Author Topic: A question on tipping (Read 1054 times)

tapakeg · « **on:** March 13, 2004, 06:21:01 AM »

As a bartender who has never traveled over seas, I would like to hear from you about what is trational for gratuity where you are from.

(and only outside of the US please, I don't care about "Well I'm from Texas and.....")

1. where are you from?

2. Is it considered standard to tip?

3. what percent?

4. just bar? just food service? both?

I would also like to hear from service industry people from a not-tipping society and tell me how the heck you make a living.

And finally, in a non-tipping area, is it rude to leave a tip? I have heard both sides of the story that....

it is considered rude and you are looked at as an "arrogant american"

or.....

of course they would LOVE any extra money and gratuity is welcome.

My wife and I are planning to travel overseas and would like some advice.

Tapakeg

Rolex · « **Reply #1 on:** March 13, 2004, 07:00:50 AM »

1. where are you from?
--- Japan

2. Is it considered standard to tip?
--- No. Oh... if a taxi driver helps you with a heavy bag then a tip is okay, but they usually don't help.

I would also like to hear from service industry people from a not-tipping society and tell me how the heck you make a living.
-- I'm not in service industry, but I can tell you that restaurants and hotels charge more and pay the employees more since there are no tips. ;-) About US$ 8-11 per hour would be about average for entry-level restaurant staff.

And finally, in a non-tipping area, is it rude to leave a tip? I have heard both sides of the story that...
-- I would say that it is embarrassing for the intented recipient here and perhaps considered a little too flamboyent and ostentatious on the part of the giver.

If it is not expected, then not doing it would be as polite as doing it when it is expected. Make sense?

Seeker · « **Reply #2 on:** March 13, 2004, 07:01:22 AM »

Generaly in Europe one leaves a tip in restaurants but not in bars.

Nilsen · « **Reply #3 on:** March 13, 2004, 07:40:32 AM »

Norway..

you may or may not...usually i just leave the change

if a beer costs like 48 i give him 50...unless its a hot girl and my gf isnt next to me

AKIron · « **Reply #4 on:** March 13, 2004, 09:07:18 AM »

Well, I'm from Texas and....oh wait. I have lived in few other countries while in the AF, Japan-no tipping, Korea-no tipping, Panama-no tipping. However, some of the service providers near the American installations will accept gratuities with appreciation.

If the service is good here I tip 20%, if it's adequate I tip 15%, if it's bad I tip 10% or less.

Curval · « **Reply #5 on:** March 13, 2004, 09:16:16 AM »

I live in Bermuda.

By law 15% is added directly to your bill in restaurants as a gratuity...regardless of the service. (If you have a really bad experience you can complain to mgmt and that is it.) Many people tip on top of that 15% but it isn't required or expected.

In bars the locals here are HUGE tippers. I leave a dollar for the bartender everytime I get a drink.

But...we have alot of Scots and Canadians here (you can't swing a dead cat on this island without hitting one

). They aren't known for their tipping generosity.

Frogm4n · « **Reply #6 on:** March 13, 2004, 10:59:53 AM »

most restraunts and bars pay their employees 2 bucks an hour in florida. So its pretty much required to tip unless your a *******.

vorticon · « **Reply #7 on:** March 13, 2004, 11:49:02 AM »

canada

10% tip seems about standard...

Quote

most restraunts and bars pay their employees 2 bucks an hour in florida.

thats insane...glad we have minimum wage up here

boxboy28 · « **Reply #8 on:** March 13, 2004, 11:51:41 AM »

AKIRON you got it on the head! im and old bartender waiter and I wont STIFF anyone but they will tell by what the tip is what i thought of the service and attetativeness(is that a new word) paid to me and my guests!

If the service is good here I tip 20%, if it's adequate I tip 15%, if it's bad I tip 10% or less. [/B][/QUOTE]

loser · « **Reply #9 on:** March 13, 2004, 12:01:09 PM »

Canada here, but more specifically Saskatchewan. (Different rules seem to apply in different provinces in my experience.)

