Tip

[Guest bennie2]

in most restaurants (in mex) the waiters make the $ on the drinks. businessmen drink & go in groups. this is what i have seen in guad for lunchtime. the best tippers in the world are arabic men. when i was younger i worked as a waitress @ an arabic club for a time. belly dancers & all. 15% was added to the bill, but they left much more. it was a mens club, they didnt bring their wives or dates. i made a fortune but didnt like to be out untill 4am. the dancers really made the $. point of the story is that even way back then, it was the custom to the add gratis to check.

[More Liana]

What percentage of restaurant patrons in Mexico are Mexican as opposed to "others"? I've been in crowded restaurants in GDL where the only foreigners the waiters have ever seen are in the movies, but they (the waiters) struggle on and seem to be glad they have the clientele to attend to.

You can't judge all of Mexico, or all the waiters, on gringolandia.

Where I live, about 95% of restaurant patrons are Mexicans. You folks at Lakeside live in a bubble of foreigners.

[Guest bennie2]

mexicnas are cheap tippers according to this info.

[PULELEHUA]

Does the tip here actually go "directly to the waiter"? That is certainly not the case NOB where it is common for tips to be pooled and allocated by some formula among the various "front room" staff.

[cbviajero]

N/a

[More Liana]

mexicnas are cheap tippers according to this info.

I believe that like many customs, tipping customs in Mexico are different from tipping customs in the United States and Canada. In some European countries, as other posters have noted, the custom is NOT to tip.

[slainte39]

Exactly!!

[pappysmarket]

Yes, but when in Rome............

[CHILLIN]

yes Pappy - but if in Rome and if you don't tip you risk more than a dirty look! The waiter will follow you down the street and publicly embarrass you.

[pappysmarket]

Jajaja! Yeah I can imagine! With all the gypsy pickpockets to contend with we sure didn't need a waiter chasing us down. Maybe the Mexican waiters could use that tip.

[lakeside7]

I had the opportunity to talk with one of the owners of one of the older established Lakeside restaurants, reference tipping etc.

His observations are; There are 4/6 restauranteurs who pay their waiters the minimum (67pesos?) or slightly better "wage", and fewer who also provided health and pension benefits, IMSS etc. They are registered with The Hacienda, who make regular calls to verify the terms of employment etc.

There are many more, the majority?, who do not pay their waiters or provide other benefits.

Other observations. The kids who bag at Walmart all rely on tips. They also have to maintain good grades!!!

Whilst the wages for full time employees at WM maybe low, they do receive medical benefits, which can reach across to family members

[gringal]

I hear that Walmart Mexico treats their employees better than they do in the States. I hope this is true.

Those kids doing the bagging have great smiles when you tip.

[HaggisLover]

Let me add to this sorry argument,

I'm going to play Devils Advocate,

2 people get 2 hamburgers @ $5.00 each

$10.00 total equals according to you lot

$1.50 tip.

next day ,same 2people buy 2 $50.00 steaks

same waiter, same plates, same distance from kitchen,

and you think you have too pay $15.00 tip.

grow up. why has the tip got to be a % of the bill,

As you have been told right through this story, don't tell people

that they are Cheap, because they don't conform to your standards.

please accept, that the whole world does not shine through N.American eyes

[Canuck]

Having worked as a server for many years when much younger, I can tell you I would not have traded

tips for a better wage. I cleared $200-$300 per night in tips. That's dollars not Pesos. I doubt any

restaurant owner would have paid an equal wage.

As for the etymology of the term TIPS meaning "To ensure prompt service," well, no:

http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/tip.asp

[el bartman]

Many waiters and maids, not all of course, are well-compensated by their server jobs, often much more than teachers or other professionals in Mexico. It’s an interesting juxtaposition. These potentially higher earnings make it a position to which many aspire. On the other hand it may encourage some establishments to underpay.

Do waiters expect more of a tip from ‘Gueros’ than say ‘tapatios’¿ Probably, because the Americanos have practiced what locally would be excessive tipping for years. Maybe it’s too late to change.

I was taught by an elderly affluent lady who lived and worked all over Mexico, that the Spanish are sticklers for manners and etiquette. Tipping, if even modestly, is considered polite. At, say, a taco stand you might want to round up the small change to the nearest bank note. At a normal restaurant maybe 10%. At an upscale 15 and add an extra 5 or 10 percent if service was very good and added value.

[cooper]

yes Pappy - but if in Rome and if you don't tip you risk more than a dirty look! The waiter will follow you down the street and publicly embarrass you.

Never happened to us. My daughter lives in Italy. Works for Eataly. And according to her, outside of leaving the small coins you get back when you pay the bill, no tip is usually left.

[slainte39]

The same in Ireland, but according to posters here, in England they add 10 or 12.5 % to the bill. ??

[snowyco]

yes Pappy - but if in Rome and if you don't tip you risk more than a dirty look! The waiter will follow you down the street and publicly embarrass you.

Not our experience at all, in Rome, or Italy, France, or Spain.

The reality is that customs vary by city and region.

Rome: Italians often round up a bill, say from €19 to €20.

If tipping in Rome were expected, why is there is no space for adding a tip on a CC bill in most restaurants in Rome?

Last April, our B&B hosts told us that the local custom in Rome (and also in Barcelona) was: If service was good, you leave a few coins on the table.

Many modern restaurants in Rome have a line "servizio incluso" printed on the bill.

Some may say "servizio non incluso", which makes it up to you whether to tip according to our B&B hosts, because unlike under-paid staff in Mexico or the USA, European wait staff are paid reasonable wages and do not need tips to survive.

I guess that tourists who don't read Italian might not understand "servizio incluso" on their bill.

Exception: Mandatory tips are now often required for large groups in many Rome and European restaurants.

Regional tipping & billing customs:

In Rome, they generally charge for bread brought to your table. You can wave it away if you don't want it. Restaurants outside of Rome generally have a "Pane et coperto" charge, literally "bread and tablecloth", was almost always be added to your bill for each person.

All of these differences make a 10% tip in Mexico seem straightforward.

[mod-3]

Straying pretty far off topic. Closed.