One of those rules was tipping for restaurant meals. With restaurant dining rooms closed for months at a time and patios largely inaccessible during the winter months, dining out has become a relic of the pre-pandemic world. Now that restaurants across the country are reopening for indoor dining, some Canadians may be wondering if the social norms for tipping have changed in the last two to three years. For example, data from Restaurants Canada shows that Canadians are reporting a higher percentage of their restaurant bills compared to before the pandemic. To help clarify the latest rules of engagement, Julie Blais Comeau, chief etiquette expert at etiquettejulie.com, offers some tips.
IS FIXING AT A RESTAURANT MANDATORY?
While tipping in restaurants isn’t common in some parts of the world, such as across Europe, Blais Comeau said it’s an established cultural practice in Canada and part of the informal social contract by which people here live together. It’s not a legal requirement, but it’s a practice that service industry workers rely on for part of their income. “It’s a collective contract that everyone in this society makes or recognizes,” Blais Comeau said in a phone interview with CTVNews.ca on Friday. “It’s expected to the point where even the federal government is going to tax these people with what they perceive would be that tip compensation, so that should be very clear.” By current social standards, Blais Comeau said leaving the restaurant without tipping your server would be a major faux pas. “Even if the service wasn’t good, there’s still this convention about this custom of tipping. You can certainly tip less and then make sure you say why,” he said. “There are some people who choose not to tip anymore and I think that means you don’t recognize the society you’re in…and you forget that you’re a citizen. This element of collectivity, this element of society, this is etiquette. Etiquette evolves with the times.”
WHAT SHOULD A TYPICAL TIP BE?
Blais Comeau said the standard tip for restaurants across Canada is between 15 and 18 per cent of the bill, before tax. He said 15 percent is appropriate in most cases. However, anyone who wants to build a good relationship with a business – for example, someone who frequently holds business meetings there – may want to give a higher amount. Likewise, great service may merit a higher tip. Even if the service is flawed, Blais Comeau said, customers should be tipped. “When the service is not appropriate, when the service is not good, there should be payment because you were served,” he said. “You can go down to maybe 10%. But the most important thing is to report it to the manager, because if they don’t know about it, they can’t fix it.”
WHAT IF A TOLL MACHINE ASKS FOR MORE PROOF?
Blais Comeau said a growing number of restaurants across the country are programming their billing machines to suggest tipping rates that are above the standard 15 to 18 percent. He said people should tip more if they want, but that it’s not a requirement. “Don’t be scared off by that suggestion of 20 to 25 percent on the machine,” he said. “There’s always that option where you can personalize it, customize it and put in 15 percent.”
DO I NEED A HAIRCUT TIP OR OTHER PERSONAL SERVICE?
Blais Comeau said it is common to tip for services such as haircuts, manicures, pedicures and taxi rides, though not to the same extent as in restaurants. “It’s usually about 10 percent for all these services,” he said. He warned that it is not appropriate to offer a monetary tip for any treatment prescribed by a doctor or for which the person providing the service may be subject to a code of ethics. The same applies to tipping teachers, coaches, health workers and anyone for whom a monetary tip could be mistaken for a bribe.
ARE THERE RULES FOR RESTAURANTS?
Tipping etiquette goes both ways, and Blais Comeau said restaurant staff should never bully customers into tipping, or scold them for not leaving an adequate tip. He also thinks it’s fake when restaurants attach labels like “good,” “excellent” and “excellent” to certain tipping rates at a charge terminal. “The first time I was presented with a terminal with (the words) ‘wow’ and ‘super’ I said, ‘Oh my God. I’m a big woman,” she said. “I came to the restaurant with the understanding that I should tip, but I certainly don’t want to be tipped the extra way.”
