Ken Blake

In news:[email protected],
Juliana L Holm <[email protected]> typed:

    > Ken Blake <[email protected]> wrote:
    >> Can anyone advise me regarding restaurant tipping in Germany?
    >> Does one do it at all? If so, approximately how much?
    >> Thanks.
    > Here's a little article on how to behave in a German
    > Restaurant:
    > http://www.exeter.ac.uk/german/abinitio/chap4-13.html
    > It's pretty useful.


Thanks very much. Is this statement I found there really true?
"When entering a restaurant in a German-speaking country, it is
customary for the diner to find their own seat rather than
waiting to be designated one."

--
Ken Blake
Please reply to the newsgroup

Keith Anderson

On Wed, 6 Apr 2005 13:42:09 -0700, "Ken Blake"
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >In news:[email protected],
    >Juliana L Holm <[email protected]> typed:
    >> Ken Blake <[email protected]> wrote:
    >>> Can anyone advise me regarding restaurant tipping in Germany?
    >>> Does one do it at all? If so, approximately how much?
    >>> Thanks.
    >> Here's a little article on how to behave in a German
    >> Restaurant:
    >> http://www.exeter.ac.uk/german/abinitio/chap4-13.html
    >> It's pretty useful.
    >Thanks very much. Is this statement I found there really true?
    >"When entering a restaurant in a German-speaking country, it is
    >customary for the diner to find their own seat rather than
    >waiting to be designated one."

In my experience, yes - but in smaller places look out for the table
labelled "Stammtisch" which is reserved for the regulars who come in
to sit there and natter and put the world to rights.

If the place is fairly full, it's sometimes a good idea to catch the
attention of one of the waiters/waitresses and tell them you're
looking for a place for three (or however many) people. Chances are
you'll be put somewhere with other people - great way of chatting to
the locals. You can wander around on your own, and if it means joining
others, just ask "Ist hier noch frei, bitte?" (Is/are this/these
places free please?)

It's worth also noting what the website says about credit cards - even
now (again, especially in smaller establishments and in small towns),
Germany is much less credit-card oriented than France or the UK.



Keith, Bristol, UK

DE-MUNG for email replies

Helmut Uttenthaler

"Ken Blake" <[email protected]> schrieb
    > Thanks very much. Is this statement I found there really
    > true? "When entering a restaurant in a German-speaking
    > country, it is customary for the diner to find their own
    > seat rather than waiting to be designated one."


Yes, it is true. Maybe it's different in expensive restaurants, I don't know
about that...
Also in many other European countries it's usual to find my own seat.


Greetings from Austria,


Helmut

Jens Arne Maennig

Ken Blake wrote:

    > Is this statement I found there really true?
    > "When entering a restaurant in a German-speaking country, it is
    > customary for the diner to find their own seat rather than
    > waiting to be designated one."

Yes.

In the South, it's also no problem to join some other people on their
table (people that you have never met before).

It was always pretty funny to see how uncomfortable my American guests
felt at first when I forced them to sit at the table of some total
strangers - and how much fun they had half an hour and two beers later,
talking to and discussing with their new friends, just experiencing the
local lifestyle.

Jens
--
POTIVS AMICVM QVAM DICTVM PERDERE

Bill Moore

In article <[email protected]>,
Jens Arne Maennig <[email protected]> wrote:
    >Ken Blake wrote:
    >> Is this statement I found there really true?
    >> "When entering a restaurant in a German-speaking country, it is
    >> customary for the diner to find their own seat rather than
    >> waiting to be designated one."
    >Yes.

In the US I find this varies and I am often not sure
if I haven't been to the restaurant before. It's no big
deal, if one is uncertain, just politely stand there for
a few seconds and see what happens.


    >In the South, it's also no problem to join some other people on their
    >table (people that you have never met before).

