Tipping

Otis Driftwood

When Im in a restaurant I always tip unless the service is woeful or depending on how good the service is I would be inclined to give a more generous tip.

My general amount is about 8% but have gone above it for exceptional service.

So gents and ladies of tGC,do you believe in tipping and if so how much?

Is there a set figure ie a percentage of the bill that you give or do you have a set amount irregardless of the service.

coffee_cake

Do I have a set amount regarding the service? :pac:

My standard is about 10%, less to nothing if it's poor and maybe more if it's great. Also depends on what kind of change I happen to have! :pac:

RedXIV

90% of the time, I'll tip a fiver, if I'm happy and I've the money. If its a really nice place and the service has been excellent, I've tipped up to €20. generally though, a fiver is good enough for me

CiaranC

Around 10% in ireland

ztoical

I tipped when I lived in the states as it's part of the culture there and if you don't people follow you out onto the street and yell at you but I don't tip in Ireland or anywhere in Europe. I don't see why I should tip for one service and not others.

source

10% if the service is good, maybe more if the service is excellent and I've gone away very happy.

If I'm not happy with the service I don't tip. More and more lately I've found that I'm not tipping. You'd think that restaurants would be upping their game in a recession not dropping the standard of service.

Also I do not tip if I get a foreign waiter/waitress who cannot understand basic English, A person who cannot converse with the customer or understand basic requests should not be working in the hospitality industry and will be getting no more than the cost of the meal.


(NB Please note that the final point I made does not apply to all foreign waiters/waitresses, just those who have no understanding of English.)

Also people, check your bill, if there's a service charge on it, DO NOT LEAVE A TIP, you're tipping twice.

sparky20203

Much like others, I will tip, IF I'm happy with the service. Normally between 8% and 10%. In the UK, and most other countries I have traveled to, tipping is common custom. In Ireland, it doesn't seem to be as common, which is somewhat unusual...

ztoical

sparky20203 wrote: »

Much like others, I will tip, IF I'm happy with the service. Normally between 8% and 10%. In the UK, and most other countries I have traveled to, tipping is common custom. In Ireland, it doesn't seem to be as common, which is somewhat unusual...

In most of mainland Europe tips are not expected as most countries, like France for example, have the service charge included on the bill, usually people just leave any odd change left over from the bill. It's become expected in alot of Eastern European countries mainly due to high number of tourists coming in. Tipping can bee seen as rude in alot of Asian countries.

source

ztoical wrote: »

In most of mainland Europe tips are not expected as most countries, like France for example, have the service charge included on the bill, usually people just leave any odd change left over from the bill. It's become expected in alot of Eastern European countries mainly due to high number of tourists coming in. Tipping can bee seen as rude in alot of Asian countries.

On this, if travelling abroad, you really need to check up on the customs of the country you're going to.

For example, if you say "Danke" in Austria when paying the bill, it means keep the change, and in Hungary leaving money on the table is considered rude.

parker kent

My tipping seems entirely random, I definitely don't think in terms of percentages.

sparky20203

Thats good to know.. Heading to eastern europe later this year, must see what the customs are before going there.

mikemac

Depends, if there is a service charge I never tip.

When I worked in a hotel some Canadians would leave a 1cent coin on the table. I believe this realy shows they were unhappy.
Wonder if this will ever take off in Ireland

Galvasean

I leave a generous tip if the service was good. No tip at all if it was poor. I suppose I'd average at about 10% (easy to calculate :pac:)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-qV9wVGb38

goose2005

ztoical wrote: »

I tipped when I lived in the states as it's part of the culture there and if you don't people follow you out onto the street and yell at you but I don't tip in Ireland or anywhere in Europe. I don't see why I should tip for one service and not others.

If they follow you out of the restaurant, just do what Christopher Moltisanti did...

Dravokivich

Depends on the service I'm getting and what way the change is when sorting out the bill.

If I'm tipping it could end up between 10% - 20% when getting rounds at a bar...

Don't have much of a figure sorted for at a restuarant, but it'd generally be a few quid...

Penn

About 10%, depending on the nearest size note I have. But only if the service is actually good. This isn't America where the waitresses are given crap wages and have to make the rest in tips. There is a minimum wage here. I don't tip the checkout woman in Tesco.

If the service is actually really good, I'll tip. This whole culture of feeling like you have to tip is bogus. And I'm not being stingy, I used to work in the service industry. Tips were great, but a) I generally refused them at first out of politeness and the fact I get paid for the job anyway, and b) if I didn't get a tip, I thought nothing of it. Didn't bother me in the slightest.

Although people who tip with foreign currency should be shot. One woman gave me $5 once. At that point I didn't drive, and it would have cost me €14 to get a taxi to town to get it changed.

TouchingVirus

Only really tip in restaurants, never tipped in a pub before. My baseline is roughly 10%, but poor service will result in no tip and excellent service may result in more

Snowie

Im a very genrous tipper!

I worked in the food service industry wages are crap hours are long and I know how they feel so any were from 2 euros to 10 dependiong on what Ive got and were I'm eating...

Even if the sevice is crap Ill still tip...


my old bar we worked at we were getting tips of 250to 300 a week and every 4 weeks wed count up the bucket and get our share

_feedback_

The general consensus seems to be tip if the service is good. That would definately be my thoughts on it too. The amount really depends on the service too!

