If you’re wondering whether or not you should tip that French taxi driver or that friendly French waiter – read on. This is a two-part series about tipping in France; when to tip, when not to tip and how much to tip. When you’re finished reading this guide, I encourage you to read why French tipping culture is so confusing and arbitrary
French Tipping Culture In A Nutshell
Do you tip in France?
Let me get straight to the point.
NO, you don’t have to tip in France and many people don’t.
However, this is very important, so pay attention!
- IT IS still customary to tip in France in certain situations, especially in big cities, but less so in small towns or in the countryside.
- A good tip in France is somewhere between 2% to 10% of the total bill, with the average being around 5%, not 15% to 20%.
Think of tipping in France as more of an unexpected, kind gesture rather than an obligation to supplement traditionally underpaid service workers.
If you’re wondering why tips are so much lower than what you are accustomed to it’s because French service industry workers usually earn minimum wage or slightly higher which is considered a liveable wage.
This is in stark contrast to service industry workers in other countries such as the United States where workers rely on tips because they earn below minimum wage ie a liveable wage. For example, in some US states, waiters and waitresses can earn a salary as low as $2.13 per hour.
Is it rude to tip in France?
Although service industry workers in France don’t rely on tips, they do appreciate tips and you won’t offend anyone if you leave a tip. After all, minimum wage, is not a whole lot of money, especially if you’re raising a family.
Why some French people don’t tip in France.
As the old saying goes, different strokes for different folks.
Some people living in France don’t tip. I neither condone nor condemn this practice. I’m just stating a fact.
The reasons why someone might not leave a tip in France are wide and varied but here are some possible scenarios where someone might not leave a tip.
- Some people don’t believe tipping is necessary if there is a 15% service charge (service compris) added to the bill. (This service charge is actually not a tip. It goes directly to the owner who uses it to partly pay a liveable wage to all employees.
- Credit card machines in France are not built to automatically add in a tip in France. So if someone has no cash in their pocket, they won’t leave a tip.
- Sometimes people are cash-strapped or cheap.
- Young people often forgot to leave tips.
- If you receive bad service, the belief is you should never leave a tip in France. Not even a one-centime.
**TIPPING IN FRANCE GUIDE: who and how much do you tip in France?
Now that you know the basics about tipping culture in France, here are some suggested tipping amounts for different situations. Keep in mind, that there are no hard and fast rules about tipping in France like there are in North America where servers give you the evil eye if you leave anything less than 15 percent.
These are just suggestions. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
I encourage you to read part one about France’s tipping etiquette and culture which explains why tipping in France is more subjective and arbitrary than what you might be used to.
TIPPING IN RESTAURANTS, CAFES AND BARS
Tipping in a restaurant
In North America, when the waiter drops the restaurant bill at your table, most people will automatically calculate the tip based on a percentage, usually 15 to 20 percent.
Tipping in France is more nuanced or intuitive.
For example, if our bill at a French restaurant is around 13 to 25 euros, it’s quite normal to leave a one or two euro coin. There’s no hassling with percentages.
If you’re dead set on leaving a tip in French restaurants based on a percentage, you can do that too.
- 2% to 5 % for good service.
- 10 % for great service.
- 15 % to 20 % in nicer restaurants where someone has given you exceptional service but not if the service was terrible.
- If you’re with a large group of people, a small tip of one euro from everyone in the group is an easy way to express gratitude for serving so many people.
Tipping in Paris restaurants:
Tipping in Paris is just like tipping anywhere else in France. However, Paris is a big city and tipping occurs more often in bigger cities. Also, because so many tourists, especially Americans leave big 20% tips in touristy Parisian restaurants and cafés, French waiters have grown accustomed to bigger tips from tourists.
But just because someone expects a big tip, doesn’t mean you should.
My Parisian friend scolded me when I left a 10 euro tip for a 65 euro bill at a popular Paris restaurant. She grabbed the ten euros from the table, put five back in my purse and left 5 euros on the table for the server.
