Is tipping deemed necessary or just courteous? A Redditor recently asked if there’s a “tipping culture” in South Africa after dining at a few restaurants and never paying a tip.
“I’ve always assumed that tipping was more of an American thing,” u/UBC145 said.
“However, I recently visited a restaurant that insisted that I give a 10% tip. I had no problem paying the extra 10%, but I’d just like to know if I was in the wrong to avoid any future problems.
“Thanks
“Edit: Thanks for responding, all of you. Needless to say, I intend on tipping next time. I’ll take this a learning opportunity,” the post reads.
The Reddit community were quick to weigh in as lexylexylexy said “A lot of waiters ONLY earn tips. Tip 10% as a minimum, and any more for good service” while Adorable_Albatross94 spoke from a point of experience by saying “I’m a big tipper but it’s because I use to be a bartender at weddings and a local bar so I know how much a good tip can change the game”.
Here are a few more responses:
“Definitely tip. I usually go for about 15% unless something went wrong and then I tip 10%.
“Tip other people in the service industry too not just waiters” – Vonnybon.
“Tipping is a huge part of South African culture, and it’s considered to be quite rude if one doesn’t tip” – ruby_meister.
“I worked as a waiter in Cape Town for five years and I can tell you that we mostly survive on tips. Minimum wage is not nearly enough to survive on alone. While I understand the problem with tipping culture, by not tipping, the only person being screwed over is the underpaid employee. 10% should be the minimum always,” – 4ChanTheRapper.
This positive response to tipping culture was more than enough to convince the Redditor that most South Africans are eager to tip when they can.
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