Tipping in London & Paris

[imagirliegirl]

I'm traveling to London and Paris next month. I was just wondering what the recommended tipping amount is when eating out. I don't want to go over there and be a cheapo American. :)

[Kanga]

I'm sure one of the experts will chime in here, but when I visited France several years ago, we were told not to tip because it is automatically included. I remember seeing the bottom of the receipt on a couple of places and it had IIRC 15% gratuity automatically included. No idea about London though.

[thedoorchick]

In London, you really have to ask - sometimes it's included and sometimes it isn't.

No way could you be considered a cheap American. Americans' tipping is generally considered by the rest of the world to be completely out of control. If anything, you'll be considered a spendthrift American.

[jajacobsen]

Because servers in all EU countries make a minimum wage that is roughly $9/hour, there is not tipping culture. However, to reward excellent service, 5% would be nice and appreciated.

In any case, one usually rounds up to the nearest whole unit. So, if a meal were 5.50 pounds in the UK or 5.30 EU in Paris, one would usually leave 6 of whatever the monetary unit is (pounds or Euros). That is just in the ordinary course of business. Again, if the service was really good, add 5% and round up.

If you tip "America style" of 15-20%, they will definitely accept it, all the while muttering about "overpaid Americans." If you leave nothing, they will grumble about "cheap Americans." Really, you can't win!

(The above comment is made as a reflection of my experience of having lived in the UK for 4 years and travelling in Europe for over 20 years. I say the above a a loyal and happy US/UK dual citizen. Of course, persons are likely to disagree and tell me how wrong I am. Just my viewpoint; I could be wrong.)

[kdotp]

I worked in a high-end restaurant in London one summer and gratuity was automatically included in the bill. Every once in a while we'd get a cash tip from a regular customer (usually a 20-pound note that we'd split between the 3-4 servers working that night). I'm sure part of it was the type of restaurant where I worked, but I made plenty of money via my regular wage to pay for my flat, travelcard, food and a few fun things every week.

[imagirliegirl]

Well, I'm glad I asked. I would have hated to be over tipping. Especially with the craptastic conversion rate we got goin' on right now. I will be sure to check my receipts and go from there. Thanks! :)