She said it was too much for average service and giving such a big tip sets a precedence which wasn’t a good thing for locals.
You might be interested in reading: Cafe vs Bistro vs Brasserie: What’s the Difference? A guide to dining in France
Tipping at a Café terrace
Sitting on a terrace to enjoy an aperitif or a café is part of the French way of life.
Most people agree that it’s a “keep the change” situation where you leave some of the small change you get back when paying with cash or round up to the nearest euro.
For example, if your coffee and croissant cost 2.50, you could leave 10 centimes (4%) or 20 centimes (8%). If you’re feeling generous, you could even leave 50 centimes (20%).
Do you tip bartenders in France?
The service charge should be included on your bar bill if you’re sitting at a table but not standing at a bar ordering your drink.
Leaving some small change behind after paying in cash is a nice gesture to show appreciation. If your bill is larger, leave a tip of 5% to 10 %, based on the level of service you experienced.
Do you tip in France for take-out or fast food type restaurants?
In a casual restaurant where you order your meal and take it to your seat or to go, the service charge is not included because you are not getting table-side service.
These more casual establishments often have tip jars where customers can leave some coins.
If I have some coins in my pocket, I’ll usually drop in some change, but not always.
HOTEL TIPPING: PORTERS & OTHER HOTEL STAFF IN FRANCE
Tipping hotel staff such as housekeeping or the porter might be common in the U.S., but it isn’t always automatic in hotels in France. Still, it is always a nice gesture to tip a few euros to hotel staff, especially if they’re accustomed to receiving tips from other tourists and if they went over and above the line of duty.
Do you tip hotel housekeeping?
Housekeeping always gets the least amount of love and tips. Out of sight, out of mind.
If you want to leave a gratuity for their hard work and effort, leaving a tip of 1 to 2 euros per day is a nice gesture, especially if you were a slob or left a huge mess. If you threw up all over the bathroom, you might want to leave a 20 euro tip for housekeeping with an apology letter.
Did you know it’s better to tip housekeeping daily rather than at the end of your stay so that the person who actually cleans your room will get the tip. If you tip at the end of your stay, the last person who cleaned your room will get the entire tip.
Tipping Hotel Porter / Bellhop
A tip of 1 to 2 euros per
Tipping The Hotel Concierge
If the hotel concierge was helpful during your stay or went out of their way and got you sold-out tickets or a reservation at a Michelin star restaurant that was fully booked, €5 or €10 is a nice way to express your thanks.
Tipping the Valet
Tipping a few euros to the valet to run and fetch your car would be a nice gesture of appreciation, especially if the valet went above and beyond the call of duty. For instance, if the valet ran to get your car, fetched your luggage, loaded it in the boot of your vehicle and turned on the AC or heat for you, giving 5 or 10 euros is a generous tip.
Do you tip in France for room service?
Tipping room service in France is a little like tipping a delivery person or a restaurant waiter. You can give one or two euros or if you feel more comfortable using percentages, leave 5 to 10 percent. Or you can leave nothing.
TIPPING DELIVERY PEOPLE IN FRANCE
Do you tip in France for Food delivery services?
With pizza delivery and food delivery services like
Many food delivery apps like
Tipping Furniture delivery workers
If the furniture delivery person sweat blood and tears carrying your new
TIPPING BEAUTY AND PERSONAL CARE
Tipping the Hairdresser or Barber
Depending on the price of your haircut and the level of service, you can leave a tip of 1 to 5 euros. Your tip will go directly to the person who cut your hair, or it might get shared with other staff.
Tipping masseuse or esthetician
A tip of 15% to 20% is considered a generous tip.
Some businesses have a small envelope for you to leave a tip where you can write the name of the person who helped you.
OTHER TIPPING SITUATIONS
Tipping the Washroom attendants
If you see a tip jar, leaving some change is common practice. Especially if the bathroom was clean, fully stocked with paper towels, and the bathroom attendant was helpful.
