By John Ensor • Published: 15 Aug 2023 • 18:58
Paying a restaurant bill. Credit: Jacob Lund/Shutterstock.com
Is a 500 euro tip generous or insufficient? A recent incident in Saint-Tropez involving an Italian customer and a demanding waiter has sparked debate.
In Saint-Tropez, on the French Riviera, a ‘very rich Italian’ who has not yet been identified was chased by a waiter for leaving a tip that was deemed unsatisfactory, reports News Italy 24.
According to local newspapers Nice Matin and Var Matin, the incident occurred after the man left a €500 tip at the restaurant where he had dined.
The waiter found the customer in the parking lot and invited him to increase the tip to at least €1000. A French friend of the anonymous Italian was quoted saying, ‘He thought he had been generous by leaving €500, instead he was reprimanded. The waiter told him that it wasn’t enough and that he could still make a small effort to reach €1000 because it was more consistent in approaching 20 per cent of the total amount of his bill.’
This incident is part of a broader controversy on the French Riviera over the alleged ‘filing’ of customers by establishments. A recent survey revealed that in renowned areas of the Côte d’Azur, restaurants may check a customer’s wealth and generosity before accepting a reservation.
Mayor Sylvie Siri has also intervened, using words such as ‘racketeering’ and ‘extortion.’ She decided to have restaurants and bars in the city display ‘Signal Conso’ stickers, allowing consumers to report any abuse through a QR Code.
In contrast, tipping culture varies globally. In the United States, tipping is common practice, with workers relying heavily on tips. Service is not included in the price, and tipping in bars and restaurants is expected, amounting to 15-20 per cent of the bill.
In Spain, the general consensus is that tipping in bars and informal cafes is not expected and is at the discretion of the diner. In more up-market establishments there may be a service charge included on the bill, but if not, it is not uncommon to add a tip of 10 per cent.
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Originally from Doncaster, Yorkshire, John now lives in Galicia, Northern Spain with his wife Nina. He is passionate about news, music, cycling and animals.
It is getting like that in the UK. They add to your bill if you don’t check the bill, they claim it’s your fault for not checking it. Personally, if I get good friendly service I will leave a tip, if I don’t I won’t, especially with waiters that have an attitude that they think they are better than you. What is this world coming to that a waiter/ waitress can think they have the given right to be given a tip, more so now with the extortionate prices some of the restaurant’s charge? I go out to enjoy myself not to be ripped off. At least Dick Turpin let you know he was going to rob you!
If that´s how they operate then you have to be braindead to go there. more money than sense. A 500 tip is ridiculous
The waiter in this restaurant obviously does not live in the real world!!!! and perhaps does not value the fact that he actually has a job and earns money, a luxury many people do not have………..I would certainly be grateful to receive such a generous tip. It is irrelevant how much money the customer may have or may have spent, the customer should be able to choose what is a satisfactory tip at the end of his meal and the waiter/waitress should be grateful to receive this in addition to their wage.
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