OZFLYER86

[edited]

It's appropriate to tip whatever you like from $0 to whatever you want. It's a tip. No tips are compulsory.

speed.skater

I suggest the Wiki entry on W/W in Germany to be changed. Tipping is not expected in simple restaurants or when you order at the bar. However, when having dinner at more upscale restaurants (i.e., white tablecloths, most mains >25 EUR), it is very much customary.

A tip then should be in the 5-10% range. It can be closer to the lower end of that percentage range if the bill is very large. It is acceptable to reduce the tip if the service was unsatisfactory (or even eliminate the tip fully if service was terrible. In that case, it is good etiquette to explain why you're reducing the tip.

Sources: Own experiences as a German; the Knigge guide (i.e., the German equivalent of Emily Post or Miss Manners).

LearningToFly

Thanks for that unusually honest post here.

DeeGee26.2

I'm inclined to agree with this with regard to the UK. Tips aren't expected. Staff are paid properly.

In fact, if it's to be done properly, it's more trouble than it's worth. Officially an employee who receives cash tips should declare them for income tax, either by filling in a declaration annually or by getting their employer to make the necessary deductions.

Most Brits don't complete tax declarations as the paperwork is done on payday every week/month by your employer through Pay as You Earn.

OZFLYER86

never ever tip in Australia. Very high wages & conditions are killing many businesses as it is.

bobbytables

Why is the United States missing from this wiki?

onobond

Have another try. Countries are listed in alphabetical order. Third from last is the common three-letter acronym for the country you search for.

jj1840

have for sure been asked in sweden if i'd like to tip- and not in heavily touristy areas either. since it's built in when you pay i'd have to imagine that it's a thing there- these were maybe 15-20 euro meals so not super high end

boerne

Just back from Switzerland. No need to tip, but you can round up and we saw natives doing that. We had a fair number of guides and drivers, and the guides/drivers got tips. I am not sure they needed it. But it was a good way to get rid of Swiss Francs.

militaryairman

Wow, a few of these I did not expect at all - thank you for saving me from some embarrassment!

serpens

The wiki says,
Why should a waiter or waitress be tipped on the tax?

cbn42

As with most tipping-related matters, the answer is because that's just how it is.

All of this is based on custom and tradition. You can't find any logic in it.

Restaurants generally show "suggested" tip amounts on the receipt, and at some point they realized that showing post-tax amounts would increase tips for their staff at no cost to them.

Reindeerflame

In parts of the US where restaurants add a surcharge for health care or other employee benefits, it has become customary to deduct that amount or percentage from the tip. If a 3% surcharge is added, and I was inclined to leave a 20% tip, I would now only leave a 17% tip. In some cases I have seen restaurants add the surcharge to the subtotal for food and beverages, with the entire amount then subject to sales tax and tip.

serpens

What frosts me is when the restaurant calculates the tip suggestions based on the total including tax. Why should there be a tip on the tax? Does the tip on the tax go to the taxing authority, like the tip on the food amount goes to the server?

vanillabean

Now that the US has been brought up including surcharge and tax, I can submit a list of links compiled this year so far because catching up from the pandemic has made tipping here even less simple. Moderator, feel free to redact.

Are tip requests getting out of hand? Many consumers say yes.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tipping...w-much-to-tip/

'It makes you feel bad': People are getting sick of being asked for tips everywhere they go
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money...s/11145497002/

Customers now face a radically different tipping culture compared to a few years ago
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/25/busin...nds/index.html

Tipping in the United States has gotten out of control, experts say. Here’s why
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/01/how-...f-control.html

Tipping norms haven’t kept up with delivery apps and changes in how people buy food
https://messaging-custom-newsletters...5-a244772db4af

Tipping etiquette: With old norms gone, how do I know when to tip?
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tipping...-delivery-tip/

Tipping requests at unexpected places has consumers frustrated
https://www.today.com/video/customer...s-174396997824

Why is every place asking for tips?
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money...e/70220385007/

‘Do y’all think tipping culture has gotten out of control?’ Inside our evolving tipping dilemma
https://www.latimes.com/business/sto...-tipping-norms

The rise of 'tip creep'
https://theweek.com/talking-point/10...-tipping-point

The Tipping Economy: Is Tipping Out Of Control?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/shephyk...h=374767c65530