Tipping in Budapest
 

I've heard that you don't leave a tip on the table in restaurants but tell the waiter/waitress how much you want back when you pay them (you include their tip in this amount.) Question : If you don't speak Hungarian how can you "tell" the waiter how much to give you back? Do you write it down? Is this a stupid question? (Obviously, not for me!)

Also - Is there a man or woman in the restaurant bathrooms that you are expected to tip and if so, how much?

I'm not sure what the regular Hungarian rules are but we just tipped like we do in the states. I know there is alot of discussion on what percentage and if any tip while travelling to other places but out of habit maybe I just always tip like I do at home. My mom's Hungarian and when she or her sisters go there they tip like they do here as well. I'm sure others will pipe in with their opinions, that's just mine so take it with a grain of salt. LOl

I tend to round up in Hungary with extra for excellent service as long as gypsey violinist are not included. If they turn up then no tip

Tipping is not expected in Hungary in the way it is in the US. Service is included in the price of your meal. Servers will gladly accept anything more you wish to give them, but will not resent you for "stiffing" them because they do not have that concept in Hungary. Locals give small tips or, quite often, no tip. as I said, tips are not particularly expected.

I think laartita's attitude, while generous, is inappropriate. It takes no account of the Hungarian way of doing things. How would it go down in NYC if a Hungarian followed his or her local tradition and gave no tip or even something of the order of 5%?

Don't worry about communication. Most servers have enough English for simple transactions. If your bill comes to, say, 14000 Ft and you tell the server to take 15000 Ft you will be understood.

Well Padrig, unfortunatly for the waiters and waitresses in the US that is the case more often than not. Europeans for the most part do not tip or leave a few coins as to round up if any. I should know. I worked as a server and bartender for 8 years thru college and grad program and often got stiffed by foreigners, as did everyone I know who has worked in food service. I'm sure the Hungarian servers don't find me innappropriate. See Ken I told you others would pipe in with their opinions. Do what you are comfortable with.

I think this is one of the points of fodors.com. We ought to be defining how to behave and deal with problems as they should be dealt with to the maximum benefit of all and to the retention of cultural difference ( you know take nothing but photos and leave nothing but footprints) hence we should advise correct tipping in all areas not this is what I do at home so I will do it here. After all if I do what I do at home in a strange place I will damage the strange place.

When I go to the states I grit my teeth and pay the tip. When I'm with American's (like 2 weekends ago in Paris) I gently explain without condeming.

I don't see overtipping if thats what I'm doing as a problem. Really how is that hurting a server? In the US servers get paid way below minumum wage and depend on their tips. If every foreigner so called behved the way you do when you visit waiters/waitresses would not cringe when they are sat a party from certain countries knowing they are going to work their asses off for NO TIP. And if you read my original reply carefully I said take what I say with a grain of salt and that's just me. Sorry I'm not changing my ways, I've been on the other side of that tray.

You clearly feel strongly about this and I respect your views.

I also respect the various waiters in france (and one in Hungary) who patiently explained to me that they are professional waiters and do not espect to get a tip. One said "do you tip your lawyer?".

I like to tip in Europe and GB -- I have never gotten a disapproving sneer or had it handed back to me, and my server actually smiled at me once in London.

It seems that most of you who answered seem to say that they don't expect a tip, but it's a nice thing to do if one wishes. I've also heard that some places the tip is not included but in some it is. Will the menu say that the tip is included?

Again, what about bathrooms?

Sometimes it might say tip included, you can also ask. In Budapest in most restaurants there is at least one person who speaks English. As far as bathrooms I don't recall seeing any attendents.

I think I understand laartista's position now: when Europeans go to America, it is better if they do things the American way; When Americans go to Europe, it is better if they do things the American way.

Let me suggest another point of view: overtipping by large amounts is culturally insensitive and many (including sone service staff) see it as vulgar.

LOL That's classic- vulgar. Well like I said my family is from Budapest they don't see it that way- I think that may just be your personal opinion. Hey, we can't all agree so I agree to disagree on this one.

