Tipping... it's more than just a town in China!

 Traveling in a foreign country can be slightly intimidating, but it doesn't have to be... you might not know the language, and likely you're not 100% familiar with the local customs or culture... This is normal, and we see it as our job to "get you mentally prepared" so that you have a better feel for what's happening around you!

Here at Adventures to Tuscany, you'll hear us talk a lot about truly authentic experiences and deep cultural immersion... We pride ourselves on working hard to prepare our guests for their trips, so that you know how to plan for your trip... you know what's going on around you, and that you have the best experience possible. Most Tour operators do very little of this, and when their tour guests get to their destination, they of course muddle through... but often they feel somewhat "lost" as to what's expected of them or what they're supposed to do... questions abound, and typically because of the standard 40 -50 person group sizes, those questions often go unanswered... or most often because of the large size of the group, a guest ends up just asking the question to another tour member who doesn't really know the answer either... 

Our goal has always been to overcome these issues, and we use this BLOG as our main conduit to prepare you by feeding you just one spoonful a day... If you've been following along, you may not realize it, but you're already far ahead of most Americans who travel to France... You've already read a lot of customized articles addressing the who, what, when, where and why's of your Tour... And we'll be posting at least a lot more articles before you leave for France!  And we're just getting started! If you continue to follow along with the BLOG, you'll be an expert by your departure...  And that is our goal! As always, please reach out to us if you have questions, or if we can help in any way!

Tipping seems to be a low priority issue to people as they're planning for their trip... but the issue quickly grows as you're finishing first meal in France, and your check comes.  Even here in America, the topic of tipping has become a major issue... 

Tommy calls this "The French Flinch"

Tipping in restaurants in France...  Probably one of the most heavily debated and argued topics among frequent international travelers... And with this in mind, we're going to try to give you a little confidence with your tipping practices for your upcoming trip... 

Know this first & foremost:   In 2008, the French Government put in place a law that requires most restaurants and cafes to add a service charge to the bill, this allows them to tax tips. Known in French as Service Compris, the restaurant will usually add around 15% to the bill, and while it most often applies to restaurants, it can also be added in other instances.   You will not see this 15% indicated on your bill... By French law it is added to the menu price of each individual item you order.  It generally doesn’t go directly to the waitstaff though. But in concept, this service charge is indeed in place to pay their salary.

To truly understand this topic, you must first talk about The French Culture and what local French people do in their daily lives...  Here in the US, most of us know and understand that our waiters & waitresses get paid a lower base wage and depend on gratuities for their living...  And that gratuity over the years has pretty much become a standard of 15 to 20%, and it's often the minimum expected whether you got special service or not...   In France, waiters & waitresses are professionals and they get paid a full wage, and could never make it on tips because in their culture, they just don't tip very much, if at all... and they're not necessarily expected to do so...

In France, waiters are paid a livable wage with benefits and do not depend on tips, nor do they go out of their way to give customers the same service we’ve come to expect in the USA. Being a waiter in France is often thought of as a profession and not something you do for six months as a student for extra pocket money. That’s not to say they won’t provide good service. It’s just that waiters in France are not trying to serve you in a certain way in the hopes of earning a big tip.

Generally, French waiters aren’t going to tell you their name and check on you multiple times throughout the meal and keep refilling your water. They do their job appropriately  — what’s normal for French culture — and get paid for it. It’s not a well-paid job or one that will make someone rich, but it’s a job and waiters have a work contract and are compensated via a salary. And the French sometimes leave a small tip as a gesture of appreciation for great service. 

For the most part, most native French do not tip very much...  It's just not part of their culture... In a restaurant, they'll often just leave "the change."   IF they got really good service... Perhaps if their check is 38 euro, they'll just leave 40 euro to pay the bill... (around 5%).   Seriously, a lot of French do not tip at all... We're talking zero... zilch... notta!   It's not that they're cheap; it's just not a thing in France. And quite honestly, most French waiters don't expect a tip... (except from Americans... more on this later)

What complicates all of this is that most Americans, over the last 70 years, who don't understand this issue, don't know what to do... They feel guilty not tipping, and they end up leaving the typical 15 - 20% tip that they do in the US...  This, over the decades, has created a very weird, hard to explain "double standard" where many waiters and waitresses (especially in the bigger cities like Paris) while knowing full well they'll get little or no tips from their fellow Frenchmen, will still expect Americans to leave big tips...

So this is what makes the debate go on forever;  Your typical American, feeling guilty about not tipping, will end up asking the waiter or people sitting nearby; "Is the tip included?"  Now you have to understand this: the service and tax are both included in the price you see on the menu (indicated by the words service compris, and it’s 15%). So they legitimately will tell you "No, the tip is not included..." because it is not!  So the American leaves a 15 - 20% tip on the table!   And this is why this issue is debated so heavily all over the internet! 

   What we suggest:  Do what the French do! Just round-up and leave the change... (perhaps a euro or two per person). Or if you feel you need/want to perhaps a small 5 - 7%  tip...You can now feel relieved of your guilt... You've shown respect, and you've left a much bigger tip then most Frenchmen ever would... (again, most just don't tip). If someone has done something extraordinary and special for you, (perhaps you've asked for a very special table, or something not on the menu) and you want to do something special for them in return, you could leave 10%... That, in France is a huge tip!  And of course, if you're just an overly generous person, trust us, no one will hate you if you leave them the standard 15 - 20% that you might do in the US!   

(ps: just a little addendum to this advice... Sometimes our guests see us giving large tips when we're entertaining our Tour Groups... Let us assure you, this is different. We are indeed running a business and often times are going back to establishments where we have long relationships...  and it's important to us to get specials considerations... We have perhaps asked for special pricing,  special tables, or other special considerations for our groups, and we happily tip these folks generously for accommodating our requests...)