Quebecers known as bad tippers when visiting Vermont
bootlegga @ Tue Aug 21, 2012 1:05 pm
$1:
Are Canadians cheap or just used to tipping less than Americans?
Canadians may be known for being polite and nice, but apparently we're also developing a reputation for being bad tippers - at least Quebecers are.
Burlington, Vermont isn't far from the Quebec border and staff at restaurants say people from La Belle Province are developing a bad distinction.
"When you're busting your butt and it's a large table or even a small table of Canadians, you just don't want to leave it to chance that you're going to get a $3 tip on a $100 bill, said Niall McMahan, a server at one restaurant. He said about three quarters of Canadian tourists tip five to 10 per cent so sometimes servers add the gratuity on to the bill.
People at other Burlington restaurants had similar feelings about Quebecers.
While many comments online from waiters to cruise ship personnel may call Canadians the worst tippers, according to the New York Times, Canadians on average tip the second most of any people in the world. Canadians tip 16 per cent and the only country that tips more is the U.S. at 18 per cent. The survey shows that we receive the third best service in the world with the U.S. receiving the seventh best despite paying the most for it.
Strangely, the country that provides the best service has no history of tipping. Bell hops to waiters won't accept tips in Japan and their service ranks well ahead of second-place Thailand. The worst country surveyed for service is Russia.
So it seems like when Canadians go to the U.S., they may just tip like they are in Canada and not the larger amounts Americans usually tip.
"We're definitely not cheap," said Rob Myers, a managing director at Synovate, to the Toronto Star in 2007. The company released a report showing we are among the best tippers in the world. "We're lower tippers, on average, than Americans. But in terms of the world, we are one of the countries that tips the most."
Not knowing who or how much to tip seems to be the case for many industries on this side of the border. According to a Bank of Montreal tipping etiquette survey in 2007, most Canadians tip the standard 15 per cent in a restaurant, but we don't tip nearly that much for food delivery or cab drivers. About one quarter of Canadians don't tip at all for nail salons or spas.
"Canadians generally don't know who they should be tipping," said Nancy Marescott, director of the bank's Mosaik MasterCard program, to the Star in 2007.
Whether or not these Quebecers eating in Vermont know the American standard is to tip more, they don't seem to be making any friends with the Vermont wait staff.
Canadians may be known for being polite and nice, but apparently we're also developing a reputation for being bad tippers - at least Quebecers are.
Burlington, Vermont isn't far from the Quebec border and staff at restaurants say people from La Belle Province are developing a bad distinction.
"When you're busting your butt and it's a large table or even a small table of Canadians, you just don't want to leave it to chance that you're going to get a $3 tip on a $100 bill, said Niall McMahan, a server at one restaurant. He said about three quarters of Canadian tourists tip five to 10 per cent so sometimes servers add the gratuity on to the bill.
People at other Burlington restaurants had similar feelings about Quebecers.
While many comments online from waiters to cruise ship personnel may call Canadians the worst tippers, according to the New York Times, Canadians on average tip the second most of any people in the world. Canadians tip 16 per cent and the only country that tips more is the U.S. at 18 per cent. The survey shows that we receive the third best service in the world with the U.S. receiving the seventh best despite paying the most for it.
Strangely, the country that provides the best service has no history of tipping. Bell hops to waiters won't accept tips in Japan and their service ranks well ahead of second-place Thailand. The worst country surveyed for service is Russia.
So it seems like when Canadians go to the U.S., they may just tip like they are in Canada and not the larger amounts Americans usually tip.
"We're definitely not cheap," said Rob Myers, a managing director at Synovate, to the Toronto Star in 2007. The company released a report showing we are among the best tippers in the world. "We're lower tippers, on average, than Americans. But in terms of the world, we are one of the countries that tips the most."
Not knowing who or how much to tip seems to be the case for many industries on this side of the border. According to a Bank of Montreal tipping etiquette survey in 2007, most Canadians tip the standard 15 per cent in a restaurant, but we don't tip nearly that much for food delivery or cab drivers. About one quarter of Canadians don't tip at all for nail salons or spas.