Laartista, please, don't be so generous with tips here in Spain..maybe you will have some not funny surprises.
Many barmans or waiters here are professional people doing his work for lots of years and they get very annoyed when you tip them a big amount because they think you are mistaken them for a non professional one who needs the tip :) Also, at the Corte Ingles cafeteria they are not allowed to keep tips..so if you leave it at the table, the people sitting there after you will probably find it...

I gotta say I find this amusing. In all my years of travel I have never been given a sneer or a bad response to leaving a tip. What I have gotten is a thank you and a smile everytime. It's not like I'm leaving a 50% tip. LOL. Look I end up chatting with almost every service person I encounter, am I over friendly, I don't think so, I just like talking to different people I find it interesting. The day I encounter someone being insulted by me leaving a tip is the day I'll re-assess my ways. Until then I'll continue to be me- seems to working for me so far.

You have to be you, always !! and please don't change :) But I found the one who got insulted ...and he was the one who explained me that... he added that I shouldn't tip a person that probably earns more money than I , finally we had a nice conversation :)

A specific answer to kenav's question: the inclusion of 10% SC is fairly standard in Hungary. Some menus mention it, but I am not sure that all of them do. But it's charged and included in the headline price.

We followed the local custom of rounding up. However, we were negatively impacted by others using the American custom of tipping at the very touristy Gerbaud's where a service charge is included. We received poor service but still left a tip by rounding upwards, equal to about 5%. The waitress looked at our money and sneered, "is that all?" despite this being the local custom. Obviously she was expecting us as Americans to tip much more.
We were so disgusted by this behavior that we changed our plans of returning.

Please observe local customs on tipping. Yes, exceptional service may deserve more. But overtipping can negatively impact other tourists and change behavior of the servers for the worst.

Just got back from Budapest. We tipped around 10% because that's what's I'd read in my guidebook was customary.

If "service" was detailed out on the bill, then we did not tip, but it certainly was not included every place we went.

We were always given change, so we never had to tell them how much to keep. I think every server we came into contact with spoke some English.

I'm uncomfortable with "rounding up" because that could turn out to equal about 12 cents and I think that would be insulting. And I certainly don't see how tipping 10% on a $12 cafe check would be over-tipping or insulting to anyone.

Rarely were there restroom attendants, and if there were, they were ususally in public restrooms which charged an entrance fee.

Thank you Pedraig and Kristina.

Funny, just got a hold of "Lonely Planet Budapest" and they claim that in Budapest (compared to the rest of Hungary) a tip is expected!

Could get you crazy!

Laartista said,"In the US servers get paid way below minimum wage"
Not true. In my state with a population of more than 36 million, it is against the law to pay less than minimum wage ,currently $7.00 per hour,for any job.No exceptions allowed.

Having served as a waiter, I feel qualified to wonder if the waitstaff smiles AT, rather than UPON,'aartista'.
I've smiled at people while thinking 'how ignorant can you be'. The comment about tipping the lawyer is relevant.If the waiter is getting 15€/hour, +10% SC from several tables, then gets "round-up" tips, why would a waiter NOT be inclined to think,"dumb Yank, doesn't even know our culture is different here"?

True, those minimum wage laws vary by state in the US, it isn't Federal. However, there are only a few that do require restaurant servers to be paid the minimum wage. Some do, however, I think that is very enlightened, but I know most US citizens don't even know that and tip the same regardless of state. I don't even know who all they are (but mine is not one), but I think they are all out West (California, Alaska, Oregon and Washington states used to be ones).

Trust me noone is thinking dumb yank! I am sure they are not thinking dumb yank or merely smiling AT my Hungarian mother when SHE is tipping them. Boy, maybe you all are afraid you'll just seem cheap. Believe me there are plenty of people here in the states that don't tip at home either because they are cheap or don't believe in gratuities. I don't judge them on this board. Yet I am being judged for being generous.LOL And Yes, sorry to say LOVEJOY in most states servers are paid way below minimum wage. I know that is the fact here in NY now and it was when I worked. I find it hysterical and laugh at those of you who must attack my charachter because I tip. That should be the worst thing I ever do is be A GOOD TIPPER!

Well, I know if I am the wait staff (fortunately, never had the privilege), I would appreciate a tip and a friendly smile.

