Caitríona Redmond: What's the deal with tipping these days?

Tips are a vital way to give thanks for excellent customer service, but aren’t obligatory

Caitríona Redmond: Irish tipping culture is vastly different to the US, where staff can be paid far less than minimum wage, with the balance of their income coming from customer tips.

As we tap to pay and carry less physical money, cash tips have been declining. Service charges have been increasing... but the practice could be more transparent.

Irish tipping culture is vastly different to the US, where staff can be paid far less than minimum wage, with the balance of their income coming from customer tips. Some proponents of the system say that this encourages staff to work harder to earn tips, but I believe a living wage for all is the only fair way to compensate staff whose wages shouldn’t be at the whim or budget of a customer. After all, if a business can’t pay its staff enough to live by, they shouldn’t expect their customers to pick up the bill.

The system is pervasive; an American-based pizza customer recently shared on Reddit that they were unable to place an online order without paying a tip, even though they were ordering for collection. It’s not just limited to restaurants either, with hotel or transport staff also expecting tips.

If you thought that was bad, many cruise lines require a mandatory gratuity per guest. 

For example, Carnival Cruises can cost $17 per guest, per day, while Norwegian charges around $20 per guest per day. Prices can vary between standard rooms and suites. A seven-day/six-night cruise for a couple with Carnival Cruises could therefore cost an additional $238 or just more than €200 after the holiday has been paid for.

It doesn’t sound all that much when I break it down, though. For their part, the cruise lines say that 100% of the gratuity is passed on to the staff on the ship. To do the maths, I will use the Carnival Celebration with 1,735 crew members, which hosts approximately 5,374 guests at full double occupancy. If the gratuity is divided equally among the staff, they would earn an additional $52.65 per day from their guests.

Keith Lee, a Texas-based food influencer, is well known for visiting struggling restaurants to rate food and leaving generous cash tips. He calls these tips a ‘blessing’ which suggests that only some are graced with his visits and cash. In truth, a ‘blessing tip’ is a generous tip given to serving staff which exceeds the standard 15-20% expected in American culture.

Here in Ireland, employers cannot use tips or gratuities to supplement contractual rates of pay, and workers are legally entitled to receive tips, which must be distributed fairly among staff. Even electronic tips should be fairly accounted for and shared with staff.

From a consumer point of view, businesses must clearly display how tips are distributed, and also service charges. This is where some businesses may have been economical with the truth.

It’s not uncommon to apply an automatic service charge to larger groups (typically more than six), or bookings made at popular times of the year. There’s no issue with this, provided the customer is advised in advance of making the booking.

Recent research from the CCPC (Competition and Consumer Protection Commission) revealed that two out of three consumers believe that tipping is becoming less voluntary, and that one in five have recently paid a bill that included an unexpected extra charge.

Research by Ireland’s competition regulator found that 8 per cent of consumers had tipped mistakenly on a tipping terminal.https://t.co/OlTzpzepmT

— breakingnews.ie (@breakingnewsie) January 28, 2026

I don’t begrudge any serving staff their tips; they work incredibly hard. Last year, I visited a restaurant where a meal had a 15% service charge. I didn’t spot this when paying, and I left a tip on the table before leaving. When I cross-checked the receipt the following day, I resented being double-charged, and I’m less inclined to return to the establishment concerned.

The best restaurants are discreet about tipping. Staff will hand you the payment terminal and allow you to add your own tip, if you choose to do so, without hovering over your shoulder and adding to the payment pressure. The CCPC recommends that tips should be collected using a separate terminal, and that’s to protect staff and
customers alike.

Less cash circulating impacts our payment patterns, and charities that used to rely on bucket or cup collections really notice the difference. I also see this when I’m asked if I want to donate at certain shops. The ‘red button or green button’ choice has become almost as irritating as ‘chuggers’ waving their clipboard in my face or asking if I have a minute to chat about something when I’m walking down the street.

Choice is the important factor here. We should be able to opt out and say no if we are not comfortable with the charges presented to us.

"Choice is the important factor here. We should be able to opt out and say no if we are not comfortable with the charges presented to us."

Experience tells me that Irish people are notoriously poor at discussing money and baulk at the thought of being considered tightfisted.

Phrases such as ‘they’d peel an orange in their pocket’ or ‘wouldn’t spend Christmas’ are cultural. While it’s absolutely important to acknowledge service that goes above and beyond, I also believe it’s vital to spend your money with care. If the service you receive when dining out doesn’t impress, it’s also ok not to tip or to tip less.

After all, this cost-of-living crisis doesn’t seem to be going away.
Be wise and check receipts before adding a tip.

Redmond recommends 

Tomorrow is Pancake Tuesday, and there is plenty in the supermarkets to be mindful of. Before you get sucked into shiny aisle ends and special offers, make sure you check the price per gram of the products because it may be cheaper to buy the core ingredients of a pancake mix than it is to buy a premixed bottle.

But do take advantage of special offers to stock up your baking store cupboard for the weeks ahead if you can, as these ingredients have a long shelf life.