This is a hot topic, particularly in The States.
Not all countries practice tipping. Some find it offensive and it can even be a very delicate dance in others.
The rules from country to country vary, but I tried to generalize the list as much as possible. I basically broke it down to is tipping, in general a custom in this country, yes or no?
Tipping Countries :
Brazil
Canada
Chile
Egypt
Ethiopia
Germany
Ireland
Israel
Mexico
Netherlands
Norway
Russia
Serbia
South Africa
United Kingdom
United States
Not wanting to embarrass myself or our lovely waitress, I sauntered over to two blond young ladies about our age sitting across the quiet little bistro. I asked them if it was customary to tip here and they both stared at me with wide eyes.
"We are from Switzerland, so we are just as lost as you are."
Oh god dammit.
I slunk back to our table, turning red. Eventually, I worked up the courage to just ask the waitress. Yes, they do tip in the UK...and generally only in cash. It's not like in the states where you can just tip on the receipt. They don't do that.
Cue Han having to go find an atm. Yeah. Embarrassing.
Learn from our mistake.
Bring cash to tip at restaurants in the UK.
Non-tipping Countries:
Australia
China
Croatia
Estonia
France
Hong Kong
Italy
Japan
Malaysia
New Zealand
Paraguay
Singapore
Spain
South Korea
Switzerland
Until next time,
Lulu