What are tipping protocols/rates in Madrid restaurants and bars?

Will a gratuity be added to the bill automatically?

How do we tip for tapas?

I hope I can post this before I am chastised by MadridMan.
Yes ... I did find his very useful description of tipping elsewhere on his page. I would still appreciate any additional anecdotal information he or other travelers might be able to pass along!

[ 10-01-2001: Message edited by: MadridMan ]

I always tip about 10% and staff are very grateful for this. I have noticed that the Spanish themselves do not leave large tips so what we tourists give is well received.

CHASTISED!?? I'm DEEPLY OHffended, hsilcox! :o .

SuePycroft's right. Spaniards leave very little if anything at all at bars, but usually no more than 10%. You might read other previous postings about tipping in Spain. I recall one where the wait staff was OFFENDED and shouted at the patron for leaving a HUGE tip! Imagine that!

Unlike in other parts of the world, waiters/bar tenders in Spain do not depend on tips and are usually paid fairly well.

[ 10-01-2001: Message edited by: MadridMan ]

Hi!

A 10% tip is a very generous one (in general) in Spain. You will never find the tip included in the bill, it is something voluntary and depends on how satisfied you are with the service.

For example: Suppose a bill of 6.000 ptas with 3 persons. 600 will be fine, even more if you are satisfied (and it will not be surprising).

But let's say you have a tip of 30.000 ptas, 6 customers. It will be quite exagerated to leave 3.000 ptas. A quantity between 1.000 and 2.000 would be more adequate.

Hope this helps.

Fernando

As long as we are on the subject of tipping, may I offer a "tip" to the Spaniards on the board?
Unlike in Spain, American waiters do depend on their tips to make a living, so, customary is 11-15%, up to 20% if the service is exceptional.
I had a table of 4 Spaniards on Sat. night at our Spanish restaurant, and I struggled as to whether I should have added a gratuity, I did not want to discriminate, and ended up with a less than 5% tip on a 90.00 bill! I'm sure they tell you in the guidebooks of the U.S. but I thought I would throw my two cents in here.

Thanks for letting my vent!

Mmmm, this is one of the differences of customes in our two countries

In Spain a waiter doesn't depend on tips to live. An average wages could be 90.000 to 120.000 ptas (500$ to 650$). Usually they earn a 20% more with tips. Therefore, we normally give tips of 5%, up to 10%. It is never included in the bill.

When I was in USA I was shocked when I was charged a 30% more than the prices on the carte: a 15% for state taxes and a 15% more for tips. For me (very young at that time) it was really disgusting, I was not used to it, nor did I expected it. I didn't understand until now why the tips were so high and why they were sometimes included in the bill

Here you pay the prices you are telled in advance, and what you want to give as tip depending on your generosity (even if you leave nothing nobody is going to tell you anything). The taxes are normally included in the prices.

If you have spaniards in your restaurant in the future now you know that you should explain them the difference between tips here and there (if you want a tip of more than a 5%).

Regards

30% on top of menu prices!!!! And theres some guy elsewhere on the site moaning that he doesnt get free refills of coke in Europe Americans eh?

When I studied in Salamanca last year, my program told us that tips in general are just spare change, ie if the bill is 3.700 you would leave 4.000, and if the bill was 3.500 you wouldn't necessarily have spare change and wouldn't be wrong to leave nothing. After reading this thread it seems as if it is more necessary than I thought to leave a tip. When I was in Barcelona in July it was the case that our bill was an even amount, so we didn't leave anything, and when the waiter came to collect the money he glared at us and was like, "Más, más." I figured he just took us for unknowledgeable tourists and was trying to trick us into leaving a substantial tip. Is that true? If Spaniards go out to eat, do you always leave a tip?

Well, I always leave a tip. Everyone I know leaves a tip (at least some coins).

If you don't leave any tip then you mean that you are very dissatisfied with the service, and the waiter will be surprised.

A couple of times I have being so upset (long time waiting, food cold, or bad manners) as to not to leave any single peseta. But that is an exception, not the rule. Leave a 5%-10% and it will be fine.

And yes, if the bill is 3700 and you leave 4000 it is ok (it is what people normally do, to round the bill).

Fernando

I was in Spain in May of this year and I too researched the tip issue prior to our trip. I have been in & out of the food service business for 15 years and am usually a very good tipper so it was hard to go to a country where it is not expected. I felt very little reaction to what we left which was usually 10 percent, just a polite gracias so I was still uncertain. I did get a nice kiss from a very good looking (Dutch) bartender when I left 1000 pesetas on a 5000 bar tab which unless my calculations are wrong that's only $5-6US on a $30 tab?? So... that could influence your motivation! I did meet an American living in Barcelona who also explained the same thing about how their wages are much higher. We ended up feeling comfortable with 5% on a small bill or bar tab but usually still left 10% on a dinner bill. Service was usually so good that I did not have a problem leaving more and with the food so reasonable, 10% is not as much as you would tip in the US for the same type of meal.

[ 10-11-2001: Message edited by: betharita ]