You are at a restaurant abroad and when paying the bill, you ask yourself the question of tipping. Should we leave some or not and how much? Here is some information that should save your day depending on the country where you are.
If in France, the bill includes taxes and service and the customer is thus free to leave a tip or not, this is not necessarily the case in other countries. When traveling abroad, it is advisable to inquire beforehand about customs before arriving at the fateful moment of the bill. For some countries, it is a real institution, while for others, not at all. It’s quite the opposite !
In Japan, tipping is almost insulting
In Asian countries, whether in Japan, China or South Korea, it is not recommended at all to leave a tip in restaurants, quite the contrary! In Japan, tipping may even “be considered particularly offensive”, according to the Japanese tourist office interviewed by West France. Always on this side of the Pacific, in Australia or New Zealand and in most islands of Oceania, tipping is rare, even if leaving one will not be frowned upon.
In North America, generous tips are more than recommended.
In the United States, Canada and even Mexico, the recommended tip is between 15 and 20% of the bill, and it would even be a recommended minimum in the United States. “The service is rarely understood and constitutes the main remuneration of the waiter or the waitress”, explains the office of tourism of the United States to our colleagues. In this case, it would be really impolite to leave a restaurant without leaving a tip. It will be the same in some African countries, such as Egypt, where the service is not included either.
And in European countries, how much should you tip?
Tipping culture also varies from one European country to another. The website Hawaiian Islands compiled a world map detailing recommended tipping tips, based on recommendations from TripAdvisor guides and at least two other sources:
It is thus observed that in countries like France, Spain, Greece or Croatia, the costs are included in the bill, although leaving a small tip – between 5% and 10% of the bill – is always welcome. In Germany, the bill will be rounded up to the next euro, even if there too the service is included, on the other hand, no coins will be left on the table.
On the other hand, in the United Kingdom or Ireland, we are approaching the same practice as in North America. As service is not included, the recommended tip is between 10% and 15% of the final bill. Conversely, in Belgium or Switzerland, no tip is specified because the service is included in the final bill. “If you are satisfied with the service and if you round up to the next franc or to make a round figure, the staff will of course be happy”, however notes the Swiss tourist office. As for the Nordic countries, the practice of tipping only exists in luxury hotels or restaurants.