Recently, there has been a debate about mandatory tipping. Internationally, a service fee is not uncommon. Should this become the standard?
Munich – Do you tip regularly? The question of tipping has become a topic of discussion in the past few days: A fixed service fee for a restaurant at Vienna's Naschmarkt has been the subject of discussion. Ten percent for the service had been calculated automatically, the guests reacted angrily, as derstandard.de reported. But even in Germany, where tipping is voluntary, the debate is loud – the catering industry in particular welcomes fixed tips, as other countries already have.
Mandatory tipping: In these countries, tipping is part of a service charge
While tipping is even considered an insult in some countries, there are many countries that charge tips as a service fee. According to Business Insider, this applies to the following countries:
- Scandinavia: In Finland, Norway and Denmark, the service is already included in the bill. Only in Sweden is a small surcharge considered appropriate.
- Southern Europe: A service fee is already included in the southern European countries of France, Italy and Spain. With good service, you can still give a small tip of five to ten percent on top.
- Switzerland: In Switzerland, too, tips are usually included in the service fee.
- UNITED STATES: Service personnel in the U.S. live almost exclusively on tips. The hourly wage is low, so you usually tip 15 to 20 percent.
Should tipping be mandatory? © Geisser/Imago
According to the survey: 78 percent of Austrians are against mandatory tipping
An online survey conducted by the Austrian gourmet and wine magazine Falstaff last week (19.05.2023) also examined Austrians' attitude towards mandatory tipping. The debate in Austria is comparable to that in Germany. It showed that about three-quarters (78 percent) of respondents do not agree with a service fee and would prefer to decide for themselves whether and how much they want to tip. Of those surveyed, around three-quarters (76.6 percent) also tip ten percent if they were satisfied. By the way: About 14 percent reward good service with a 15 percent tip.
And what if the service was not satisfactory? Tipping anyway? Almost 65 percent of those surveyed still give a tip, even if they were not satisfied. If you were completely disappointed by the service, you might not give a tip. In the case of the survey, this was true for about 34 percent.
Mandatory tipping in Germany – How much tip is appropriate?
Most of them tip, especially with good service. But how much is appropriate? Not only in the restaurant, but also in the taxi or at the hairdresser, it is good manners to give tips. Various rules always cause confusion, such as that the tip can be lower if the bill becomes more expensive, or that you don't have to tip if you get a haircut from the boss himself, for example. But there is still a rule of thumb: With about ten percent, you are never wrong in Germany. Those who were particularly satisfied can also give fifteen percent.