I hereby proclaim the end of an era.
There was a time when I was under the illusion that tipping well (up to 10%) in Austria would help me to gain satisfactory service and ease my path through the dining experience. Despite some good coaching by my buddy Horst, I continued to throw down Euro after Euro. Well, it didn’t work.
In Greece, I tipped less, the service was better, and the people were more appreciative of the diminuitive gratuities.
So it’s over.
Sometimes it feels like the world has been set up so that all of the money I earn is shot into the hands of others, who then proceed to do a special “I have your money” dance. Well, some grumpy Viennese waitstaff will have a little less to dance about from now on.
1 response so far ↓
1 Michael // May 21, 2007 at 3:10 am
Tipping in Austria has really no meaning at all. It is more a symbol for “don’t bother me with the change, get a drink for it” and does not have the meaning of “you served me well, here you are”. At least not if you don’t know the staff. This is what most tourists or foreign people who live here have to learn. So next time you buy a coffee for 1,40, put 1,50 there and it is okay. If it is 1,50, pay it without a tip and go with a smile!
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