Post: Are Canadian Tourists bad tippers? [General]
2012 Aug 29
I guess it depends on what constitutes "bad tipper". I went to South Korea in 2010 and was told that I tipped HUGE and that it wasn't expected there. I've also heard of Cuba and other places as "give them a $20 tip and you'll get great service all day long" (not tested by me). I'm a 10-30% tipper. Less or more in extreme situations.
My cousin works as a server in London and told me that she owes the kitchen 3% on every order to split amongst everyone. So, if she doesn't get a tip on a $100 order, she loses money. I was surprised by this. This may be common, but I wasn't aware of it. I heard of tip sharing, but didn't think it was based on the order amount.
My cousin works as a server in London and told me that she owes the kitchen 3% on every order to split amongst everyone. So, if she doesn't get a tip on a $100 order, she loses money. I was surprised by this. This may be common, but I wasn't aware of it. I heard of tip sharing, but didn't think it was based on the order amount.
2012 Aug 30
Uh oh, a tip debate...
No, we aren't. Americans are the outliers when it comes to tipping, they seem to have completely lost the plot on why tips are given. 18% as a baseline is nutty. I can't comment on tipping practices at all-inclusives, though it's a bit of an awkward case. I'm sure Canadians are similar to, say, British or Germans when it comes to those resorts.
No, we aren't. Americans are the outliers when it comes to tipping, they seem to have completely lost the plot on why tips are given. 18% as a baseline is nutty. I can't comment on tipping practices at all-inclusives, though it's a bit of an awkward case. I'm sure Canadians are similar to, say, British or Germans when it comes to those resorts.
2012 Aug 30
When I used to live in the UK, often there is a service charge of 15 or 18% on the bill on a lot of restaurants and if so we used to round up a bit then leave a full tip since the service charge is already charged. I was having dinner with an Irish friend there in an Indian restaurant and had terrible service. He actually asked to see the manager and asked for the service charge to be removed.
In France, the custom is to round up althought 10% is not unusual for good service.
In New Zealand and Australia, the practice is to round up a bit. Quoting a colleague who was scandalized when I rounded up a bit more and tip 10% for dinner with very good service that they pay service staff living wages so tipping is not necessary to the extent it is in North America.
I was in Disney resort in Orlando for a conference a few years ago and there were large display stands on tables about tipping 15-18% being the standard for service... I thought it was a bit low class of WDW just like Harrods in London putting up signs / stands of a policman cutout saying essentially we are watching you. Both basically assume loudly that you do not know how to behave or we assume you can be a thief. That is why I tend to go to Fortnum and Mason instead of Harrods food hall and other department stores instand of harrods when shopping in London.
In France, the custom is to round up althought 10% is not unusual for good service.
In New Zealand and Australia, the practice is to round up a bit. Quoting a colleague who was scandalized when I rounded up a bit more and tip 10% for dinner with very good service that they pay service staff living wages so tipping is not necessary to the extent it is in North America.
I was in Disney resort in Orlando for a conference a few years ago and there were large display stands on tables about tipping 15-18% being the standard for service... I thought it was a bit low class of WDW just like Harrods in London putting up signs / stands of a policman cutout saying essentially we are watching you. Both basically assume loudly that you do not know how to behave or we assume you can be a thief. That is why I tend to go to Fortnum and Mason instead of Harrods food hall and other department stores instand of harrods when shopping in London.
2012 Aug 30
Americans have definitely made us look cheap through rampant tipping practices. It makes sense in the US to give out bigger tips for two reasons:
1) The servers make as little as $4/hour.
2) Food at restaurants in general is cheaper, partially because of reason 1
I don't mind tipping for good service, but Canadian servers are usually paid on average twice as much as their American counterparts, so I don't feel bad about 12-15% for average service, or less for poor service. Especially not when a Server can bring home twice a cook's wage working half the hours.
But when traveling, including to the states, it's helpful to find out the tipping policies of the country you're visiting as to avoid an awkward situation. For example, in destinations like New Zealand, Japan, China, and Scandanavian countries, tipping is rare and unexpected. Technically it's illegal in China. For almost everywhere else, gratuity is usually included, otherwise 10%, or simply rounding a bill up is the norm.
