Yet Another Four Letter Word - Tips

Whenever Europeans board a plane that takes them to the US of A, strange things are more likely than less likely (did I just coin a phrase?) to happen. There is this little something that’s called cultural difference whose line (Is it a tipping point line?) is clearly drawn by a big pond called Atlantic ocean. It’s been a while since the Pangea supercontinent unified Eurasia and North America, thus it left plenty of time for customs and the way things are usually done to develop in their unique fashions.

One of the differences that both Europeans and especially a threatened professional minority (two million waiters are said to still exist) North Americans have to learn the hard way is “a hot button word like sex, politics, or veganism. Everyone’s got an opinion on it, but no one truly understands it either.”*

We are talking about T-I-P-S. Yet another hot-fuss creating four letter word. It’s a word that Europeans and Americans seem to comprehend differently.

Approaching the topic in a very professional way, I first hand you a clear definition…

A definition of tip according to the Apple Dictionary application.

By now, most travel guides include the valuable tiny bit of information that waiters (in practically 99.9% of restaurants) rely on the gratuity given by the costumer in exchange for services like explaining the menu, being attentive (especially with refills) and most importantly bringing the food from point A - the kitchen that is - to point B - your empty stomach that gets you all/slightly (depends) impatient and thus turns some of us into - and I quote now - “socially maladjusted psychopaths*”.

Now to my visitors planning on visiting the US: It is common to leave a tip of 15-20% of the total bill for the waiter (a bartender gets about 1 or 2$ tip per drink). The tip is not automatically added on the receipt unless you eat out in a large party (usually a party of six or more). Fast food restaurants do not require tipping despite popular appearances of a tip jar for staff.

I personally experienced the wide gap between American (15-20%) and Austrian (5-8% whereas 10% is considered very polite) tipping customs on Day One on my first trip to the US. Coming from the land where tipping only multiple or even less Euros (let’s turn 5.60 into EUR 6.0 - a tip of EUR 0.40, or let’s make it EUR 22 instead of 19.90) is usual, I was surprised by my host dad’s tipping of 18-20% of the total in the popular breakfast restaurant First Awakenings.

Tipping in Austria

Whenever it is time for you to go you ask for check with “Die Rechnung bitte!” or “Zahlen, bitte” You directly give the money to the waiter who served you during your stay. By the way, it’s legal to tip a waiter/waitress.

He might give you a receipt with a total of EUR 36.50 and you can make it, depending on the qualtity you have been served with, a EUR 38-40 (4-9% tip). That is generous tipping. In Austria.

In rural (less modern) areas you tell the waiter what you have had and he manually figures it out. He then says how much it is and you can add up the tip when handing him over the cash.

In Vienna for example you will most likely get a receipt listing all the things you consumed. Just add the tip when paying.

Tipping in the US

In the US it is common to leave the tip on the plate where the waiter brings you the check. When paying with credit card (this is most likely the case when you’re traveling, right?), you add the tip to a new total as seen below:

I am very likely to come back to Aunt Jackie's Diner. I tipped more than 20%.

“Money for drinks” as opposed “Money for single mom supporting a fatherless family of 3 kids and still paying her college loan that didn’t really get her a better job in the end.”

Maybe this explains it: The Austrian word for tipping is “Money for drinks” (literal translation for Trinkgeld) and not “Money for single mom supporting a fatherless family of 3 kids and still paying her college loan that didn’t really get her a better job in the end.”

Also, it’s highly recommend looking into the book “Thanks For The Tip - Confessions Of A Cynical Waiter  and blog Waiter Rants. I took this post’s quotations from the article Four Letter Word that I also recommend reading. So why not subscribe?

To round it up today’s topic, the list below explain the customs of tipping in an easy and quick façon (that’s French for fashion/way)…

• “And don’t forget folks, tips spelled backwards is spit!” by The Waiter
• Je comprends, … Moi non plus. I love the comic illustration of the French dude saying “Oui?”
• A Friendly Tip From Your Waitress: Just so you know, a tip is a luxury. Luxury underlined.
• Cheers Mate is not a suitable tip in Texas, is it? Via flickr.
  
• It might not look it, but this is a fully functional tip jar. Via flickr.
  
• Please help the waiter pay for Ninja class that might be useful when fighting the Ninjas who kidnapped his family. Via flickr.
  
• Tipping is good for you. Not just for the waiter. See why… Via flickr.
  

UPDATE: Now, I have to wait another 2 to 3 weeks for Waiter Rant to get delivered to my house. I can’t wait. It is available for Germany and Austria on amazon.de.

* Quotations were taken from waiterrant.net’s article Four Letter Word, that was the initial motivation for this entry.