Karl Mentner

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."

The easiest way - step inside and begin slowly to find a place, when
it's a restaurant where they show you your place, someone will come
immediatly.

Karl Mentner

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

Moin Jens,
da gehst du aber zu weit :-)

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

Coming from the North I have to mention that it's not so unusual in
the North either. Maybe the "new" East beats the "used" countries in
this. ;-))

Karl Mentner

On Wed, 06 Apr 2005 19:00:03 -0700, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)"
<[email protected]> wrote:


    >Usually the charge slips do not include a place to write in
    >an amount for "tip", as they do in the U.S.

There has to be a place for the tip or the charge slip isn't an
officialy allowed one!

Erick T . Barkhuis

karl mentner [on Thu, 07 Apr 2005 07:55:43 +0200] wrote:
    > On Wed, 06 Apr 2005 19:00:03 -0700, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)"
    > <[email protected]> wrote:
    >
    >
    > >Usually the charge slips do not include a place to write in
    > >an amount for "tip", as they do in the U.S.
    >
    > There has to be a place for the tip or the charge slip isn't an
    > officialy allowed one!

Really? I didn't know that.
Do you have any reference to official documents on the Web that state
what charge slips should consist of to be 'officially allowed'? And what
should the consumer do if he is presented with a slip that doesn't
fulfill all requirements?


--
Low Countries By Bike - http://lowcountriesbybike.info
Riding on two wheels in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany

Jens Arne Maennig

karl mentner wrote:

    > da gehst du aber zu weit :-)

Hä?

    >>In the South, it's also no problem to join some other people on their
    >>table (people that you have never met before).
    >
    > Coming from the North I have to mention that it's not so unusual in
    > the North either.

I rember the shocked expression in the eyes of some girls in a pub in
Hamburg when we approached them: "Good evening, we're from the south,
may we join you at your table?" After being very reserved at first, it
became a pretty funny evening anyway.

I think the western Hanseatic cities are more like the US in this
respect: If oen person is sitting at each table in a restaurant, the
restaurant is full :-)

    > Maybe the "new" East beats the "used" countries in this. ;-))

I would agree that in the north-east, people are pleasantly less formal
and more communicative. I enjoyed that a lot when I had to do some work
in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania.

Jens
--
POTIVS AMICVM QVAM DICTVM PERDERE

Karl Mentner

On Thu, 7 Apr 2005 07:58:21 +0200, Erick T. Barkhuis
<[email protected]> wrote:


    >Really? I didn't know that.
    >Do you have any reference to official documents on the Web that state
    >what charge slips should consist of to be 'officially allowed'?

There has to be date, amount, tax, tip, name of person doing the job
and a unique number for any slip.
.
    > And what
    >should the consumer do if he is presented with a slip that doesn't
    >fulfill all requirements?

Smile?

As the consumer you are not responsable for the correct slip.

Karl Mentner

On Thu, 7 Apr 2005 08:11:06 +0200, Jens Arne Maennig
<[email protected]> wrote:


    >I think the western Hanseatic cities are more like the US in this
    >respect: If oen person is sitting at each table in a restaurant, the
    >restaurant is full :-)

We (Saupreissen) have the same joke about bavarian bars. :-)

    >I would agree that in the north-east, people are pleasantly less formal
    >and more communicative. I enjoyed that a lot when I had to do some work
    >in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania.

Try Bochum. Not knowing new people afterwards would mean I haven't
been to a restaurant.

Jens Arne Maennig

karl mentner wrote:

    > We (Saupreissen) have the same joke about bavarian bars. :-)

What the f*** are "Bavarian bars"? :-)

    > Try Bochum. Not knowing new people afterwards would mean I haven't
    > been to a restaurant.

The Ruhr district is not Northern Germany in my opinion. Anyway, it's a
Catholic area, which makes it more comparable with the south with regard
to customs and traditions.

Bochum and surroundings are certainly good for fun restaurant and bar
visits.