It seems forgotten that the subject of this post is "tipping in Budapest", not 'tipping idiosyncracies of the American scene'.

laartista, do you think that I am attacking your character? I don't think that I am. I happen to disagree with you about a particular point of behaviour, that's all.

nibblette's post indicated how overtipping by some people can distort a situation. Gerbeaud's caters almost exclusively for tourists, and it seems that at least one person can testify that local customs can be messed up by tourists. [That particular one is not a problem for me because I don't much like Gerbeaud's. Been there, done that, not interested in going back.]

Kristina, you were probably mistaken. Whether or not it is separately detailed, the 10% SC is there. Where you saw it detailed, I suspect that it was not in addition to the price given on the menu, but the menu price broken down into its component parts. You are more likely to see it where the bill is produced by a machine that can be programmed to do the sums.

I agree with you about the rounding up. it can sometimes leave ridiculously small margins. But it's not that tight a protocol. If a bill comes to 19950 Ft, you can hand over 21000 Ft and that will be fine. Even handing over 20000 Ft is acceptable. Bear in mind always that servers are paid a living wage, and tips are extra and not needed.

Well I don't know, calling me culturally insensitive and my behavior vulgar is kind of attacking me and my character. Personally I don't care how others do it. I'm not saying that it should be done the American way here and there I'm saying I live and conduct myself with what makes me comfortable. I am well travelled and ALWAYS have great and interesting experiences when I am far from home and I attribute that to the way I handle myself, the fact that I'm open and THAT'S my character. I never said to use MY way of tipping as a guideline, I simply said that's what I do. For those that disagree, well too bad LOL, do what you want but I will not let anyone tell me how I should tip. It's my perogative.

laartista, I never called you culturally insenstive. I described one behaviour as culturally insensitive and said that some people would see it as vulgar. There is a difference between disagreeing with one aspect of a person's behaviour and attacking that person.

I'm not telling you what to do. I very rarely tell anybody what to do (and then usually when I am paying that person). What I am interested here is in helping kenav and others who go to Budapest to make their own decisions about tipping there. kenav clearly wants to do things in a way that would be considered appropriate in Hungary. I think that is a good starting point in deciding what to do.

Padraig-I'm going to respectfully disagree. I looked on both menus and checks for a 10% service charge and rarely saw one listed. If it was, we did not tip, or we just rounded up. If it wasn't, then we tipped about 10%.
If it was built into the menu prices, then wouldn't it say so on the menu?

It is possible that in some of the cafes where we just had pastry and coffee (and never saw a menu) that it was included and we "over tipped" by about $1, but honestly, I don't think that's going to shatter the natural order of things in Budapest.

However, I am going to check later today with my mother. For our more expensive meals, she paid with a creit card and has the detailed receipts. I will look to see what's on them.

I also have a feeling that it's possible things are changing there, especially in touristed areas. For example, we took a voucher taxi from the airport. There was a sign in the taxi in 4 languages that said, "tip for driver not included in price". And before you say it, yes, taxis are not resturants. :-)

To put this in some sort of context, the adult minimum wage in the U.K. is currently £5.35, which is equivalent to about $10.38.

We basically rounded up. No bad looks, including at Gerbauds. By the way, we liked the quality and selection of pasteries just down the Vaci Utca, at the ground floor of the Hotel Taverna better than Gerbauds. I wrote the name of the shop down in a trip report, but can't remember it now It doesn't have that grand atmosphere but it had better service.

On the tipping customs across various countries - aren't you pretty much paying the tip regardless of what system it is? You can pay it seperately or it's built into the cost of the bill anyway (either cost of food or a service charge). It's not like anyone is getting off paying the cost of labor, no matter where you eat. In the US, the choice is yours and so favors the customer. In Europe, the wages of the employee (and frankly, the restaurant owner), are protected. Although I see both sides, I think I like the Euro way better on this one, as the pay what you owe system works just fine for other services. I'd hate to see tipping get so commonplace here in the US that other types of employers use the same rationale to become exempt from the minimum wage laws.

In the US, for those states that don't have a mandatory state minimum, I believe that federal law requires that the employer make up the difference when an employee's wages + declared tips fall short of the federal minimum wage. A prime reason you often see a little mini-version of socialism within capitalism, with mandatory tip pooling being common here. Of course, none of that has anything at all to do with Budapest.