1) The servers make as little as $4/hour.
2) Food at restaurants in general is cheaper, partially because of reason 1
I don't mind tipping for good service, but Canadian servers are usually paid on average twice as much as their American counterparts, so I don't feel bad about 12-15% for average service, or less for poor service. Especially not when a Server can bring home twice a cook's wage working half the hours.
But when traveling, including to the states, it's helpful to find out the tipping policies of the country you're visiting as to avoid an awkward situation. For example, in destinations like New Zealand, Japan, China, and Scandanavian countries, tipping is rare and unexpected. Technically it's illegal in China. For almost everywhere else, gratuity is usually included, otherwise 10%, or simply rounding a bill up is the norm.
2012 Aug 30
Yay! More tip talk!...
My mother waited tables for years near Parliament Hill and always maintained 3 things:
1. Engineers are cheap
2. Americans are far more generous than Canadians, often tipping half again as much as we do
3. If a good server can make 10% of their sales in tips then they're doing well
Hence my baseline -- at home and abroad -- of 10% tipping for bog standard, 'meh' service and working upwards from there. That said, I don't often find myself in establishments with 'meh' servers as I find that restaurants that take their food seriously tend to take the front of house seriously as well. In fact, looking at my last 4 bills, I see that the tips ranged between 15%-33% (33% being a fiver on $15 of beer for a bartender that always treats us extra well).
My former BFF waited tables for many years and also maintained that she was happy if she consistently took home 10% of her nightly sales. Apparently her experience was that many customers simply round up to the nearest multiple of 5 (ie. leaving $60 on a $57 bill or leaving $55 on a $52 bill). And for the record she was both a really good server and very attractive.
As a happy aside, both my BFF and my mom reported their tips almost doubling when they were visibly pregnant. :o)
My mother waited tables for years near Parliament Hill and always maintained 3 things:
1. Engineers are cheap
2. Americans are far more generous than Canadians, often tipping half again as much as we do
3. If a good server can make 10% of their sales in tips then they're doing well
Hence my baseline -- at home and abroad -- of 10% tipping for bog standard, 'meh' service and working upwards from there. That said, I don't often find myself in establishments with 'meh' servers as I find that restaurants that take their food seriously tend to take the front of house seriously as well. In fact, looking at my last 4 bills, I see that the tips ranged between 15%-33% (33% being a fiver on $15 of beer for a bartender that always treats us extra well).
My former BFF waited tables for many years and also maintained that she was happy if she consistently took home 10% of her nightly sales. Apparently her experience was that many customers simply round up to the nearest multiple of 5 (ie. leaving $60 on a $57 bill or leaving $55 on a $52 bill). And for the record she was both a really good server and very attractive.
As a happy aside, both my BFF and my mom reported their tips almost doubling when they were visibly pregnant. :o)
2012 Aug 31
I never tip for bad service, although this doesn't happen very often thankfully.
For good service I tip 13%. It's equal to the tax in Ontario, so I don't need to do any math. For better service, I'll tip more than 13%.
When I travel to another country I tip according to their tipping practices.
For good service I tip 13%. It's equal to the tax in Ontario, so I don't need to do any math. For better service, I'll tip more than 13%.
When I travel to another country I tip according to their tipping practices.
ilikerealfood
My answer is yup! I mean within Canada, I never feel obligated to leave a 15% tip if the service sucks. Period. But if the service is satisfactory, thats a manditory %15, and if it is excellent, my tip will go much higher.
I have been to cuba 9 times over the last decade. My exprience is that most Canadians at all inclusive resorts, barely tip the waiters, and bartendors. Or sometimes they'll tip 2 bucks at the begining of the week and another 2 at the end of the week. Personally, I have been embarrased so many times by fellow Canadians in Cuba, especially in situations where you have one dedicated server bring you cocktails until 2 am, and then they don't leave a tip, "cause it's all inclusive".
Interesting article.