jackal

I've never tipped more than a buck or two on a shuttle, and even then, I often avoid tipping by handling my own bag (and sometimes have even skipped the tip even if the driver has lifted my bag into the vehicle for me...guess it just depends on my mood that day). I've never tipped a $5 and think that's well more than called for in that situation.

You're OK not to tip at all in that situation, though if you wish to, having one or two single dollar bills is perfectly adequate.

Fredd

This is the way we deal with it, particularly as we travel with rollaboards only, although I tend to give a friendly driver two bucks. OTOH if a driver were lifting several heavy bags in and out for me, I'd feel more "obliged" to have a couple of bucks handy, even if it's not mandatory. I'm always amazed at what some folks bring along for luggage.

serpens

I'm confused. If the bill is Ł17 and one offers Ł20 with no expectation of change, that is well over 17% tip, but the guideline is "up to 10%". What am I missing?

User Name

Goaguy

Not sure who added 10% as tipping for dining in Tanzania? Been living here for 10 years and this is definitely not true. The locals rarely tip when dining, and when they do often in the range TZS 1,000-3,000 (~USD 0.4-1.3) on say a $ 20-50 dinner. Don't think I've ever seen more than $ 5 tip, even on a $ 200 dinner.
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LearningToFly

Sometimes this thread is more a waiter’s wish list than the actual reality.

onobond

Yes, there were actually, on one occasion, at least two posters to this thread who admitted they were "in the business" themselves

User Name

Feel free to edit the wiki to make it correct.

Goaguy

Don't have the 90 posts yet that it takes to get permission to do so

kyanar

The info for Australia was totally incorrect - previously stated "some people may tip 10% in fine restaurants" but this is not something that Australia actually encourages - media overage of restaurants encouraging this has resulted in incredibly hostile responses from the general public.

joshwex90

In Italy, the bill stated "service not included." Surprised me because the manager specifically told me not to tip!

rabilancia

Does anyone have any suggestions for Solvenia?

onobond

Seems you just miss one, post that one, then update wiki, please

muji

Tipping is expected at restaurants everywhere in the U.S. - in all states.

jackal

As @muji indicated, yes, it's expected everywhere. American culture is fairly uniform and homogenous; there are some regional differences, but they're relatively small. For the most part, polite and expected behavior in one region of the US is the same as any other.

That said, one thing about your statement leaves me a little confused. You said your teacher said the waitstaff changed his/her behavior immediately after not tipping. That doesn't make a lot of sense, because in the US, tips are almost always not received by the waitstaff until the dining party has left the restaurant. If you tip in cash, you typically leave the money on the table as you depart. If you tip on your credit card, you typically write it on your receipt and leave it on the table, and the waitstaff doesn't collect it until after you leave. So I'm not sure how the waitstaff would know that you hadn't tipped until you've already left. (And any places where you order at the counter and are given the opportunity to tip up front are generally places where it's societally acceptable to not tip--like cafes or coffee shops or the like; tipping is common at those places but not universal, unlike sit-down restaurants where it is expected.)