Basically at restaraunts the general accepted rule is 10-15% for mediocre service.

e.g: If the waiter/waitress pays sufficienct attention to your group that you dont run low on drinks and stops by to ask if you need anything occasionally. (Say three times during a meal)

If the service is exceptional i will tip upwards of 25%.

e.g: if they make a conscious effort to go out of their way to make sure you have everything you need, and notice things you might need (like more drinks, condiments, fresh napkins, clean ashtrays, etc...) even before you think about asking for them. Also if they pay direct attention to how you are enjoying your meal and try to make it better without making it seem like chore or that it is inconveniencing them. (Like special food/diet requests or altering their menue to suit your specific taste.)

I have not tipped at all at restaraunts before but i can prolly count the number of times on one hand. I have to find a darn good reason not to. Like the server pissed me off, was aloof, or just didnt give a chit. Even in these cases i will most often leave a small tip anyway because maybe the server was just having a bad day...either at work or other stuff going on in their lives.

At bars it is a different story though. If i am sitting at a table i will leave a change tip like nilsen mentioned for the waitress if she does her job. The amount i tip has nothing to do with what the waitress look like or how "chatty" she is with me. I know im not going to get anything if I tip 5 bucks instead of 1 or 2 so i base it on job performance only.

If i am sitting at the bar i rarely tip. (Sorry tapa.) But that is because I usually take care of myself. I will get my own ashtray, clean up any overpours myself and if I am just drinking coffee I even get up and get my own refills. Hell i have even poured pints for myself the odd time when the bartender was busy. This, because I always go to the same pub and know all the staff there and I am friends with a few of them outside of work. Because I dont really demand anything from them I dont really feel the need to tip, nor do they expect it.

beet1e · « **Reply #10 on:** March 13, 2004, 02:23:21 PM »

Tap - no tips in British pubs (no table service). And I don't generally tip in European bars, unless it has been table service. Then I might give 10% - 15%.

Pongo · « **Reply #11 on:** March 13, 2004, 02:26:57 PM »

When I get a tim hortons coffee I tip the minimum wage server 40%.

If I get good service at a resteraunt I will tip well. 25-30 %. If I get good service at a pub I will tip on every drink. If I dont get good service they get the big fat freddy. Unless they are good looking with big tits..then I give them a grovel tip just so that they smile at me.

lasersailor184 · « **Reply #12 on:** March 13, 2004, 10:58:29 PM »

Vorticon, they get paid 2 dollars an hour because it's pretty much assumed that they will get tipped.

10-20%, depending on service for me.

tapakeg · « **Reply #13 on:** March 14, 2004, 06:46:10 AM »

Ok, as far as the 2 dollars an hour is concerned, I believe the law is that you have to declare your tips, if you do not make minimum wage with the tips, the establishment has to pay the rest up to minimum wage.

and in british pubs, no table service, do you tip the bartender when you get a cocktail?

One of the reasons I posted this is because we (Reno Nv.) recently hosted the safari club. It brings in a bunch of people from all over the world. It was interesting to see how the different people responded when in a different culture. Kind of the "when in rome" philosophy. Some of the people you could tell came from a non tipping area and did try to match the culture, but didn't really know the system. Others just went along with what they were used to. We even got the comment, "Why are you giving me all these ones with my change?"

just an observation

thanks for the replies

Tapakeg

beet1e · « **Reply #14 on:** March 14, 2004, 07:35:20 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by tapakeg
and in british pubs, no table service, do you tip the bartender when you get a cocktail?

No. There is no table service in any pub I know, so I would no more tip the barman for serving me a drink that I have to fetch myself than I would tip a newsagent when buying a newspaper. Besides, no-one drinks cocktails in British pubs. That's an American thing. Most men drink pints of beer, as do some women. Other women like to drink wine. I rarely find myself in the company of those drinking spirits (although they are available). Note - I'm talking about traditional pubs here, not those modern day technocrap bars with neon signs adorning fizzy water dispensers where 20-somethings quaff bottles of "Bud".

The British pub scene is changing, however - for the worse. Country pubs (the best kind) are closing at an alarming rate, partly because no-one likes to drink and drive any more. And town centres are seeing an upsurge of bars offering cheap drinks and encouraging binge drinking. In today's Sunday Times newspaper, the police have admitted that town centre drunkenness, violence and unsocial behaviour is out of control.

Sunday Times article about drunkenness