Confused about tipping in Germany? Read on!
The hospitality tipping culture in Germany is quite different from the US. This can lead to confusion for travelers, especially when they are at a restaurant or café.
In this article, I explain how Germans tip, how much to tip and how to tip. At the end, you will also find some tipping suggestions outside the food world, e.g., drivers, guides etc..
Much of what I describe here can be applied to other European countries as well.
Do Germans Tip At All?
Yes, we do. Most of us, anyway.
Tipping is customary in Germany. But tips are seen as a reward, a thank-you for great service. They are not supposed to be something you give regardless of how you were treated.
Interestingly enough, as I was typing up this article, I came across a German tipping discussion on Instagram. Quite a few people said they did not tip at all, ever. Some said they tipped only if service was „expectional“ (whatever that means in their world). Others said they always tipped generously.
Even a generous German tip might look stingy to an American. But there is a reason for that.
One big difference between Germany and the US: Servers in Germany are in fact paid by the restaurants. They don’t rely on tips in order to (quite literally) survive.
Having said that, wages in hospitality are low and tips are very much appreciated. Most staff will work hard to make you happy.
Not tipping is an option, of course. The server ignored you repeatedly, was visibly annoyed with you or outright rude? No need to tip. But if they were slow because the restaurant is understaffed and they were visibly overworked, be kind to them and do tip them.
Tips are accepted in cash and (often but not always) by card. Cash is typically preferred. You tip as part of the payment process.
Service Expectations in Germany (and Europe)
Most Germans will tip if they were happy with the service. What does „happy with the service“ mean here? It means we expect our server to be friendly and polite, to be attentive without being pushy, to not ignore us for half an hour while we’re trying to get their attention, and to bring out the food once it’s ready.
In Europe, we do not expect our server to check on us every five minutes. They will typically come around once while we’re eating and ask if everything is fine. (If anything is not fine, we will let them know even if they’re not checking on us.) If they come around every five minutes, it typically means they have been told to sell more drinks. We find it annoying.
I once went to a restaurant for lunch with two friends. It was a weekday and we were at work. And we couldn’t get rid of the waiter! He clearly had just completed sales training. Unfortunately, he had not been trained about when to stop selling. Hello ladies, what can I get you to drink, some prosecco? – Bottle of water, please. – Water! How about a bottle of white wine? – No, thank you. – Glass of spritz? – No, thank you.
He pretended to be upset. We were getting upset.
It continued with the food orders, when he constantly tried to upsell. He was pushy. Of course he had pressure from his manager, but he was a massive pain. He cannot not have noticed we were all annoyed. And yet, he continued. I think my friend (from Canada) tipped him in the end. I don’t know why. I would not have given him anything.
How Much to Tip …
… for Table Service
10 % is enough. That’s 10 % of the total amount.
Say your total is €86.40. Nobody will expect you to tip exactly €8.64. And nobody will expect you to tip €15, either. €8-9 is perfectly fine. Or even €5, if you’re not feeling so generous.
If you eat in a very touristy place that is used to Americans, the servers will be used to American tips, too. You might get a dirty look for tipping less than 20 %. (Happened to me once, in a restaurant just off Marienplatz. The same place, years later, cheated a Japanese friend of mine on his card payment.)
Don’t let that deter you! Stick to 10 % for good service, and less or no tip for poor service.
… for Self-Service
At a self-service café (you order and pay at the counter, the staff prepare and hand you your order), whether that is Starbucks or a non-chain café, change is welcome, and it’s completely ok to keep it to less than 10 %. But no tip is also fine.
Personally, I consider the price and the amount of work. If somebody makes you a decaf latte macchiato with soy milk, that’s a lot more work than it they just hand you a bottle of water from the fridge.
I would not tip in a place where I take my order from a fridge or a shelf or similar (e.g., one of these cheap self-service „bakeries“).
Real-Life Example
I work at a small museum, and we have a self-service café on site.
We have a few regular guests who visit us several times a week. They usually always order the same thing. One lady will buy an espresso and ask for extra hot water to make it a „real“ cup of coffee. Saves her 60 cents. She doesn’t tip, ever.
The majority of guests, however, are walk-ins. Some people get a cappuccino for €3.90 and drop the 10 cents change into the tip box. Some buy several beverages and multiple slices of cake and tip 20 cents. Others tip €2 or more for a comparable order. Some tip more than 10 %.
It’s all fine. We smile and wish them a great day.
„Tip not included“
German restaurants are increasingly issuing checks that say „tip not included“ (as in the picture ⬆️). I first noticed this in Berlin about ten years ago. Now it happens in Munich, too.
Technically, it is a correct statement. Tips are never included in the check. Everyone knows that.
But it is also misleading, in my opinion, for it suggests that service in general is not included (and that the tip should therefore be more than 10 %). But that is not true.
In Germany, service must by law be included in the price. (Taxes, too, by the way.) I see this as a blatant attempt to extract more money from North American visitors – notice how it says „tip not included“ in English only?
Don’t let yourself be manipulated into tipping over and above.
How to Tip in Cash
If you pay cash, you can „round up“. Say the check is €46. You can hand over a €50 note and say, „Keep the change.“
If your check is €39 and you hand over €40, that’s a bit stingy and embarrassing. If you have change, hand over €43. You can also hand over a €50 note and say, „43, please.“ Your server will understand that you want €7 in change.
Germans do not typically leave a cash tip on the table as they exit the restaurant.
How to Tip by Card
Before presenting your card, ask if the restaurant can accept tips by card. If yes, check the total amount and add roughly 10 %, then tell your server the final amount they should charge to your card.
Some newer card terminals now also have that function where you can add a percentage to your final bill. Choices typically are 5, 10 and 15 %, sometimes „other amount“ and always „no tip“.
Tips collected by card are sometimes shared among all staff, including the people pouring your drinks and the kitched staff. This depends on the restaurant.
How Much to Tip a …
- Taxi driver: 10 % if they were friendly and you did not feel you were in mortal danger during the ride.
- Tour guide (2-hour free tour): €25 or more per person if they did a good to great job. They typically have to pay a certain amount of money per booking to the tour company, so if you don’t tip them at all, they lose money. I tip more if the group was quite small.
- Tour guide (2-hour paid tour): €5-10 or more per person if they did a great job. If they are working for a tour company, they will not get the full price you paid for the tour. If you booked with the guide directly, there is no need to tip them unless you were really impressed.
- Tour guide (day trip): €10 per person if they did a great job. Again, I would tip more for a small group (definitely so for a private tour!). Tips are often shared between the guide and the driver.
- Person working in a bakery, shop etc.: nothing, unless they provided extraordinary service.
- Person working in a doctor’s office: nothing.
- Person working in the public service: nothing!! They cannot accept anything, no matter how small, as it could be seen as bribery.
These are just suggestions. Feel free to tip more if you feel the person deserves more. They will be grateful.