Everything you ever wanted to know about tipping in restaurants, including reasons to leave a tip, how much to tip, and guidance on how tipping etiquette varies in different parts of the world.
Picture the scene. You’ve just polished off a slap-up meal in your favourite restaurant with your nearest and dearest, and now it’s time to pay the bill and head off. Well, after you’ve left a tip for your waiter or waitress, that is.
While around 5% of us confess to never leaving a tip in restaurants at all, and 2021 saw the number of us tipping religiously drop slightly, leaving a tip in a restaurant is generally considered the norm in the UK, the US and most of the world, with an increasing number of restaurants now including a service or gratuity charge as standard.
Why is tipping so important?
Aside from tipping being the ‘done thing’ when dining out and using hospitality services in most parts of the world, there are a number of reasons why you might choose to leave a tip for your waiter or waitress.
Here are just a few reasons to leave a tip in a restaurant:
- Leaving restaurant tips helps to support staff in the hospitality industry, who may not be earning a great deal of money. This is particularly the case in the United States, where basic annual salaries for those employed in the hospitality industry only tend to average around $33,000 per year, with entry-level salaries dropping to as low as around $26,000.
- Rewarding your waiter or waitress for good customer service could mean that you receive an even better standard of service on your next visit.
- If you’re travelling away from home, leaving a restaurant tip can be a great way to get talking to a local about their favourite places to eat and drink, enabling you to discover new and exciting venues to add to your travel itinerary.
- Travelling with kids? Teaching your children how to settle a restaurant tip can be a fun way to encourage them to improve their numeracy skills, helping them to work out percentages and learn how to add up cash.
In fact, there are only a small number of situations in which it may become socially acceptable not to leave a tip. For example:
- The customer service was absolutely dreadful
- The food wasn’t much better
- You’ve only got a pocketful of loose change, and the restaurant doesn’t accept tips via debit or credit card (in which case, you should aim to be better prepared and visit a cash point or ATM ahead of your meal next time!)
- You’re visiting a destination where tipping isn’t customary
How much should I tip my waiter or waitress?
In the UK, diners usually tip waiters or waitresses around 10-15% of the value of their total restaurant bill, although some diners prefer not to tip, generally due to their personal financial situation, or perhaps their overall perception of the restaurant experience.
However, many restaurants now include a standard service charge of 12.5% on all bills. In some cases, however, you can ask for this to be deducted.
That said, the question of just how much you should tip your waiter or waitress will vary according to where in the world you are.
How to calculate how much to tip
While you could attempt to work out your tip manually on your phone calculator, to make things easier on yourself when tipping in the United States (where tipping is always expected), I recommend using a tip calculator via your phone instead.
Not only does this tip calculator from Culinary Schools enable you to calculate your tip at the click of a button after inputting your total bill value, but it also allows you to calculate your tip on a bill split between, say, three or four friends (well, there’s actually no limit on the number of people you can split the bill by!)
What’s more, you can also select whether to tip 10%, 15% or 20% according to how good the restaurant experience was, by choosing one of the face icons shown in the screenshot below.
So, no more scratching your heads as you try to work out your individual bills on your phone calculators after a meal-out with friends – just let the tip calculator do the work for you!
How does tipping etiquette vary across the world?
While the UK has its own norms when it comes to restaurant tipping, tipping etiquette will vary as you travel across the world, from country to country. While it may not be customary to tip in some countries, generally speaking, tipping isn’t usually frowned upon as such.
Let’s take a look at how attitudes towards tipping can vary.
United States
In the United States, tipping isn’t just customary; it’s expected. A service charge of 15-20% is added to all bills, and if you forget to leave a tip, whether in a restaurant or elsewhere, you can bet your bottom dollar you’ll be told about it.
China
Generally speaking, tipping can be considered rude or offensive in China.
However, if you’re particularly keen to leave a tip to recognise excellent service, TripSavvy recommends placing your tip inside an envelope, alongside other recommendations.
Japan
As good service is always expected in Japan, some restaurant staff may feel offended if you attempt to tip them. However, this won’t always be the case; some may be happy to modestly accept your tip.
When dining in a Japanese restaurant, the menu will usually state whether tipping is allowed or not.
In any case, as is the case when tipping in China, you should aim to place your tip inside a sealed envelope or find another means to hand it over discreetly.
Hong Kong
Like Japan, Hong Kong hasn’t traditionally seen tipping as the norm, although attitudes have changed over the years. Many hotels and high-end restaurants now include a 10% service charge on the total bill.
Restaurant staff may be willing to accept additional tips on top of the service charge, but you’ll need to be discreet when offering your tip.
Switzerland
As Swiss law states that service charges must be included in the advertised price, tipping isn’t expected here.
However, some people still choose to leave a small tip behind in restaurants.
Have you had any interesting tipping experiences whilst travelling? I’d love to hear about them – leave me a comment below!