Clifton - Was the cafe the Zsolnay? (I think that's the spelling)

kenav - yes, that was it. Zsolnay Kave Haz

Just came back form Budapest. Had a wonderful time.

OK - the tipping. We found that if the tip was included, on the receipt/bill it would generally say "service" and have an amount that would be equal to 10% of the bill. For example: Total = 3800 HUF, Service = 380 HUF. If it didn't have this, the service wasn't included. It was really easy. Only in one restaurant, when the service fee was included, did it amount to 12%.

If we had any questions, we would just ask if the service was included.

No problems.

kenav, I'm glad you had a great time, and that tipping did not cause you any headaches.

Are you going to give us a more detailed report on how you enjoyed your visit to one of my favourite European cities?

I'll give a summary of our (my husband and my) trip to Budapest.

It's a much bigger city than I thought it would be. Arriving by taxi from the airport to see the Buda hills coming ever closer (we stayed at the Bellevue B&B in Buda) was a "wow" factor. Pictures don't do it justice.

After a week, I feel I just scratched the surface of this city. (Well, we did spend 1 1/2 days in Eger, a town 2 1/2 hours outside of Budapest, during that time.) There is so much to see and do.

The thing that impressed both of us the most was the architecture. There are thousands of beautiful buildings, with many still in dire need of restoration. But you can see the loveliness of those through the grime. Many have been or are in the process of being restored. We saw so much work being done all over the city.

People were very nice to us and the food portions were enormous.

I do have to put a plug in for a small restaurant in the Buda/Castle Hill section that was near our B&B. We decided on a whim (and from being very tired from our long day) to just eat near "home". So we went into this little restaurant called "Hunydai ". All I have to say is that it was perhaps the best meal we have ever had. The quality was exceptional. A meal like this in NYC (my home town) would probably be prohibitively expensive. Here, two drinks, one appetizer, 2 entrees and one dessert came to US$58 including service and tax. Conversely, our last night we ate at "Spoon", a restaurant on the Danube and pretty damn expensive. The food was just so-so (although the dessert was really something else - sour cherry ice cream in a nest of flakey pastry with honey and raspberry culee.) Not worth the money even though you get a great view. Go there for drinks, not dinner.

We saw much, but do have to tell you all of the following (especially as we are Americans): We went to the Opera House and saw the National Ballet doing their version of "Gone with the Wind" - we kid you not! Hungarians in black face playing Mammy and another slave were a bit too much. And the Confederate soldiers doing a line dance with Russian folk steps was more than amusing. (Did the Russians invade the South we wondered?) Otherwise, the dancing, especially by "Scarlett" was on the whole very good and just to view anything in this amazing House was a treat. (I'm a former professional dancer.)

I hope we get a chance to go back to Budapest and do things we never got to do. Again, so much to do, so little (one week) time.

If you haven't been there - go! But give yourself time.

Kenav, do you remember the address for Hunydai?

Hi - It's actually on a street of the same name: Hunyadi J. (I spelled it incorrectly in my last post, sorry). This street is a continuation of Szabo Ilonica Utca which runs parallel and below Fisherman's Bastion. If you look on a map of that area you should see it.

It's such a charming neighborhood. Are you staying around there? They also serve lunch - when we were there they had a sign that said 30% off at lunch.

By the way - I tried looking the restaurant up on the web - but there's no web site for it. (It's a small restaurant.) There is a pension which has a restaurant by the same name in Hungary, but that's not it.

Each one can do what he feels .., But I go with the old proverb in Rome do as Romans do.
I would like to tell a short real story of something that happened to my parents while visiting Spain after World War II. (1948 to be exact)
They were driving in Castille, it was very hot, suddenly they see this girl about 12 years old, by a lonely house in a small village and she was selling lemonade.
Of course they stopped and took several glasses of delicious home made lemonade. When my Father asked how much it was, she asked for such a small amount that my Father left much more. One would call it a generous tip.-
My parents were about to leave when the Fahter of the girl knocked their car's window and very simply with some hand language invited them into the very humble house. There he opened a cupboard and poured them a glass of anis. It was all he had, that and his PRIDE.
This TRUE story I believe is a wonderful story that many of us should try to understand.