I've had this experience in the former East Berlin as well.
A lovely old place that was a bit difficult to find but was
apparently quite historical - both Gorbachev and Napoleon
have dined there - though presumably they didn't share a
table ;-)


    >It was always pretty funny to see how uncomfortable my American guests
    >felt at first when I forced them to sit at the table of some total
    >strangers - and how much fun they had half an hour and two beers later,
    >talking to and discussing with their new friends, just experiencing the
    >local lifestyle.
    >Jens
    >--
    >POTIVS AMICVM QVAM DICTVM PERDERE

Ken Blake

In news:[email protected],
Keith Anderson <[email protected]> typed:

    > On Wed, 6 Apr 2005 13:42:09 -0700, "Ken Blake"
    > <[email protected]> wrote:

    >> Thanks very much. Is this statement I found there really true?
    >> "When entering a restaurant in a German-speaking country, it
    >> is
    >> customary for the diner to find their own seat rather than
    >> waiting to be designated one."
    > In my experience, yes - but in smaller places look out for the
    > table
    > labelled "Stammtisch" which is reserved for the regulars who
    > come in
    > to sit there and natter and put the world to rights.
    > If the place is fairly full, it's sometimes a good idea to
    > catch the
    > attention of one of the waiters/waitresses and tell them you're
    > looking for a place for three (or however many) people. Chances
    > are
    > you'll be put somewhere with other people - great way of
    > chatting to
    > the locals. You can wander around on your own, and if it means
    > joining
    > others, just ask "Ist hier noch frei, bitte?" (Is/are
    > this/these
    > places free please?)
    > It's worth also noting what the website says about credit
    > cards - even
    > now (again, especially in smaller establishments and in small
    > towns),
    > Germany is much less credit-card oriented than France or the
    > UK.


Thanks very much.

--
Ken Blake
Please reply to the newsgroup

Ken Blake

In news:[email protected] t,
Helmut Uttenthaler <[email protected]> typed:

    > "Ken Blake" <[email protected]> schrieb
    >> Thanks very much. Is this statement I found there really
    >> true? "When entering a restaurant in a German-speaking
    >> country, it is customary for the diner to find their own
    >> seat rather than waiting to be designated one."
    > Yes, it is true. Maybe it's different in expensive restaurants,
    > I
    > don't know about that...
    > Also in many other European countries it's usual to find my own
    > seat.


Thanks very much.

--
Ken Blake
Please reply to the newsgroup

Ken Blake

In news:[email protected],
Jens Arne Maennig <[email protected]> typed:

    > Ken Blake wrote:
    >> Is this statement I found there really true?
    >> "When entering a restaurant in a German-speaking country, it
    >> is
    >> customary for the diner to find their own seat rather than
    >> waiting to be designated one."
    > Yes.
    > In the South, it's also no problem to join some other people on
    > their
    > table (people that you have never met before).


Thanks very much, and that's fine with me.

--
Ken Blake
Please reply to the newsgroup

Joe Pessarra

"Jens Arne Maennig" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Ken Blake wrote:
    > > Is this statement I found there really true?
    > > "When entering a restaurant in a German-speaking country, it is
    > > customary for the diner to find their own seat rather than
    > > waiting to be designated one."
    > Yes.
    > In the South, it's also no problem to join some other people on their
    > table (people that you have never met before).
    > It was always pretty funny to see how uncomfortable my American guests
    > felt at first when I forced them to sit at the table of some total
    > strangers - and how much fun they had half an hour and two beers later,
    > talking to and discussing with their new friends, just experiencing the
    > local lifestyle.
    > Jens

This happened to my wife and I on our first trip to Germany. In no time at
all, we were carrying on a great conversation, using a combination of my
poor German, and their poor English. Friendliness cures most major
problems.

Another time we had a great visit with a couple of Lufthansa pilots, who
were German, but spoke quite good English. They were looking for a table in
a crowded restaurant, and we had room, so invited them to sit with us.

Joe in Georgetown, Texas, USA
Return address is bogus.
Use [email protected]
to respond directly.

