ChatterBank0 min ago
Tip the barman?
I am an American who worked for years as a bartender in the States, where it is rude not to tip the bartender. I am living in Ireland now, where the barkeeps do NOT receive tips, but you are to tip if a server brings a drink to your table. ( I feel so guilty not tipping my fellow tradespeople, but I am assured by the Irish that the only people that tip the Irish barman are Americans who don't know any better). What is the custom is Englad and other countries? And why does the custom vary so much?
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No best answer has yet been selected by ellokittee. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.
For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.This has been raised before by a fellow American - equally confused by the variety of tipping ettiquette.
Simply, the British are an inhibited bunch. Tey feeel insecure eating and drinking out, and the notion that someone 'waits' on them is something they find deeply uncomfortable. Add to that the notion of 'tipping', and to a Brit, that feels like they are being snooty, and treating the server as an underling - and patrronising them with a few coins from the 'rich' man's pocket.
Of course, it's not like that, but the british see serving as a rather humble occupation, suited to people who 'know their place' - it's a hangover from our more rigid class-based days, which haven't entirely evaporated, even today.
Americans are far more egalitarian - serving is a perfectly acceptbale way of earning a living, and tipping is built into American life, and inded, wage structures are bult into the basis that it takes place.
Don't worry if you don't tip - but obviously, money is gratefully received where ever you are in the world! As an American, you will be cheerfully received as someone who has the right idea about rewarding good service, and eventually, say in a couple of hundred years or so, we will catch you up!
Different bars have diff rules about the money for the drink goingf in the till and a record kept of how many drinks you have paid for, or money in a glass as a tip.
I still often buy the barman in my local a 'drink' which he sometimes has then and sometimes has another day.
As far as England....
It just isn't the custom to tip at the bar - although some places (ironically where you will pay more for a drink) will leave a plate there - some places will have a charity box.
I haven't heard this for a long time but occasionally you might offer the barman/maid a drink - they will normally put this in a tip jar or something.
I am sure they would appreciate a tip, however, it's not that the public are being rude, it's just not a custom.
I've never encountered any embarrassment with tipping ellokittee, but then I was once a poorly paid Hair Stylist who depended on tips to survive!
There is no hard and fast rule - if you're happy with a service whether it be a restaurant or hairdresser tip accordingly - roughly �4 or �5 is about average for a middle to decent restaurant. It's not expected so don't worry about it! If the service has not been of a reasonable standard then don't feel obliged to leave anything. Never hand over money to bar staff, but when you order your first drinks say ' and one for yourself'.
The only 'must do' for some reason are the London taxi drivers - where you don't tip at your peril :-)
There's a saying 'When in Rome'. No doubt you'd recommend that an Irish person coming to the USA should tip even though they don't at home. For the same reason, you should not tip in Ireland where locals don't.
Why tipping rules differ is complex and cultural. At the simplest level US servers get their pay from tips, in Europe that isn't so, the national minimum wage laws apply to all jobs.
When we go to the US we are astounded how cheap food seems to be, but locals know the menu doesn't include tax and that you're expected to add a minimum 15% tip. In Ireland and Britain prices include tax (17.5% in UK and the establishment have to pay national insurance for the server health care etc etc.
So the two situations are quite different. Please follow local custom; in London we've seen standard restaurant tip creep up from 10% to 12.5% and 15% primarily as a result of them getting used to Americans over tipping.
Ellokittee I agree completely. You must certainly recognise a country's customs, but I also think that the price advertised should be the price paid unless you choose to leave extra. The fact that the staff are not being paid enough by their boss for that job is beside the point of me receiving my item/service. I don't earn a fantastic wage but don't expect to receive a tip for doing what I am paid to do even when I do it really well, but if someone chooses to give me a gift, that's really nice.
It's not just USA though, it happens here with hidden charges, service charge, cover charge etc. but that doesn't make it right. I'm not tight though, in fact I have a tendency to overtip certain services because I find it all so embarrassing. But it's something I find I often resent, particularly in the USA because it is expected regardless of whether the food/service has merited it.