I can't stand bad service though, it winds me up.

foinse wrote: »

if you say "Danke" in Austria when paying the bill, it means keep the change, and in Hungary leaving money on the table is considered rude.

I learned the hard way in Poland too. Blurted out a nice loud "Dziekuje" and my change disappeared!

ToniTuddle

Having worked as a waitress in America I know the long hours they work and the unbelievable importance of tipping and the damn anger when folks don't! Which is why when I'm out drinking/eating over there I make damn sure to leave a really good tip.

I made the mistake a few times of putting faith into the customer that they would leave a tip....NEVER again! :mad: Once we knew a customer wasn't American we popped on the tip charge to their bills as guaranteed they never would willingly leave a tip.

Here in Ireland I don't tip as in fairness I rarely get to eat out in restaurants!
Only time I ever do leave a tip is normally with taximen.

The bar staff and waitress folk here are getting a decent wage it isn't like over in America so I never even thought about tipping. Maybe if I go out more to restaurants I might start :pac:

If you guys pop in for a salad or something small for lunch do you leave a tip? Or is this only evening meals that you leave tips for?

CiaranC

ToniTuddle wrote: »

If you guys pop in for a salad or something small for lunch do you leave a tip?

If a meal is less then a tenner for example, then a 10% tip is less than a euro. So yeah.

Galvasean

In situations where spend just under a tenner I'd generally leve 2 euro. I'd feel bad leaving less than a euro even if it is proper order.

I tip taxi drivers if say the bill is €18 and I have a twenty, they can just keep th difference.
Exceptions are when a taxi driver deliberately takes ages rooting for change (it's quite obvious sometimes). That or if they deliberately take the scenic route to bump up the fare. In those cases I wait and take the change. Mostly though, I'm quite happy to part with the difference.

The_Morrigan

I always leave a tip, even if the service is woeful.
I used to work in a hotel and lived off my tips so I understand that those that step up the service to the point of fantabulousness but not yet reaching annoyance by their constant checking up every five mins deserve to be given that little bit extra with regards to a tip

I don't have a set figure or percentage of the bill, it all depends on the total bill, the service and the amount of shrapnel I have on my person.

Cicero

Don't leave tip if service is very bad......otherwise, it's usually 10% with minimum of a Eur 5

muinteoir09

I will tip 15% most of the time but less if the service isn't fantastic. If the service is poor then obviously I wouldn't tip at all.

I have stopped tipping taximen, mostly because a) the fares are ridiculously expensive as it is; and b) many (or many it's just the ones I end up in) feel the need to drive a good bit below the speed limit and brake very early to hit more red lights.

When tipping in a bar, I will always tip well for table service. If the bar is busy and there is no table service, it is often useful to tip the barman so that you aren't waiting the next time.

Neonjack

I find the whole thing bloody annoying. I'm not against tipping in principle, but the etiquette surrounding it pisses me off.
If i get good service, I'll happily tip, but I don't work on percentages. Like others, it depends on the note or change I have in my pocket at the time. i.e - for a 35 euro dinner with good service, I'll leave the change if I have two twenties, but equally, I'll just tip two euro if I happen to have 37 quid.
I detest being made to feel like I must tip. Drives me up the wall. If some waiters put as much effort into the service as they do into mute tipping pressure, with all the body shapes and sidelong glances involved, they'd make a fortune.

stupidusername

ztoical wrote: »

I tipped when I lived in the states as it's part of the culture there and if you don't people follow you out onto the street and yell at you but I don't tip in Ireland or anywhere in Europe. I don't see why I should tip for one service and not others.

I also disagree with this culture we've adopted of tipping in restaurants. I've tipped out of feeling i should, i've also tipped (less often) out of feeling it was deserved. But it used to drive me mental when I worked in retail. the job I did involved going to great lengths for customers and not once did I ever get a tip, it was part of my job (though sometimes I did go above and beyond even that) so why should anyone else getting the same wage as me get tipped for doing their job? The only real reason I would anymore is because you're made to feel you should. but thing is I can't bloody afford it! I base where I eat (when I get to eat out) on what I know i'm going to get and how much it'll cost me, and whether or not i can afford that. and why should I take into account that it could cost me a chunk more because of this culture that has creeped in here.

Iago

I always tip when service is good, when it is exceptional I'll tip more. Generally I work off percentages but I don't tie myself to them although it would be very rare in a restaurant that I wouldn't leave >10%.

Taxis are different, in a lot of cases I just don't want to carry change around so if it's €19 I'll tip €1 and if it's €16 I'll tip €4.

I also tip for deliveries etc, normally I'll just make it up to the next € or two.

Otis Driftwood

Id be the same as Iago in that I always tip delivery drivers.The delivery charge is usually only around 2 quid so would always give a couple of quid extra.

2 stroke

I usualy tip for good service & value but I'm going to adopt the idea of tipping 1 cent if I'm not happy. I don't base my tip on percentage, if a meal is expensive, they should look after their staff. However for a cheaper meal I usually leave more than 10%. eg, my working day lunch is usually less than €10, I usually tip €2 to €3, an expensive meal, I'd probably give max €2.
I also regularly tip for puncture repair, haircut, homedelivery and postman & binman at Christmas.

population

Lads if any of you make it over to Italy for a holiday, do not tip. I was doing my usual 10 per cent thing when I got here first and I was actually starting to get funny looks from some waiters. The only people to tip and it is just a few coins mind, are the baristas in the South of Italy because usually they are the best in the world but unlike in the North do not have contracts.