Is the gratuity included ? (tip)

Is the gratuity included in the bill at restaurants in Berlin? some say yes, others say no. Would like to be well informed.

|||

Included.

When dealing with private customers in Germany the final prices (incl. all taxes and services) must be given by law. Outside of the restaurants you will find (an excerpt of) the menu with prices. And these are the end prices you have to pay.

It is however common to round the bill up a bit when paying in restaurants. E.g to the next or overnext full Euro. E.g. the waiter presents a bill of EUR 16,80 and you give him a EUR 20 note and say 18 Euro. Than he will give you EUR 2 back.

If you%26#39;re not satified with the service insist on the exact change.

|||

My experience is that paying with a 20€ note there can be the assumption it%26#39;s all tip so I%26#39;d say pay with 50€, then there%26#39;s no doubt. (this has happened to us more than once in Berlin, though not elsewhere in Germany). Unless you say %26quot;Stimmt so%26quot; (meaning no change expected), or mention another amount you should be given change. As the custom in Spain is that you are given all your change on a plate and you leave some coins as tip, this custom of taking the money without being offered it shocks us.

|||

As abalada already mentioned are the prices you see in the menu are the final price you have to pay. Anyway, usually it%26#39;s common to give a tip in a restaurant if you have been happy with the service and/or food.

|||

Hi,

I never experienced, what Lynda said. But maybe, because I%26#39;m german and they only try this with tourists ... Normally the waiter will give you even the change of 5 cent!

|||

My experiences are the same like the ones of Shopgirl_66.

|||

Americans give loads of tips in their home country but have a reputation for being miserly when they come to Europe.

Here is an idea! If the service was good, give the same tip that you would give in the US. The staff will appreciate it, you will give no more than you would have at home and who knows, you may feel good about yourself for having done something nice.

Europeans actually appreciate tips instead of expecting them.

|||

Prices as they are on the menu always include tax %26amp; service. If (!!) you were satisfied, feel free to tip. I usually give 10% of the bill if everything was alright. If you give a Euro bill higher than the sum, you usually say how much you intend to pay.

Example: the bill says 31 Euro. 3 Euro seem a suitable tip to you. You have a 50 Euro bill. So you hand it to the waiter and say %26quot;34, please%26quot;.

If you don%26#39;t say anything, a good waiter will give you correct change and not comment on it. In a bad restaurant however, waiters might take the tip for granted (e.g. 18 to pay, you give 20 bill and he%26#39;ll just keep the change) or become unfriendly when you don%26#39;t tip.

Tips are common in restaurants, hotels, taxis and for food delivery (pizza guy etc.).

|||

%26gt;%26gt; Americans give loads of tips in their home country but have a reputation for being miserly when they come to Europe.

Funniest joke I have seen on TA.

|||

You obviously have a great deal of experience in this matter from your vantage point of Toronto.

|||

When eating out with Germans in the south (don%26#39;t know Berlin yet) they round up the bill, usually working out at less than the 10% often given in the UK. At a cafe a small amount would go to the next Euro or 50 cents, in a restaurant 18 Euros to 20, as mentioned above.