The 'tipping in Spain' debate rages on
So, am I the stingy one? Do the Spanish really tip? Number two on Google for 'tipping in Spain' (after my own article on the subject) says 'Tipping is a great tradition in Spain'. The debate rages on and has reached a popular forum about life in Spain, where the aforementioned BBC article was described as 'hilarious'. And the consensus on the forum is that tipping in Spain is, indeed, rare.
So why the debate? Either the Spanish do tip or they don't, right? I'm pretty confused too. Clearly the Spanish economy minister has an agenda - he is (ludicrously) claiming that it is excessive tipping and not the Euro that has made life seem more expensive in recent years (and not the bars raising the price of a beer by 66 per cent from 100 pesetas to 1€ the day the Euro came in). And everyone else? Well, maybe these people are spending most of their time in expensive restaurants and tourist traps where, yes, you will see tipping - but it is most likely to be the uninformed American tourists who are doing the tipping and not the Spanish!
--UPDATE--
As you can see from the comments below, this post has provoked a bit of a backlash. This blog is written with the aim of giving some perspective on tipping in Spain to those who come from countries where tipping is widespread - particularly, the United States - and this comparison should be kept in mind when reading. In America, if one were to go out for a coffee in the morning, a cheap meal at lunchtime and a couple of beers in the evening, they will most likely tip at every occasion. In these particular situations, most Spaniards would not tip. However, when in other situations, yes, the Spanish do tip, but less than in the US and with less feeling of obligation - if the service was poor, they will not tip. To see precisely how and when the Spanish leave a tip, see the results of my tipping in Spain questionnaire.
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I was about to register just to tell you how wrong you were about the tipping thing when I discovered I could get guest access. Cool. Now, to the point:
You are oh so wrong!
I’m 25, spanish, have lived all around the country, have worked as a waitress and am about to marry the head chef of a posh restaurant. So, clarifications:
- We DO tip. Not for a caña or a copa, but we do tip for our meals (a good amount is about 10%) and we tip for our drinks if the waiter/waitress is specially nice.
- Restaurant/bar owners DO NOT keep the tips! Where did you get this idea??? Usually the tips are split between all the staff every week.
- Tipping DOES make a difference for the staff. Per instance, waiters at my fiance’s workplace get about 15% of their salary in tips, which is a nice extra.
I personally use tipping as a punishment/reward mechanism. If the staff is nice to me i’ll leave an accordingly nice 15% or more tip. And If they’re rude or incompetent, I’ll leave all the copper coins I have. That’s more humiliating than no tip.
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About drinks:
You can get Mahou everywhere, it’s probably the most popular brand in the country, since a lot of people hates San Miguel. You can get Estrella de Galicia almost everywhere as well.
And you forgot the claras. A clara is a caña os beer mixed with casera or lemon. We drink it a lot in the summer, especially from shared jugs.
Tinto de Verano is always wine with casera, ice and a slice of lemon. Wine with fanta de limon is “vino con limon” and it’s not that common.
And we *do* drink sandría outside our homes. Yes, we do. Whenever we go to chinese restaurants, we order sandría. I don’t mean only me, but spanish people in general. Nobody knows why.
As Chrome rather “energetically” stated, people do tip in Spain, save the very grouchy and waiters expect a tip. If you d not tip, the waiters expression is likely to sour, even though few will say something. I have learned from my Spanish friends that leaving a one euro cent coin (formerly a one peseta coin) is a way of “punishing” the waiter for bad service. Tipping is generally between 5-10% or rounding up to the next whole euro when the amount is small.
You are so wrong…
Tipping is not a must in Spain, but you should always leave some if the service was ok (your tip represents your opinion about the place).
Think you are being rude if you don’t leave tips.
As Chrome said, tipping does make a difference for the staff.
In addition, I think Spanish people pay more tips than foreign visitors, but that’s something I can’t really prove.
you could not imagine just how wrong you are… you have no idea what you are talking about. i am spanish and have lived in spain, england and the us, and believe me when i say… you have exactly 0 idea what you are talking about.
you should live in spain and integrate in our society before giving your oppinion about this tradition. please.
See my recent little survey that I took among some Spanish friends, as well as a quote from the Spanish tourist board on tipping.
Tipping in Spain Questionnaire