Tipping in Italy

[Kropotkin]

I’m off to Italy this week and my longstanding, low-level but persistent confusion over an appropriate level of gratuity will surely exercise me once again...

I’ve worked in Italy in the past and I visit for at least a month each year, so I’m no stranger to the country and its cultures. Over the years I’ve heard many different assertions about how much one should tip (beyond the coperta – although this confuses the matter additionally). In truth, the majority tend to advise that a few € suffices for the table for a standard meal in a trattoria, with more for a ristorante. However, some argue for much less, a few insist on more; some suggest it should be per group, others say it is per head; and one friend argues firmly against anything more than the coperta (although he is a staunch communist...).

I’m delighted to tip for excellent service and always leave something. And of course, we each have our own tipping practices that, in Italy, may also be inflected by region, level of establishment, party-size, occasion etc. But the persistent level of conflicting advice I’ve encountered had convinced me that there is no general formula for tipping to show appreciation without offending… unless somebody can advise me otherwise?

(Apologies in advance if there is a thread somewhere already – I couldn’t find it).

[Ore]

Funny - some of my friends from Italy were just here and we had a great laugh about how different tipping is here from there. We ate at Sona and the check with tip came out to $850.00

They were ok with leaving the tip but were really on the floor about how and why we leave tips here in the US. 10, 15, 18, 20, 22 - all these percentages and they said that they usually just leave a few euro behind - almost no matter where they are.

From my experience working in Italy - the tips were always accumulated over a few week period until there was a nice amount (300 or so Euro) - yes, a few weeks (30 seat restaurant) and then we'd all go out to the bar and it would get divided among everyone - la manca (la mancha) as it was called.

In my opinion, leave what you can and what you would expect to receive for that quality of service. That's the easiest for me but I've been on that side of the table too!

Ore

[Maureen B. Fant]

First some vocabulary: coperto is cover charge, coperta is a blanket; mancia is a tip; servizio is the percentage service charge added to the bill or sometimes invisibly included in the prices.

The basic principle is that waiters are salaried employees supposedly earning a living wage without counting tips, and in many places the tip never reaches the waiter anyway.

If you are paying cash in a modest place, you can just round up. If you use plastic, it may be impossible to add a tip to the charge slip, and in any case it is considered a kindness to leave the tip in cash, which may be the only chance a waiter has to put it in his pocket.

You would almost never calculate a percentage of your bill as in the US. Places that pointedly point out that service is not included are probably aiming at Americans who feel guilty if they don't tip at least 15 percent. The usual practice is to round up your bill and, depending on the elegance of the place and/or how long you stayed, or how much attention you required, you tip cash ranging from a couple of euro to 20. Five or ten covers most situations generously.

When restaurants do not provide a ricevuta fiscale, a proper numbered receipt with the name and date, I figure they have already taken their tip in the form of the taxes they are not paying on my meal, so I tip nothing. Occasionally they will give you an informal bill and ask if they should divide the total among more than one ricevuta fiscale. That is actually a nice gesture, and rare.

[hathor]

I’m off to Italy this week and my longstanding, low-level but persistent confusion over an appropriate level of gratuity will surely exercise me once again... 

I’ve worked in Italy in the past and I visit for at least a month each year, so I’m no stranger to the country and its cultures.  Over the years I’ve heard many different assertions about how much one should tip (beyond the coperta – although this confuses the matter additionally).  In truth, the majority tend to advise that a few € suffices for the table for a standard meal in a trattoria, with more for a ristorante.  However, some argue for much less, a few insist on more; some suggest it should be per group, others say it is per head; and one friend argues firmly against anything more than the coperta (although he is a staunch communist...). 

I’m delighted to tip for excellent service and always leave something.  And of course, we each have our own tipping practices that, in Italy, may also be inflected by region, level of establishment, party-size, occasion etc.  But the persistent level of conflicting advice I’ve encountered had convinced me that there is no general formula for tipping to show appreciation without offending… unless somebody can advise me otherwise? 

(Apologies in advance if there is a thread somewhere already – I couldn’t find it).

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So, you're saying that there is no one consistent method for calculating a tip in Italy? Surely by now you've figured out that the phrase 'no one consistent method' could be applied to just about everything in Italy.

Trust your instincts according to the place and the situation. Tipping is not mandatory, but always appreciated.

[Kropotkin]

Ah, as I thought! Thanks for the comments all - I'm re-affirmed in my practice (including the 'no tips for no receipts' rule of yore)...