American Airlines are using the tipping culture in the US to promote cheap airfares from the UK . One slogan they are using is " When every restaurant in America is expecting a 20% tip , you need a cheap flight "
Tipping in France and Spain : According to my DK guide-books 5% is customary in Spanish restaurants . In France most restaurants have a service charge of about 12% but an additional 5% is usually left for good service. Toilet attendants should get about 25 Euro cents and cloakroom attendants 50 cents.
When I have been in Spain and France I usally leave 1 Euro for a couple of cups of coffee bought by a waiter . It depends on what coins there is in the change.
Writing from Los Angeles, California.
Having been in the service industry for so long I just feel so bad about not tipping even if it’s not the local custom. However, I wouldn’t want to offend anybody, so thanks for the “heads up” about Japan.
In Europe I found that Waitstaff and Bartenders are perfectly happy to accept an American standard tip (I even found that they would forgive me about that whole attacking Iraq thing). They always showed their appreciation so I felt good about it.
At a very crowded nightclub in Dublin it was so crowded that it took a very long time to get served at the bar. It took me forever to get my first drink. However, I got my first drink, I paid, and I left a 1 EURO tip then went into the next room to hear the band. After that each time I approached the bar I never had to wait to get served, no matter how crowded it was or how many people were ahead of me. Often, as I was working my way through the crowd, the bartender saw me coming and, remembering what I was drinking, he had my drink ready for me by the time I got to the bar.
So, if nowhere else, a bit of an extra tip will do you some good in a crowded Dublin nightclub!