense’ says the general round up in the direction of 5-10 % rule holds for both French- and German-speaking areas of CH (and Italian). But like I said, I am not Swiss.

We were in a restaurant just outside the gate to Pompei, so it's frequented by tourists. I paid my bill in cash and when bringing the change the waiter said in English something like "the tip is not included on the bill". I said "oh, yes it is" and walked out. Others in our party fell into the trap and gave him a tip out of guilt.

And all these encounters demonstrate the consequence of so many Americans wanting to tip like they do at home.

As someone who has lived in Switzerland for over 30 years I can say there definitely an expectation to tip and with good reason most of the servers are foreigners on the minimum Swiss wage, have only got seasonal work permits which means that they will not qualify for unemployment benefits and are forced to leave the country when their employer no longer needs them. Most likely your server was in desperate needs of funds as the summer season draws to a close and he will be forced to return home without unemployment benefits. Nice one, enjoy the rest of your holiday.

The waiter was rude, but so many of us still move forward on the misnomer that when you dine in Europe you round up to the next Euro. You can do that if you want, but it's not standard local practice. Locals leave a little bit of a tip usually, not precise but rounded. I follow the local standard. Good service 69 euro bill I'll go 75, which seems about normal.

Hank--please define Europe and why you assume it has uniform practices.

This post has shown that Switzerland, Germany, and Austria leave 5-10%.

In France, Italy, and Spain nothing is expected but some people leave some change, sometimes.

It's not like the States where computers print suggested tips up to 30% and tip cups populate counters from coast to coast, no matter how much the barista or bartender is paid ( while kitchen gets peanuts). It's a sucky system.

Dearest Bets of Aquitaine,

I'll stand by my assertion that many American tourists think that in Europe you just round up to the next Euro in restaurants, and you effectively don't tip it all.

When I wrote local practice, I meant Switzerland. I am aware that tipping practice varies country to country. But I can see how that might have been confusing enough to prompt a call out and a little unneeded but I'm sure well intentioned lesson.

In the service industries as soon as someone realizes you're American they know there's a good chance of a tip, because here in the US we are expected to tip everyone, everywhere. Or at least that's how it feels now. The new style of cash registers is automatically programmed to list possible tip amounts, the more demure employees will turn the screen towards you and then look away to give you some privacy.

I had a bellman linger for a tip in Japan once, where it is supposed to be totally verboten to tip. And frankly why not, there was a good chance I would pay (and I did but not much).

I am not saying that the tipping culture in the US is not extreme, but on the idea that tipping in "Europe" is an imported cultural trait from America: I am sorry, friends, but we in the German-speaking world have a tipping tradition, along with fierce debates about that practice, that go back to the Middle Ages. Those here who read German (since I know there are some) can read about it in review of a book on the topic here, including the comment that tipping was actually uncommon in the US until after the Civil War. I guess one might actually see the idea as having been exported from us to you, rather than vice-versa.

Further to my previous reply, I wanted to add a few comments.

I'm finding this post really helpful, as it shows tipping in Europe may be different now than in the past. Undoubtedly there are a variety of reasons for this but it's good information to have for future trips.

Laurel, I thought about this thread yesterday afternoon. I was having a late lunch in Milan with a small number of customers on the terrace. I noticed 3 groups question their bill including having the host get out a menu. I I was ready but no problem with my bill. (Pizza, water and espresso, lol). I paid with Apple Pay and no way to tip that way!

Still, I am glad you, as a very experienced traveler, brought it up. Forewarned is forearmed!

PS It also made me remember to retain the receipt!

The actual concept of tipping started in England in the late 1600's/early 1700's. As a house guest, it was seen as proper to give a small gratuity to your host's servants for attending to you.

That custom then spread to inns and hotels as they became more popular.

It didn't really become popular in the US until the late 1800's

In some areas it became unpopular as it was seen as a class difference.

I have a different take in this. I just spent the weekend with friends in rural Bavaria and the wife has spent her entire career in the service industry including running a restaurant. COVID has been very tough on the industry and they mentioned that local people are tipping more post COVID because they recognize this. Just because tourism and business is picking up again doesn’t mean all these workers are not still struggling after 2 years of low business.

DJ

That's all very true because some governments supported businesses and employees better than others. So, the lockdown effects aren't pan-European. However, the point is should people who speak "American" or have an American accent while speaking the local language be targeted for a tip while native speakers or those who speak fluently are not singled out? Is it rude? Are British people singled out? Scandinavians? French? Recently my husband and I ate in several restaurants in Barcelona, speaking French together. Nobody mentioned any kind of tip. In addition, Enric had already given me the tip info. However, one day when we met American friends for a meal, the waiter told us the tip wasn't included.

"should people who speak "American" or have an American accent while speaking the local language be targeted for a tip"

I believe that's called reality. Although we don't really know, they may also go after Asian tourists. Anyone who's not hip to local norms is a potential target, which is the very definition of a tourist isn't it?