Tipping in France: Are card machine tip requests going too far?

Following our recent article on the rise of tipping via payment terminals in France, readers have written in to share their experiences:

To the Editor,

Any restaurant that hands me a payment machine asking whether I would like to add a service charge never receives a tip from me.

It is sheer cheek. Service is part and parcel of the transaction - customers are not expected to go into the kitchen and collect their own food.

I only leave a tip if both the food and service are exemplary, and no request for one is made.

M.R. by email

To the Editor,

Because of the obligatory 15% service charge, we never give additional tips.

Terminals asking whether you would like to add a tip have been used in France for some time. The newer machines proposing different pre-programmed amounts feel like an aggressive way of collecting extra money, and we therefore always decline.

O.M. by email

To the Editor,

Four of us recently dined at a very well-known top restaurant in Nice, where the food and drinks are exceptional.

The bill came to €700 and included a mandatory service charge. Given that we had ordered a considerable amount of expensive alcohol - which was also included in the calculation - the sum attributed to service was already substantial.

After I paid, the waiter approached and asked whether there had been anything “wrong” with the service. I replied, “No - why do you ask?” He said that the fact I had not left an additional tip suggested otherwise.

Were it not for my affection for this particular restaurant, I would not return. It was an unpleasant experience, and I felt made to feel small for no reason. It was wrong of him to comment.

M.S. by email

Have you noticed increased pressure to leave a tip in France? Let us know at letters@connexionfrance.com