EvelynVogtGamble

Juliana L Holm wrote:

    > Ken Blake <[email protected]> wrote:
    >
    >>Can anyone advise me regarding restaurant tipping in Germany?
    >>Does one do it at all? If so, approximately how much?
    >
    >
    > Sure. The vast majority of restaurants include a service fee in the cost
    > of your meal, so tipping is not nearly as important as it is in the US>
    >
    > However it is good form to tip a little, ususally by rounding up to the
    > next euro or two.
    >
    > In Germany, they don't give you a check and come back for your money
    > instead they bring your check to the table with a big wallet which is
    > essentially a portable cash register. You give them the money and tell
    > them how much you want to pay.

But what if you're using a credit card? I seldom use cash
in European restaurants or shops, except for small
incidentals (like a loaf of bread or a package of cheese).
Usually the charge slips do not include a place to write in
an amount for "tip", as they do in the U.S.

There was one exception to my usual practice, last time I
was in Paris - their posted menu looked interesting, and
they didn't accept credit cards, so I actually got some cash
and came back. (I needn't have bothered - it may have
"looked" interesting, but turned out to be nothing
particularly memorable.)

Gordon Forbess

On Wed, 6 Apr 2005 23:20:56 +0200, Jens Arne Maennig
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >In the South, it's also no problem to join some other people on their
    >table (people that you have never met before).

Many years ago it seemed to be common practice when entering a
restaurant to greet other patrons with a muted "guten tag" or "guten
abend" and a nod. Is this still done?

Gordon

Jens Arne Maennig

Gordon Forbess wrote:

    > Many years ago it seemed to be common practice when entering a
    > restaurant to greet other patrons with a muted "guten tag" or "guten
    > abend" and a nod. Is this still done?

In smaller ones, of course. In big ones, nobody would notice.

Jens
--
POTIVS AMICVM QVAM DICTVM PERDERE

Karl Mentner

On Wed, 06 Apr 2005 20:37:06 +0200, Ralph <[email protected]> wrote:

    >I am sorry? As I understand the OP, she means to indicate the waiter person will
    >come to your table and you pay then and there. This is entirely correct and
    >usual practice.

Yep - I have misunderstood the sentence completely - It's just as
Juliana said.

Karl Mentner

On Wed, 6 Apr 2005 18:58:43 +0000 (UTC), Juliana L Holm
<[email protected]> wrote:


    >Sorry, but I have been to Germany quite a number of times, and while I
    >may have phrased this awkwardly, the cost of the server is part of the
    >meal in Germany; waiters and waitresses are paid a decent wage and not
    >totally dependant on tips.

This "decent" wage is in fact very low, without the tip it's not worth
going to work. Sure, IMHO.

    >You are correct that the tip does indeed express satisfaction about the
    >meal, but it is less important as the income for the server, as it is in
    >the US. I did not make that clear.

Less important matches the point, but it keeps important.
    >> This is how you do it. With the tip you give a comment on how you felt
    >> with the service. The guy who serves you has to pay taxes on the tip -
    >> even if you have given nothing. Rounding up is a good way, tax
    >> authority will do the same.
    >I did not know this. They do this in the US too.

That they do it more and more strictly has been a process in the last
10 years. Today it's really not fair what's happening. There are some
who really get rich with the tip, but everyone gets taxed like them.

    >I've been in all kinds of restaurants in Germany, and this is almost
    >always how they did it, especially in the lower end restaurants. Anywhere
    >you sit down (some fancy ones, two that I remember) left a check American
    >style, but the usual is the way I've mentioned it.

Sometimes I shouldn't think my english is perfect and look for some
words in the dictionary, sorry. It happens like you wrote it.

Karl Mentner

On Wed, 6 Apr 2005 13:39:57 -0700, "Ken Blake"
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >Thanks, but I prefer to use credit cards rather than cash
    >whenever possible.

Credit Cards are still not that usual as in the USA. If you ask for a
good, polite way to do the tipping, I see it important to mention,
that cash is also a more polite way. People using only credit cards
are more often called "großkupfert" = I have enough money and am a big
fish that I need this - not really polite.