Jens
--
POTIVS AMICVM QVAM DICTVM PERDERE

Dr. Klaus Eimert

Ralph <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:

    >> Thanks very much. Same if I use a credit card?
    >
    > Same amount.
    >
    > With credit card, you've got the option of adding your tip on the form
    > you have to sign (there's usually a field for that) or else just give
    > drop a coin or two on the form after you've signed it.
    >
    > Waving cash under their nose would probably be a tad bit rude. ;-)
    >

Don't know, but if you use credit card, the owner will get your tip. If you
want to tip for "ambience", that's OK. But if you want to tip for good
service, I would just leave an Euro or two (depending on the total check)
on the table, when I leave.

Cheers,
Klaus

Frank Hucklenbroich

Am Wed, 6 Apr 2005 09:58:15 -0700 schrieb Ken Blake:

    > Can anyone advise me regarding restaurant tipping in Germany?
    > Does one do it at all? If so, approximately how much?

Roughly speaking you should tip between 5 - 10 %. If it's a small bill
maybe a bit more, if it's a very large bill a bit less %.

At very small bills (like if you have a coffee or something) you don't need
to tip at all, though it's often common to round up the bill (e.g. give 5
EUR if the bill is 4.20).

It's not common to tip at the bar-counter at pubs when you have a drink.

Regards,

Frank

Frank Hucklenbroich

Am Wed, 6 Apr 2005 11:17:31 -0700 schrieb Ken Blake:

    > Thanks very much. If I use a credit card, should I do the
    > same--round up to the next Euro or two?

If you use a credit-card you should tip in cash, as otherwise the waiter
maybe don't get the tip (especially if it's a part-time worker) and he have
to pay tax on it ;-)

Regards,

Frank

Dr. Klaus Eimert

karl mentner <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

    > 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."
    >
    > The easiest way - step inside and begin slowly to find a place, when
    > it's a restaurant where they show you your place, someone will come
    > immediatly.
    >

Usually, if there isn't a sign "Please, wait to be seated" or such, just
find yourself a seat. If the seats are scarce, it is very common to inquire
whether you can join a table, if there are any free seats (except in "high
class restaurants").
Anyway, in my experience, if you ask friendly, you may do almost anything
without people feeling annoyed. Germans are usually not as unfriendly and
narrow-minded as pictured in the yellow press :-)

Cheers,
Klaus

Frank Hucklenbroich

Am Wed, 6 Apr 2005 13:39:57 -0700 schrieb Ken Blake:

    > In news:[email protected],
    > Bogey0 <[email protected]> typed:
    >
    >> I find it much easier using Euros rather than Credit cards, I
    >
    >
    > Thanks, but I prefer to use credit cards rather than cash
    > whenever possible.

It's not too common in Germany though. Many Restaurants (even good ones)
don't accept credit-cards. And if you go to a pub or Gasthaus, they won't
accept credit cards either. Only places like hotels or restaurant-chains
(like steak houses) do.

Same goes for shops by the way, unless you go to the really big department
stores, many smaller shops dont accept CC.

Regards,

Frank

Frank Hucklenbroich

Am Wed, 6 Apr 2005 13:42:09 -0700 schrieb Ken Blake:

    > 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's true for most restaurants. You simply pick a table you like and
sit down. Just watch if there's no card on it saying "reserviert", that
means this table is already booked by someone. And look that you don't sit
down at a table for six if you are just two person ;-)

You only wait to be designated to a table at very top-class restaurants -
and there you often need to make reservation in advance anyway.

The very few "normal" restaurants where you wait for someone to designate
the seat normally have some kind of sign/counter at the entrance (you
sometimes find that at big hotel-restaurants). But it's not very common.

Regards,

Frank

Erick T . Barkhuis

karl mentner [on Thu, 07 Apr 2005 07:48:50 +0200] wrote:

    > The easiest way - step inside and begin slowly to find a place, when
    > it's a restaurant where they show you your place, someone will come
    > immediatly.

I think this is good advice. If you go in slowly and look around, you're
offering the waiter an opportunity to seat you. Even if it's not too
common, some waiters and hosts (in small Gaststätten) like to play
"classy" every now and then if the opportunity arises.

--
Low Countries By Bike - http://lowcountriesbybike.info
Riding on two wheels in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany