Tipping in India

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Deal Subedar
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Do you know that paying tips or "tipping" on services is mandatory in most places in the US?


If a bill amt is $100, then tipping of less than $20 is considered bad.


What happens if tipping become mandatory in India too?


Will you pay ₹200 tip on a restaurant bill of ₹1000?

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Benevolent Benevolent
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When people are cursing zomato for 10rs platform fee, how one would expect to pay 20%…? 

Deal Cadet Deal Cadet
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In the West, even $1 is regarded as having great value (the waiter there would be very grateful to you for tipping that amount), but in India, the same sum doesn't carry the same weight.

The kind of tip that would make a waiter in India grateful is something most people visiting these restaurants cannot afford to give.

You cannot buy the courtesy of a waiter with tips in India, nor can you expect special treatment on your next visit. It's often better not to tip in India. 

In India, Courtesy and special treatment are only offered if they know you have political connections.

Deal Lieutenant Deal Lieutenant
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Tipping is simply begging.

Restaurants don't pay waiters from there pocket so they ask customers to pay .

In india employees are getting salaries.

Even in many south asian countries giving extra money is treated like bad practice. Example in Japan they don't take tips.

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Benevolent Benevolent
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😨

Deal Cadet Deal Cadet
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Mandatory service charge is there in most of the cafes in Mumbai, kind of tipping. There is no 20% or more tipping is good as such in USA. tipping should be in reasonable amount.

In Kashmir, part of India, this is common practice for tipping, everyone is asking for tip. From landing kashmir airport to even eating breakfast in restaurant, tipping is very common in Kashmir.

Heart of Gold Heart of Gold
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In India, there is no tradition of tipping like in the USA where tipping is a standard practice for a service. If customers are unhappy with the service in India, people tend to react with frustration and harsh language.

Benevolent Benevolent
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When people are cursing zomato for 10rs platform fee, how one would expect to pay 20%…? 

Deal Cadet Deal Cadet
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In the West, even $1 is regarded as having great value (the waiter there would be very grateful to you for tipping that amount), but in India, the same sum doesn't carry the same weight.

The kind of tip that would make a waiter in India grateful is something most people visiting these restaurants cannot afford to give.

You cannot buy the courtesy of a waiter with tips in India, nor can you expect special treatment on your next visit. It's often better not to tip in India. 

In India, Courtesy and special treatment are only offered if they know you have political connections.

Post Tycoon Post Tycoon
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Tipping is not in the culture of india even when it is optional. How many times you have given tip while ordering food on Zomato or swiggy? They also show the tip button while placing the order.

Spearhead Spearhead
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Every time, i usually order under 300 and i give 20-30 tip...

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Firestorm Firestorm
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Desidime should start tip system first or jar system ,

We get good deals from dimers .so to encourage them

Benevolent Benevolent
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They gives dimes for deals which can be redeemed for gv

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Spearhead Spearhead
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20% in india ho hi nh payega, yha average 1-2% chal rha h, beggar ko ₹1-2 se jyada koi deta nh h and same waiter ko bhi bill ka max 1-2% hi de dete h log...

Deal Subedar Deal Subedar
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Why do people like to earn at the mercy of service recipient?


Fix your service charges and add it to bill.


Asking for Tips is begging in modern form.

Deal Newbie Deal Newbie
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For a change, a topic from you, which I felt was worth participating in (and it felt less like just another topic).

Obviously i am not burdening you with any expectations that you will respond.
no, the 'tip' is NOT womandatory in U.S. of A
But it IS a recursive loop for sure.

They pay less, because workers anyway get paid well by patrons, via tips.
And workers EXPECT tips, as they get paid minimum wage.

Similar recursive loop used to exist when I still stayed with my folks.

Maa would start calling for lunch, dinner.. one villain years before the meal was in the casserole, containers.
And we would delay going, anticipating that Maa had called much in advance.

Her side of the story though: that she keeps calling us, but we do not come out till she has called us hundreds of times. So for us to have.. still warm meals.. she starts calling much before everything is set.

The situation, unlike in India, is and was dire in U.S. though. Because not many finish graduation or are forced to have multiple sources of income and do two or even three jobs.. to pay for education loan, family/self support, mortgages and so on.

Although Europeans are richer and usually not averse to tipping, even they get surprised and even annoyed.. that in the U.S., it is THE 'norm'.

But my view is, that in Europe, since the staff is already paid enough, they are less invested in serving me with particular care. (Since no social pressure to 'tip')

In the U.S., on the other hand, the staff whose income is 100 and 30-33 out of it comes from 'tips', might me more invested in serving me well.

Now times have changed in India. Even if one takes out one's kidney and gives to someone, they hardly take notice.

But there was a time, when I would 'tip' at-least 10% .. if a regular waiter or staff was serving me.

The point is, if i am not going to frequent a place or be served by the same kitchen staff (cooks), waiters.. then I was less bothered about how they feel about me.

But if you regularly serve me and I frequent your eatery regularly.. then I have to go the extra mile.. that you do not spit in my food or your nose boomerang does not fall in my soup.

Vack in the day, for a fifty rupee bill.. leaving even five rupees used to bring an actual smile on the face of the recipient..

Back when some movie 'dil chahta hai' came out, some online friend suggested that I get my porcupine hair.. styled by Adhuna. Back then she still was Adhuna Akhtar.

The person who recommended her, had been her (Adhuna's) colleague in MTV days.
By the way, I might be getting the movie name wrong. I do notbwatch movies much.

So my home was chilling in Dubai. But to help me, he looked up her last known coordinates.
He told me, that Adhuna is associated with a parlour called 'Juice'. Walking distance from Taj (south bombay hotel).

It so happened that about 15-18 days later, I had a professional meeting or cursory second meeting and we were meeting up at the poolside.. at Taj.. for some food, drinks.. along with the meeting.

So i took the opportunity to go find this 'Juice' thing, later.

It was disappointing to know that Adhuna had since left 'Juice'.
But out of social embarrassment and some pitch by the staff at 'Juice' i made myself the scapegoat.
The main disappointment for me that day.. and till today.. is that despite never hav8ng to go back there EVER.. I felt compelled to tip some 90-100₹ that day.

No use talking about the bill and the cost of the products they convinced me to use.

But depends on what stage in life or lifestyle one has.
If disposable incomes are high and if service mindset increases here then I do not think that people would mind paying 12-13% tip.
I personally would still look at it from case to case basis.
On occasion, in India too, I might have paid 15-17% percent too. But those are some exceptional circumstances.
Deal Cadet Deal Cadet
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can you elaborate more on the reason you mention?
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Deal Lieutenant Deal Lieutenant
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Tipping is simply begging.

Restaurants don't pay waiters from there pocket so they ask customers to pay .

In india employees are getting salaries.

Even in many south asian countries giving extra money is treated like bad practice. Example in Japan they don't take tips.

Deal Cadet Deal Cadet
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NOT all indians are beggers but
Deal Lieutenant Deal Lieutenant
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.

Review Expert Review Expert
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I have spent 4 yrs in US. Neither is tipping mandatory nor is anything less than $20 on $100 considered bad. You may possibly get asked by the restaurant manager if there was something wrong with your food / experience if you don't tip and probably the waiter will remember you and hold a grudge against you (and by extension all Indians).

I always tipped 10% of the bill rounding it off to the nearest multiple of $5. I never once experienced a disgruntled waiter despite repeated visits.

In India, you tip if you can. At one time we barely had enough money to eat out once a month. We would still tip Rs 5/10 on a Rs 200-500 bill back then. Today, it tends to be Rs 50-250 for bills up to 5 figures. I never tip if there is a 10% service charge. We can all agree that waiters are barely making a living. I would rather pay something to someone who is working hard rather than to someone who just shows an outstretched hand asking for something in the name of God.

Deal Cadet Deal Cadet
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I always tip at the restaurant where i think I will be coming again for food. Not a huge amount of money, just 100 or 150 added to the bill but i make sure that I personally hand over the money to the waiter.

This has helped me in multiple ways like getting a preferential treatment the next time I visit the place, not being kept waiting for tandoori roti or other stuff and my food not being messed with.

Generous Generous
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If you can't TIP (20-30%) , then don't eat / dine with us .

simple US of A policy . 

Generous Generous
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in vandey bharat express , they made the cleaner guy wear a t-shirt / cap .. NO TIPS PLEASE .

And at he end of journey .. catering staff themselves asked for TIP , and most people gave 50-100 .. considering status / social symbol .

LOL

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