The European invasion of Spring 2012 officially hit San Diego. There was a Digestive Diseases Convention at the San Diego Convention Center and apparently there are a ton of European doctors in this field. An intriguing array of conversations flowed at the dining tables from chronic diarrhea issues to discussing the differences between digesting glucose versus sucrose, all trying to understand each other in their common language of broken English. Over the past few days I've had guests from England, Scotland, Germany, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands and France. There were also non-European countries represented including Japan, Argentina and Brazil. So I guess I should say it was more like a World Convention...nonetheless, as appealing as it sounds, it pretty much sucked.
I've lived in South America and I've traveled through Europe so I am fully aware that tipping in each country and culture varies greatly. Although, I feel when people travel to new places, they tend to be mindful of certain customs... like tipping for example. No matter where you travel, tourists usually end up tipping someone for their services. Whether it be a taxi driver, a bellman, a tour guide, or a server at a restaurant... ok, you see where I'm going with this. I know when I travel, I ask someone what the standard is for tipping at a restaurant. You don't have to ask your server. Ask your hotel clerk who checked you in. Ask a taxi driver. Ask the flight attendant who's serving you your ice cold beverage on your way to your destination country. Ask someone. Isn't that what most people do? If not, that's most certainly what should happen. Common traveler courtesy.
But not everyone is so courteous. Over the past few days, I've been working much harder (along with all of the other servers I work with) at every table with Euros and foreign diners. Between the countless bottles of San Pelegrino, the numerous glasses of wine and the ever predictable espressos to finish their meals (not to mention the language barrier at most tables), the amount of extra effort that goes into waiting on these people is tremendous - and for much, much less than money than what we're used to. Honestly, the Euros do know how to dine out ... they live it up. They know how to have a good time. But when it comes to tipping, they're absolute rubbish.
There was a server who got tipped in coins on a $120 check - including European coins - which will do here a lot of good here in the States. Another server had a table of four Euros who didn't even sign the bill for a $220 dollar tab, in which the server made his server assistant run after the guy to "remind him" the gratuity wasn't included and to sign his credit card slip. Only then did he take out a $20 from his wallet and hand it to him. There were plenty of tables in which a $5 dollar bill became the standard on a check of $100 or more. There were also countless foreigners that simply stiffed us as well. Nothing. Nada. By the end of the convention, my mentality shifted and I was actually thankful to receive ten percent gratuities. Hell it was better than nothing.
I think everyone in the world knows to tip wait staff. Whether it's 5%, 10% or 15%, the general population knows tipping something is greatly appreciated. And on top of that, I feel like it's common knowledge that in the US, people tip fairly higher than normal. So what gives? Are people just being "excusably" cheap? Are people simply trying to get away with it because they "can?" "I'm foreign! I didn't know any better!" And to that I say YEAH RIGHT. We know you know. Which reminds me of that famous line in the movie Waiting, when the high strung server freaks out after hardly getting any tip after a high maintenance foreign table and says, "They act like they don't know. But, oh THEY KNOW!!!"
Tous Chez.
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