Why Rick Steves Says Not To Overthink Tipping In Europe

When traveling abroad, you expect to be exposed to different languages, customs, and food, but it's the little, day-to-day interactions that can catch you off guard. Suddenly, mundanities you navigate effortlessly at home feel unfamiliar. One of these areas is tipping at restaurants abroad.

The United States' restaurant industry is infamously dependent on tips, yet this is not the norm around the world. Americans are accustomed to tipping anywhere from 15 to 20% on a meal or drink, and 25% might become the new tipping normal. However, tourists don't need to carry this habit with them to Europe. On Rick Steves' website, he writes, "While tips are appreciated no matter where you travel, tipping in Europe isn't as automatic nor as generous as it is in the U.S., and in many countries, tips aren't expected at all."

Steves advises not to overthink it and to leave something small in most situations. Instead of fretting over tipping, it's better to focus on avoiding red flags on a European restaurant menu, like the words "food never frozen." In the majority of Europe, particularly in the EU, waiters and bartenders earn a living wage and don't need to rely on tips. In Spain, for example, waiters must make a minimum monthly gross income of 1,184 euros, while in the U.S., waiters can make as low as the federal minimum wage for waitstaff, which is $2.13 per hour.

There are 44 countries in Europe, and tipping behavior will look slightly different in each. If you leave a tip, know that it will most likely be in cash. It's extremely uncommon to select a percentage on a tablet or add one manually on a credit card receipt, as is customary in the United States.

In most casual bars, clubs, and fast food restaurants (including Rick Steves' recommended fast food stop, McDonald's), tips are not given. The level of service in these interactions is very brief, so a tip isn't expected. The same is true in a standard cafe or restaurant, but if you had great service, you might leave a few €1 coins. The most typical situation in Europe where you might consider tipping is at a fine dining restaurant with a high level of attentive service. Still, the tip isn't going to be what is offered in the United States: 5 to 15% will be sufficient.

In some countries, an automatic service charge is applied to each bill and distributed to waitstaff, similar to how American restaurants include an automatic tip on checks for large groups. In Italy and France, a restaurant service charge can fall around 10 to 15%. You do not need to tip on top of this, but you could if you wanted to thank an individual waiter for their service.