tipping

[aloysius]

What is the tipping etiquette in Spain and along the camino?

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, aloysius,
Welcome to the forum!

There have been several threads on this topic which will show you the range of opinion:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/tipping-etc.45109/
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/is-tipping-required-in-spain.17044/
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/tipping-in-galicia.34826/
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/gratuities.31602/

The older threads tend to skew in a direction that has changed. Today it is simply not correct to say that "no one tips in Spain." It is definitely true that Spaniards tip less than people from the US, but they do leave tips. If you splurge and go to the occasional nice restaurant, the practice is to leave something in the 10% range, but that's not the normal pilgrim watering hole. It is also true that wait staff is not insulted in the average pilgrim restaurant if you don't leave a tip. Though the staff does receive a standard salary, the minimum wage in Spain is something over 800 euros a month -- even with universal health care, that is not a living wage!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I don't think anyone expects a tip for normal service -- bar, coffee, pilgrim menu, taxi, or haircut. Should you stay up late enough for a Spanish meal, superior service usually is recognized with a few Euro, typically 5 to 10%. In large cities visited by many Americans, service personnel have been regularly tipped. If you leave seven Euro for a 6.80E bar tab, I think the bartender views it more as keeping the weight of your coins down than gratitude!!

 

[trecile]

Post Camino I treated some Spanish friends to lunch in Segovia. It turned out that the food was not that great, the service was just adequate. Before excusing myself to use the restroom I paid the bill, which was about 50 euros for the four of us, then left about 5 euros on the table as a tip. When I came back from the restroom one of my Spanish friends slipped me the tip money and said that it was way too much, especially considering the quality of the food and the service. They were clearly uncomfortable with "rewarding" the restaurant or server with any extra money.

 

[peregrina2000]

Post Camino I treated some Spanish friends to lunch in Segovia. It turned out that the food was not that great, the service was just adequate. Before excusing myself to use the restroom I paid the bill, which was about 50 euros for the four of us, then left about 5 euros on the table as a tip. When I came back from the restroom one of my Spanish friends slipped me the tip money and said that it was way too much, especially considering the quality of the food and the service. They were clearly uncomfortable with "rewarding" the restaurant or server with any extra money.

Trecile's post makes a good point -- Spanish tipping is totally dependent on quality of service and food. The US attitude feeling that we owe a tip since they earn so little is not the Spaniards' starting point. It's more the idea that a tip is a reward for good service. My Spanish friends frequently talk about how the "Americans" have changed workers' expectations so this is definitely a moving landscape.

Bottom line is that if you don't want to tip, don't tip. But no tip will ever be resented by the person serving you.

 

[Purky]

I was on a tight budget, so I had to be careful with my spending. I decided early on to leave change under 50 cents as a tip after coffeebreaks (which also kept the weight of my coins down ), and add the bill up to the nearest 5 or 10 euro mark after a meal in a restaurant.
This system left me with enough in my daily budget to give a bit more than the recommended amount to the donativo albergues I stayed in. I think it worked great for everybody involved; never encountered a frown or hurt feelings.

 

[movinmaggie]

What is the tipping etiquette in Spain and along the camino?

Not sure if it includes tipping, but for general etiquette, go to culturegram.com/ spain (or any country of your choice).

 

[aloysius]

Thanks all.

 

[Kanga]

Australians tend not to tip when having coffee or drinks - we expect employees to be paid a salary that provides a living wage. And I get cross if they are not! In a restaurant where you are spending more money and time, and have received good service a 10% tip is usual, but no tip if the service is poor. I follow the same practices in Spain.
One of the things I do change is that in Australia it is "good manners" to do small things to help the staff - for example to take your dirty coffee cup to the counter when leaving a cafe. I used to do that in Europe, until brought up very sharply by a Frenchman who told me not to. Because if I helped out that was endangering the job of someone. I still do it sometimes, but not automatically, like I do at home. Now I tend to assess the situation first.

 

[trecile]

One of the things I do change is that in Australia it is "good manners" to do small things to help the staff - for example to take your dirty coffee cup to the counter when leaving a cafe. I used to do that in Europe, until brought up very sharply by a Frenchman who told me not to. Because if I helped out that was endangering the job of someone. I still do it sometimes, but not automatically, like I do at home. Now I tend to assess the situation first.

Interesting. I didn't know that, and I have also been "guilty" of clearing my own table.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

One of the things I do change is that in Australia it is "good manners" to do small things to help the staff - for example to take your dirty coffee cup to the counter when leaving a cafe. I used to do that in Europe, until brought up very sharply by a Frenchman who told me not to. Because if I helped out that was endangering the job of someone. I still do it sometimes, but not automatically, like I do at home. Now I tend to assess the situation first.

I always bring up my dirty dishes back tp the counter in a bar in Süain: qs there is often only one staff person in the bar, there is no way they can cater to the locals plus a wave of pilgrims at once. If I hope to be promplty served, then I do my part, and encourage others to do so as well.

 

[brian560]

Australians tend not to tip when having coffee or drinks - we expect employees to be paid a salary that provides a living wage. And I get cross if they are not! In a restaurant where you are spending more money and time, and have received good service a 10% tip is usual, but no tip if the service is poor. I follow the same practices in Spain.
One of the things I do change is that in Australia it is "good manners" to do small things to help the staff - for example to take your dirty coffee cup to the counter when leaving a cafe. I used to do that in Europe, until brought up very sharply by a Frenchman who told me not to. Because if I helped out that was endangering the job of someone. I still do it sometimes, but not automatically, like I do at home. Now I tend to assess the situation first.

I usually take my cup in after drinking outside. It seems to be appreciated, in Spain anyway.

 

[Thornley]

What is the tipping etiquette in Spain and along the camino?

Same as anywhere in the world , if you enjoy service give a little tip .
Even stopping for coffee on the Camino i leave the shrapnel.
My children and now grand children worked part time in hospitality and i know the tips they received helped with their university fees.

 

[trecile]

Same as anywhere in the world , if you enjoy service give a little tip .

There are some places in the world like Japan, where tipping is considered rude.
http://annieandre.com/countries-where-you-dont-need-to-tip/
A few years ago I was in Seoul, and I the elevator wasn't working at the train station, so I was having trouble hauling my suitcase up the stairs. There was a group of men hanging out in the area, and one of them came up, took my suitcase, carried it up the stairs, and then to the taxi stand for me. I know that tipping in restaurants wasn't done in South Korea, but I thought that perhaps this gentleman made some extra money by helping tourists at the station. I didn't want to be rude by offering money, and I also didn't want to be rude by not offering money. So I did try to give him some money, and he wouldn't have it. He really was just being helpful, and not looking for a tip.

 

[Thornley]

There are some places in the world like Japan, where tipping is considered rude.
http://annieandre.com/countries-where-you-dont-need-to-tip/
A few years ago I was in Seoul, and I the elevator wasn't working at the train station, so I was having trouble hauling my suitcase up the stairs. There was a group of men hanging out in the area, and one of them came up, took my suitcase, carried it up the stairs, and then to the taxi stand for me. I know that tipping in restaurants wasn't done in South Korea, but I thought that perhaps this gentleman made some extra money by helping tourists at the station. I didn't want to be rude by offering money, and I also didn't want to be rude by not offering money. So I did try to give him some money, and he wouldn't have it. He really was just being helpful, and not looking for a tip.

We were in Japan last year and we tipped in restaurants not all but some.
It was appreciated but not expected.

In the coffee shops opposite the stations they have tip jars so we had no hesitation in leaving small change on the bench/bar when we had finished a meal in a lovely "family" run restaurant.
We never tipped when using our card .