Nice strategy. I commend you for sticking to your principles and finding a way to adapt.

Now I'm curious -- when you dine out in Europe, do you pay for water? I simply cannot stand paying 1E-2E for a bottle of water! I think it's insane. I may think that tipping is out of control in the US, but insisting on selling bottled water in Europe bothers me far more. How do you feel about this? Would you look at me strange if I asked for tap water at the table next to you in your local restaurant? Just curious.

Well, it rather depends where you go - there are many countries in Europe, and many styles of restaurant in each!

Generally, it's not a problem - you just specify it when you order. Some waiters may be under pressure to get you to buy items like mineral water with a higher markup - they'll most likely be doing the same with other menu items, though. The only really annoying water practice that I find at the more 'hard-sell' places in the UK is that, if I order a bottle of sparkling water (usually for me, maybe one other), to find that everybody round the table gets a glass of it poured out whether they ask or not. Quite annoying when you're the only one drinking it, but of course, it means you go through more of it.

Yes, in the UK they are very much partial to selling expensive water. At Nobu for instance, they will probably ask you if you want 'Still or Sparkling', which will result in a bottle of Fiji (still) at £5.75 or Belu (sparkling) at £4.50.

If you want tap water in any restaurant you have to explicitly ask for it, and they may be slightly snooty about bringing it, and when they do it will probably be without ice.

I would always ask for tap water in the UK, whether I am in a greasy spoon or some expensive, trendy place. Never had snootiness or problems with it – it usually arrives with ice and lemon and thus far has always been free, although I have heard that one or two places charge for it. In some other countries I am not used to the tap water and I might prefer to pay for bottled water.

In the UK, bread and butter on the table is also free, and in some places a plate of olives or something similar. In other parts of Europe (e.g. Greece) you will be charged for bread, butter and olives. In Baku (which isn’t really in Europe) there seemed to be a fashion for bringing unsolicited salads, bread and anything else they thought they could get away with, and this would end up on the bill. It’s such a pity to taint a meal with an argument.

Could not have said it better myself!

+1

Hi, for lunch I quite often order water, although for dinner it is usually a nice glass of wine for me (or sometimes two).

It depends. In Sweden/Finland/Norway I just order water and if the establishment serves tap water, then that is usually what I get. I find that in fast food places sometimes even tap water is charged for (I suppose it is because of the disposable cups or something). On the ships in the Baltic Sea they only have bottled water which is quite expensive. In Germany, Switzerland and Austria I think you can usually get tap water by specifically asking for it (leitungswasser). There has been a lot of discussion, at least in Austria, of the reasoning to serve bottled water in restaurants when Austrian tap water is often by far superior.

I so much agree with you in this. We had a tipping discussion in the Simen forum and I just could't explain why I feel it uncomfortable to tip, but you did it! For me it is not that uncomfortable to tip at restaurants, taxis or whenever there already is a transaction of money. What I feel uncomfortable with is when tipping the for exemple the bellboy (what do you say when you hand the money, and how do you do it etc...) I do tip, but feel it uncomfortable. Maybe because I am not used to it...

Xxx.

One of the problems with the tipping culture here in the US, is that the tip comes at the end of the meal, therefore patrons sometimes get prejudged on what the waiter thinks they may tip. I have had friends (who were waiters) state that if a table orders a round of ice water, they assume they will not get a good tip as the table is cheap. There have been cases where certain minority races will not get very good service, as the wait staff assumes they will not be getting a good tip. If you are a visitor to the US, and are in a tourist area, be sure to check your bill and ensure there is no tip already added. This happens to my Uncle frequently when he is in Florida from the UK.
If an establishment adds gratuity to my bill, that is exactly what the gratuity will be, not a penny more, which usually costs the server money.

If the menu didn't mention this explicitly, I'm afraid they'd be getting no tip at all and should feel pleased if they aren't reported to the police.

Then I hope you will surely get the service you deserve. :D Tipping is not really optional for some services (as you describe) though the amount you tip can certainly vary depending on the nature of service received.

+1 - we always tip the shuttle driver for assisting with luggage. Unlike servers at high end restaurants, those people make very little money so it is even more important to tip them.

Kind of amusing and shows the absurdity of this post. Basically OP is going to limit himself to this type of establishment out of spite, and thus miss out on a nice American restaurant experience. Kind of idiotic, but to each his own.

I'd have to agree and again this is highly amusing. So basically the OP would rather spend some absurd sum for a minibar bottle when he could enjoy a drink at the bar. I'll admit that I often stop at a local store to buy beer, but that's because I plan to drink it in my room. I certainly wouldn't do it to avoid tipping the barman if I'd rather drink in the lounge.

It is quite possible to avoid paying tips when travelling. Why you would go out of your way to do that is rather silly and a waste of time, but certainly it's your call.

If they did that for you in Scotland it would just be a favour; a simple smile and "thank you" would be all that was expected in return.

Well, whatever is the point of a tipping culture if the tip can't be withheld if the service is poor? It seems to take away the whole point of the exercise. (I'm not asking that in an aggressive way, I'm merely trying to understand.)

I think, too, one could probably construct an interesting thesis on the relationship between tipping and paying bribes (which is what we call more or less the same thing when faced with it in some "foreign" cultures), but that's a different point altogether. :p

Well it seems you don't understand: My post is not about saving money, but of avoiding the (to me) unpleasant experience of tipping. You could even say that I am prepared to pay a little more to avoid tipping.

If the service is that bad, you're supposed to talk to management. They can waive the tipping, comp some goods/services, etc in order to rectify the situation. Most people don't escalate that far though, but then again, mandatory tipping is in the minority (altho it seems to be growing).

Tipping is predicated on service positions and to induce service people to give you additional attention beyond the bare minimum. Bribing is for gov't agents who are supposed to be neutral, but a bribe will induce them to do things you want which may not be legal.