I will never get this comment that gets repeated infinitely. Servers in the US are absolutely laughing all the way to the bank with all their absurdly high tips that many times more than make up for their shitty hourly wage. Let's say a server in the EU gets say £12 hourly wage Vs in us say £3. The EU server has made £90 at the end of their shift + maybe some tips. Let's call it £130 total (being generous considering the argument's assumption is they get zero tips and are happy with that). Meanwhile the US server has made £22.50 in wages and like £200++ in tips.
It depends on many factors and of course then varies quite a bit depending on the venue, but median server income in the US is around 17 USD/hr (this is including tips). This is similar to the median server salary in Germany (13-16 euro), which doesn't include tips.
And the majority of US servers don't receive employer health insurance, paid time off, and a variety of other social benefits. EU servers aren't living large but I think they likely benefit from more income stability and a much strong safety net.
Anyway, the point was that US servers rely on big tips and their behavior reflects that. I think that stands regardless :)
Most people tip in Germany, in the 5-10% range, by rounding up to the nearest euro or two. It doesn't come close to what servers get in the US, but it is enough for a couple of drinks, thus "trinkgeld".
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u/crash-o-matic 9h ago
And its not an act, just to get a higher tip.