In Paris, if you see tartare on the menu for 15€, that’s the price you’re ultimately going to pay. Sales tax and service are already included in menu prices, which is a big difference between France and other countries. Still, there are some subtleties about tipping in Paris that you should know before you go.
In France, servers in Paris are paid a living wage with health benefits, and aren’t making their wages through tips. But it is customary to leave a little something at a restaurant, bar or café. This is known in France as a pourboire, which translates literally as “to drink.”
How much should you leave? You’ll rarely see a Parisian leaving more than a 10% tip at a restaurant. Tips aren’t really calculated as a percentage of the bill, the way they are in other countries. In Paris, a 5€ note is often left for two people at dinner, and a 10€ note is often left for a group of four. I often leave 50€ when visiting fine dining restaurants where both the bill and the level of service are more substantial.
In practice, the size of the tip is often a function of how much cash people can cobble together. In the United States, it’s possible to add a tip after payment with a credit or debit card. Until very recently, that hasn’t been possible in France. Tips are generally made in cash, unless your language skills are good enough to ask the server to round up before processing the payment (i.e. if your bill is 55€, you can ask them to process it at 60€).
Very recently, a small but growing number of restaurants have adopted payment systems that allow guests to add a tip before the payment is processed. I’ve heard mixed reactions from diners about this. Some people have assumed that this is some sort of scam directed at tourists because locals would never tip 20%. It’s true that these machines are popping up more often in restaurants with an international clientele – including many on our list of 50 Favorite Restaurants in Paris – but nobody’s forcing you to tip 20%.
Personally, I love this new option for tipping in Paris. I’m often scrambling to fish out enough 2€ coins from the bottom of my purse to compile an acceptable tip. I feel no shame whatsoever in choosing the lowest option (often 5%) or tapping “autre” and entering a custom amount.
So modest tips are are the norm in Paris, and you shouldn’t feel anxious about leaving something small. You might, however, might consider rewarding servers who went out of their way to help you translate the menu or kitchens who handled special requests, especially since tips are usually pooled by the entire team.
Parisians almost never ask for accommodation or substitutions, so a team that helps you to navigate the menu or your dietary issues or a French menu is going beyond the usual call of duty. A traveler who tips well is paying it forward for the next foreigner who needs some extra assistance.