"Canadians generally don't know who they should be tipping," said Nancy Marescott, director of the bank's Mosaik MasterCard program, to the Star in 2007.
Whether or not these Quebecers eating in Vermont know the American standard is to tip more, they don't seem to be making any friends with the Vermont wait staff.
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-bu ... 28028.html
Thanos @ Tue Aug 21, 2012 1:12 pm
I'll save my pity for Florida and not Vermont. Vermont doesn't have beaches which means that, unlike poor Florida, they're spared the spectacle of middle-aged Quebec males wandering around wearing Speedos.
Bodah @ Tue Aug 21, 2012 2:35 pm
3$ on a 100$? That's horrible. I spent 5 years in the restaurant industry. If everything is ok I usually tip at least 20%. If the place is busy and the server is busting their ass and everything was good up to 40%.
I'll never forget this one server I worked with, Stewart. We were out on the patio he waited on a table for close to two hours they ran up a bill of $130.00, they left him the change.
Stewart: "Hey you forgot something!!!" and threw the change at them. They were so stunned they just walked away.
That restaurant I worked at you had to put a percentage of your sales in the tip pool at the end of your shift. So he got screwed on that bill.
BartSimpson @ Tue Aug 21, 2012 3:17 pm
Bodah Bodah:
3$ on a 100$? That's horrible. I spent 5 years in the restaurant industry. If everything is ok I usually tip at least 20%. If the place is busy and the server is busting their ass and everything was good up to 40%.
I'll never forget this one server I worked with, Stewart. We were out on the patio he waited on a table for close to two hours they ran up a bill of $130.00, they left him the change.
Stewart: "Hey you forgot something!!!" and threw the change at them. They were so stunned they just walked away.
That restaurant I worked at you had to put a percentage of your sales in the tip pool at the end of your shift. So he got screwed on that bill.
I'll never forget this one server I worked with, Stewart. We were out on the patio he waited on a table for close to two hours they ran up a bill of $130.00, they left him the change.
Stewart: "Hey you forgot something!!!" and threw the change at them. They were so stunned they just walked away.
That restaurant I worked at you had to put a percentage of your sales in the tip pool at the end of your shift. So he got screwed on that bill.
Back in the 1980's my cousin Frank was working at a bar in Hyannis and he served a bunch of South Africans who proceeded to get rip-roaring drunk. They ran up a huge bill and when they left they left a small pile of change on the table.
Frank was tweaked about it until the bar tender told him that the coins were Kruggerands.
bootlegga @ Tue Aug 21, 2012 3:29 pm
Bodah Bodah:
3$ on a 100$? That's horrible. I spent 5 years in the restaurant industry. If everything is ok I usually tip at least 20%. If the place is busy and the server is busting their ass and everything was good up to 40%.
I'll never forget this one server I worked with, Stewart. We were out on the patio he waited on a table for close to two hours they ran up a bill of $130.00, they left him the change.
Stewart: "Hey you forgot something!!!" and threw the change at them. They were so stunned they just walked away.
That restaurant I worked at you had to put a percentage of your sales in the tip pool at the end of your shift. So he got screwed on that bill.
I'll never forget this one server I worked with, Stewart. We were out on the patio he waited on a table for close to two hours they ran up a bill of $130.00, they left him the change.
Stewart: "Hey you forgot something!!!" and threw the change at them. They were so stunned they just walked away.
That restaurant I worked at you had to put a percentage of your sales in the tip pool at the end of your shift. So he got screwed on that bill.
I too have worked in the service industry and IMHO many servers seem to think they deserve a great tip no matter what kind of service they dish out. It seems to be the worst with the prettiest waitresses who try to skate by on their looks and bosom. In many cases, those tips that they have to dole out to the kitchen, bus people, hostesses, etc are peanuts relative to their total tips.
When I worked at Earl's, it was common for servers would walk home with $100+ after a 4-5 hours of serving and grip about the $5 they had to give to the kitchen.
