Consumer Corner: Is €10 enough of a tip for great service? What services do I need to tip for?

Pic: iStock

Tipping is a bit of a grey area in Ireland. We don’t have a tipping culture anywhere near like America where it’s very clear that you must tip. In Ireland, it's a bit of an unknown.

The facts of the matter are that tipping in Ireland is entirely at your own discretion.

Founder of Moneysherpa.ie, Mark Coan said tipping in Ireland is a tricky subject as there are no hard and fast rules. He does point out however that generally speaking leaving €10 is a good tip in Ireland. He also said you could give 10% of the bill or even round up to the next whole number.

“In Ireland, unlike some other countries, most people aren't dependent on tips to earn a reasonable wage, so don't feel obliged to tip if you feel the service you receive doesn't deserve it. In the restaurant business, most expect no more than a tenner tip no matter what the bill is, so even if you are on a big night out there's no need to get carried away."

Those working in the industry have slightly different views. Claire Nash of Nash19 in Cork city said that tipping is part of our culture now in Ireland and is most important for the hospitality industry.

“It rewards great service and overall customer satisfaction with a dining hospitality experience. Most Irish people get this and reward our staff quite well. Our staff don’t expect a tip but hugely appreciate it and need it in a country where cost of living and particularly housing accommodation is so expensive.”

Siobhan works as a part-time waitress in Waterford and said she thinks people are tipping more these days than they used to, especially regular customers.

“I feel since the restrictions were lifted after the pandemic that people are really enjoying the whole experience of eating out again. They tend to stay for longer and tip well.

"The basic wage I earn as a waitress covers necessities for me like bills and other outgoings. But tips allow me to treat myself every now and again, or spend money socialising, which makes the hard work worth it."

What is getting more commonplace in Ireland now is where restaurants include a ‘service charge’ in the bill. This is generally for bigger groups and the advice is that you do not have to tip unless you really want to if this charge is included.

John Lowe of MoneyDoctors.ie said that his daughter lives in New York and when he visits her she won’t let him out of a restaurant without giving at least a 20 percent tip.

“That’s why I can never tell the difference in America between someone who seems to be genuinely interested in me and someone who just wants a great tip at the end of the meal.”

Mr Lowe agrees saying that in Ireland the norm in restaurants is a 10% tip.

“What I dislike is where the restaurant has a service charge of 12.5% or 15% and then leaves a blank looking for a further gratuity.”

Of course, tipping extends into other areas too such as hairdressing and taxis.

“My hairdresser charges €12 for a haircut and I would also give €20 effectively a 67% tip. I tend not to give tips for taxis. The recent energy costs have been applied to fares. I have both Free Now and Uber apps and it is more cumbersome to add a tip, sometimes though I might give cash as a tip,” said Mr Lowe.

Pamela Corbett, owner of hairdressing salon Pamela in Douglas in Cork, said that lots of their customers give tips and are really generous.

“It’s not unusual for people to tip in Ireland. It varies from person to person what they leave but some people don’t tip and I’m never offended. You don’t know people’s stories, so to get their hair done could be a treat.”

Sean, a taxi driver in Cork city said that not every customer gives a tip and in recent years with more people paying by credit card tips have been less.

“When people pay with cash we generally find them rounding up but with credit card payments they just pay the amount and don’t bother with a tip.”

The Government did introduce new legislation recently however which cleared up a few things and tips now go into the hands of the staff rather than the employers.

Addressing the new legislation, Shane McLave, Director of Excel Recruitment said that they would like to see the Government go one step further and exclude income derived from tips, or a portion of it, from the tax net, to encourage more workers back into hospitality and other sectors.

"All tips received by staff are currently taxable however, given the often low-paid nature of the work and the huge staff shortages which the hospitality sector is currently grappling with, more people could be encouraged to work in the sector if tips were not taxable or if they could earn a certain portion of them tax-free.”