Tips in restaurants

Rstaurants bills in Paris come with the tip or you must add?

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hi- we found that many restaurants had the tip included and we had the option to leave extra if we felt the service was extra special. It is always prudent to ask the waitstaff if the tip has already been added.

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In Paris, as in most of Europe, you will see %26quot;service compris%26quot; on the menu. It means service (tip) is included. If the service was good, it is also polite, though not expected, to leave a few euros.

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When I travel to Paris, especially with American friends, they seem to have some difficulty in not leaving the (U.S.) customary 15%-20% tip in a %26quot;service compris%26quot; establishment.

But the previous posters are correct. Even if your bill is 100 euros or so, all you need to do is tip a few euros if you liked the service.

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In France, the service is ALWAYS included in the prices you see in cafés, bars and restaurants - that%26#39;s required by law. You will probably see something like %26quot;prix service compris%26quot; on the menu and bill, which means that (15%) service costs are included in the prices.

If you feel that the waiter deserves something extra, you can always leave a few extra euro%26#39;s (or more, if you spend a lot of money); that%26#39;s very usual, but no obligation. The staff all get paid a decent salary.

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This is a huge subject on TA and there%26#39;s a wealth of info from the parisians on this. Just search %26quot;tipping%26quot;. My two cents (from previous posts):

%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;Unfortunately there%26#39;s a complete misunderstanding of tipping, service charges and taxes on food/service in France. If I may quote myself from an earlier post to save my fingers:

%26lt;%26lt;A 15%-20% tip is called an %26quot;American tip%26quot; by our favorite waiter (French).

A 5% tip at a restaurant is considered more than adequate if the service was above average. No tip at all for poor service. Rounding-up to the next Euro is typical.

Also, the %26quot;service%26quot; on your check isn%26#39;t the tip, it%26#39;s the amount charged for the use of a table and the service while you sit at it. That charge is left off if you stand at the bar.%26gt;%26gt;

The rules regarding standing at the bar -vs- sitting at a table are clearly called out in French law. A brasserie or bar is required to display differences in their the prices so you can decide if you want to pay them before ordering. Take-out, technically should be treated the same as %26quot;standing at the bar%26quot; - no %26quot;service%26quot; charge but that appears to be up to the owner of the establishment and I don%26#39;t think there%26#39;s law to define it. In any case, there is never a %26quot;tip%26quot; included in the price of anything. Tips are completely at your discretion.

%26quot;Service%26quot; is a word to describe the cost of the use of a table and the waiter serving you at that table as I said above.%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;

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A Parisian friend of mine (who used to frequently post on this board) has complained to me about the comparatively poor service she received in Parisian restaurants as opposed to her experience in American restaurants. She put the blame entirely on the tipping issue. My interpretation of what she was saying is that because the Parisian waiters know that they will get only a very small tip (or none at all) from a Parisian customer, regardless of the quality of service provided, they in turn would sometimes provide poor or lackluster service. However, when she went to a restaurant in Manhattan or Miami, she said that the wait staff would bend over backwards for her in anticipation of a better tip.

When I told her that it was my experience that I never had poor service in a Parisian restaurant, she thought it was because the wait staff anticipated an %26quot;American tip%26quot; for good service.

In any case, I need to say that in general, the wait staff at Parisian restaurants is very good. Many of the Parisian waiters are true professionals who take their jobs very seriously and do an outstanding job.

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And don%26#39;t rely on asking if it%26#39;s included. There are always less than scrupulous waiters who will tell you %26quot;no%26quot; when indeed it is.

Just look at the bottom of the bill for %26quot;service compris%26quot;

Les

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pixfield, i couldn%26#39;t agree more; %26lt;%26lt;Many of the Parisian waiters are true professionals who take their jobs very seriously and do an outstanding job.%26gt;%26gt;

We eat in a restaurant at least 3 times a week and have café/dessert every day. We have been served at hundreds of restaurants, bistros bars and brasseries in France. We have found that MOST French waiters are first, very professional and second, honest. In Paris however, if you choose to dine or drink your café at an establishment as we say %26quot;near the river%26quot;, your tourist status may attract the occasional opportunist weasel waiter and the tip is often the thing that reveals his MO. %26lt;%26lt;There are always less than scrupulous waiters...%26gt;%26gt; as les68 points out but they are easy to find, at the restaurants in the touristic areas that have menus in english (and sometimes even pictures of their food on the menus). What les sez is not true for the vast majority of establishments in France.

Professionally run restaurants won%26#39;t steal from you and they don%26#39;t milk tourists for excessive tips. I can state with complete confidence that the majority of restaurants in France fall into that category. If you stay away from the tourist traps and eat where the locals eat, you%26#39;ll be treated well with no worries.

As I%26#39;ve said many times before on TA, tipping in France is strictly a reward for exceptional service. French wait-staff are paid a living wage here so tips aren%26#39;t thought of as base-line income like they are in the US for instance.

Just remember, 5% is a big tip. Rounding-up to the euro is typical. 15% or 20% is %26quot;an American tip%26quot;. It%26#39;s only expected at that particular category of restaurants I mentioned above. If you don%26#39;t like the service, leave no tip.

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20% ???? !!!! In ADDITION to the price you must pay for the food/wine ?

Just curious: what happens if you just pay you bill and leave ? (Assuming that American waiters do get paid as all other employees in a civilized society)

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GitteK

I Manhattan, if you just paid for your food/wine and left without tipping, there is no doubt in my mind that there would be a consequence in most cases. It is the ULTIMATE insult to a waiter.