Tipping in France is not obligatory but there are still etiquette rules to follow. Before you start on your French adventure, learn 3 tips on how to tip in France.
Tipping in France… a real puzzle! How should I tip? How much should I give? Whom should I tip? So many questions that you can ask yourself while in a foreign country… From legal obligation in certain countries it can be considered totally inopportune in others. And the last thing you want is to offend the people who welcome you in their country, isn’t it?
Let me give you some background to explain the origins of tipping in France and give you a few « tips » on how to deal with this quite tricky custom…
In France, this custom mostly developed in the 19th century as a reward given to the bar tenders and restaurants for quality service. “Pourboire” in French means “to drink” so the client offered either a drink or a few coins to buy a drink. You can find the same word in German “Trinkgeld” (money to drink) as well as in Portuguese “Gorjeta”. In Spanish, the word “Propina” comes from an old custom which consisted in drinking half of a glass after toasting to someone’s health and then offering this person to finish the glass.
Over time, this habit was extended to other jobs like cinema and theatre openers, hairdressers, taxi drivers or hotel staff and then to home delivery, convenience stores, tour guides, movers, porters, couriers…
In French restaurants, the “service included” is mentioned is included in your bill. This mode of operation was adopted in 1987 after long years of staff claims. This system means you usually won’t get a surprise amount added when you receive your bill. The percentage covering this service amounts to 15% everywhere so you don’t have to worry about being considered a skinflint or too generous which is somewhat reassuring when you are in a foreign country and you don’t want to be indelicate…
However, service charges are not always distributed among waitresses/waiters. Tips are highly appreciated since salaries in these sectors are usually not very high and jobs sometimes only part-time or seasonal jobs. If you want to make sure your waiter receives a tip himself, you will have to give him with extra cash when you pay the bill.
If you are satisfied with the service, do not hesitate to add a few coins for a coffee or a drink in general and a little more for a meal. You’ll be gratified by a large smile and a polite “au-revoir”!
There is no specific rule regarding on how to tip in France and it is completely open to choice. However, depending on the degree of satisfaction, you can add a tip which should be proportional to the amount of the bill. This being said, I entitled my article “tips on tipping”, so I will try to give you some useful advice despite the absence of rule concerning this topic…
During your trip in France, you will go to restaurants, take taxis, enjoy some tours with guides and also stay in hotels so let’s focus on how to tip these services.
– Restaurants: Even if taxes and service are included in your bill, it is common to leave about 5% of the bill if you are satisfied.
– Guides: The tip will depend on the duration of the visit. When the tour is free, it is common to leave a few euros to thank the person for his or her time and for the explanations he or she gave you.
– Taxi drivers: Round up to the next euro or tell the driver to keep the change. If he worked miracles to get you to the airport on time, why not consider leaving him an extra 1 euro or 2!
– Hotel staff: Give 1 euro per suitcase to the porter.
In France, since the 1987 ordinance which included the service into the bill, the tip has become a dead letter. People pay more and more by credit card and rarely have cash. Until now, unlike the United States or Sweden, French card readers do not currently offer the possibility of including a tip.
We may wonder whether we should not make tipping mandatory… Even if it is out of the question at the moment, the possibility of a mandatory tip in France does not seem to appeal, both servers and customers.
Tipping is considered a bonus, a kind of game between the server and the client.
Wouldn’t it take away the charm of the gesture to make it compulsory?
It is “culturally” natural for an American to reward a well done job and quality services. Since it is not so for French people, couldn’t we maybe teach them how to do it?
Looking for more practical tips for your French travel? Read this article to find the best season to travel in France!