Tipping the cloakroom attendant
At concerts, nightclubs, and theatres, it’s customary to tip the cloakroom attendant around one euro. If you had to pay for the cloakroom, the tendency is not to leave a tip.
Tipping Ushers
A decade ago, it was customary to give ushers tips because it was well known that they survived solely on tips. However, more and more ushers now have salaries; usually, minimum wage and the custom of tipping ushers is slowly disappearing.
If ushers are paid solely on tips, you should see a sign saying so. In either case, salaried or not, Michelle, who works as an usher at Théâtre de la Michodière (a private theatre) says, a tip of 50 cents is too small of a tip. One euro is good, but several euros is better. Not having change is no excuse because ushers can give you some—her words, not mine.
Be careful; only tip ushers in a private theatre. Giving tips at a public theatre is not permitted in France.
Tipping Taxis and other drivers
Taxi drivers,
Here are a couple of scenarios.
- You can leave 1 to 5 euros, depending on the length of your ride.
- You can also round up to the nearest euro or tell the driver to keep the change.
- If the driver performed a miracle or went above and beyond: helped you with your bags, opened your door, had water waiting for you in the car, or did something out of the ordinary like got you to the airport in record time, then you may want to give a little bit more based on a percentage of around 5% to 15%.
Tipping Tour Guides
Tipping tour guides is not automatic for most people, especially in France, but if you feel like your tour guide did an exceptional job, or the tour was long and thorough in a good way, you could always leave a few euros or 10% of the total price of the tour.
You might be interested in reading: Pocket dictionary: 200+ types of French shop names, businesses, services and places in France
WHERE AND WHEN NOT TO TIP IN FRANCE!
Don’t tip when you receive bad service!
In some cultures, when you experience bad service, you leave a smaller tip or leave a coin. “Yeah, that’ll teach them a lesson for giving me bad service.”
Not so in France. If you leave a tip of 1 Euro instead of 15%, no one would even blink. The server might even be pleased.
So don’t leave a tip if you received bad or rude service. Just be careful, what you may consider bad service, may be considered good service in France so learn the customs.
Don’t tip health professionals
You do not leave a tip for people in the health industry. This includes dentists, acupuncturists, sports therapy or physical therapy.
Don’t tip if you see a sign that says “Pourboire Interdit.”
In the rare case you see a sign that says “Pourboir Interdit,” it means “tipping is not permitted.”
Don’t tip in public theatres
Tips are prohibited in public theatres such as municipal theatres, national stages, and cultural centers, which are subsidized.
TIP WITH CASH, NOT A CREDIT CARD
In North America, it’s easy to tip with a credit card. There is even a space for you to write in the tip amount, which can be added at any time. In France, you can’t do this.
Once your server swipes your card, you can’t ask them to add a tip. They have to first cancel the transaction, then you have to tell them how much tip key in manually, and they have to re-swipe your card with the tip added to the total.
For this reason, it’s better to have a few coins or cash on you at all times so that you can leave a tip. Another thing to keep in mind is it may take several weeks for the owner to disperse the credit card tips to the servers.
Final thought
Tipping at restaurants and for different services in France doesn’t have to be complicated.
Here is a summary of the important cultural nuances of French tipping practices in France
SUMMARY:
- If you don’t leave a tip in France, no one will bat an eye or spit in your food the next time they see you.
- Although not expected or required, you can leave a small gratuity to show your appreciation for good service, great service or exceptional service.
- A service charge called “service compris” is automatically added to all bills at restaurants, cafés and bars (usually 15%). This service charge IS NOT A TIP. It goes directly to the owner and allows employers to pay staff a liveable wage.
- Because servers receive a liveable wage, there’s a lot less tipping in France. People who do tip tend to leave smaller tips compared to their North American counterparts.
- The amount you give as a tip is at your own discretion. Everyone seems to have their own equation about who and how much to tip in France.
- You don’t have to feel guilty if you don’t leave a 20% tip.
You might be interested in reading:
77 French Aperitifs: An A To Z List & Guide To Pre-dinner Alcohol Drinks in France.