One of my favourite stories;
The waitress actually yelled at us - "I'm not talking to you right now, I'm talking to him! When I'm finished with him, I'll talk to you", totally screwed up our orders and the food took close to an hour to arrive!
As such, my friends and I chose to leave two pennies. I had been told by a waiter that that was the absolute worst tip you could leave, as it was interpreted as leaving your two cents!
That Humpty's no longer exists - I wonder if she was as pleasant to everyone else as she was to us...
BartSimpson @ Tue Aug 21, 2012 3:30 pm
Boots, I'm with you on the bad service. There's places where I got bad service 20+ years ago and have never returned. Just can't get the one bad experience out of my mind.
2Cdo @ Tue Aug 21, 2012 3:44 pm
bootlegga bootlegga:
As such, my friends and I chose to leave two pennies. I had been told by a waiter that that was the absolute worst tip you could leave, as it was interpreted as leaving your two cents!
That Humpty's no longer exists - I wonder if she was as pleasant to everyone else as she was to us...
I go one further and leave them with either my explanation of why they got fuck all or a note explaining why if I'm in a hurry.
Bodah @ Tue Aug 21, 2012 4:25 pm
The thing is if your going to leave a bad tip, it's important to man up and tell either the server or management why the tip is so low before you leave.
It's the only way they'll learn quick.
I remember a bunch of us after our shift, went to a pub after work for drinks. The server threw four menus at us.
Big mistake on his part....
JaredMilne @ Tue Aug 21, 2012 4:28 pm
BartSimpson BartSimpson:
Frank was tweaked about it until the bar tender told him that the coins were Kruggerands.
How much are Kruggerands worth, exactly? I've only ever heard about them from watching Pawn Stars.
And while we're on the subject, what exactly should be an acceptable level of tipping? I used to tip 15%, but after reading stories like these I started raising it to 20%.
BartSimpson @ Tue Aug 21, 2012 5:03 pm
JaredMilne JaredMilne:
BartSimpson BartSimpson:
Frank was tweaked about it until the bar tender told him that the coins were Kruggerands.
How much are Kruggerands worth, exactly? I've only ever heard about them from watching Pawn Stars.
And while we're on the subject, what exactly should be an acceptable level of tipping? I used to tip 15%, but after reading stories like these I started raising it to 20%.
Back then they were worth around $200 each and Frank had a few of them although I don't recall the exact number. The thing was that he was tweaked and then felt like an ass when he realized they'd tipped him more money than he normally made all month.
I stick with the 15% tip and I adjust it up or down based on service. I'm not stingy. If someone goes all out for me then I dig deeper for them in return.
Gunnair @ Tue Aug 21, 2012 5:23 pm
BartSimpson BartSimpson:
Boots, I'm with you on the bad service. There's places where I got bad service 20+ years ago and have never returned. Just can't get the one bad experience out of my mind.
That's Edmonton.... the worst.
Unsound @ Tue Aug 21, 2012 5:33 pm
15% rounded up to an even dollar amount. More if the service is actually special in any way. I'll round from 13% for the pretty girls if pretty is all they brought to the table.
ShepherdsDog @ Tue Aug 21, 2012 5:34 pm
Most of the nicer places here automatically add a 10% gratuity to the bill, and actual tipping is almost unheard of. However, if service is really good I try and leave something that brings it up to 20%....usually this only happens at a Western chain, as customer service really isn't a big thing amongst the Chinese.
raydan @ Tue Aug 21, 2012 5:35 pm
I live in Québec and I've almost never heard anybody complain about how much tip people from here leave in restaurants and even other places. Mind you, there are certainly exceptions. Maybe it's the service in Vermont that leaves to be desired 
... or we're just easier to identify... what with that cute accent we have. 
I once saw a French couple (from France) leave change (35 cents, I think) in a Hilton restaurant in Québec City once. One case doesn't make a nation of bad tippers though... but it's human nature to remember the bad things and forget the good.
denmns @ Tue Aug 21, 2012 5:39 pm
That is funny about Quebecers. When my family ran a gas station in New brunswick, I always got good tips when Quebec tourists came down. People from Ontario, and the USA hardly gave tips for good service.