Giving tips in Poland

No, in English.

he didn't really mean anything by it, it was a mixture of him not being able to understand I found his over-friendliness annoying and bad paralinguistics/intonation etc.

That's probably the issue. But I know a few exceptions that may keep the balance :)


I'd put it for his lack of awareness and no knowledge of intercultural differences. He probably intended it to mean: "oh, so you must already know a lot by now" - without meaning anything wrong. What he didn't know was that it could've sounded exactly like you recieved it. And (I'm almost afraid to ask)... did you leave him any tip? :))))

I have found the exceptions are increasing in number too. I think opening up to a wider tourist market has had a very positive effect on service here. An easy example is to go to a bar in Rynek Głowny (Kraków) or Kazimierz then go out to one of the places in the suburbs...they are worlds away from each other.

Yes, I think we can make this generalisation. But still there's quite to learn for some - even in restaurants in the very centre.

I think they make some decent tips:)

I remember when I lived in Florida, all the restaurants would add a 15% gratuity to the bill as soon as they heard a Eurp accent. They are notorious No- tippers! They play dumb like they dont understand but we all know its BS. Yet, when you go to Europe its ridiculously expensive.

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Yup,euros are so cheap man I tell you, when I had the bar on friday and saturday bartenders would work for 50c an hour,buthey took home 500 to 1k a night on tips.I remember they would really not even serve a euro for hours for there drink and I didnt care as they would sit with a drink for an hour or sneak in there own drink(mostly brit shi.ts & ruskis) in the glass.In Poland when you pay by card there is not even a note for tip to be left on the slip,either you leave cash or skip the tip,I guess a euro custom.

When I bartended in Florida, if a Euro doesnt tip for a drink good luck getting another one anytime soon. lol You'll always be the last one waiting at the bar and will get weak drinks

It actually pays off if you take care of the bartender.They will buy you a few drinks after awhile, Euros have No concept of how anything works in the US, they think they do.

@Joker
And I prefere "Happy Hour" 18,00 - 19,00 h. Every drink for a half price and no tips.

We have Happy Hours 1/2 price too:)

A lot of hot Polish girls bartend in Chicago or used too. I havent been inside a bar for a long time.

I lived in both and it's just a different culture - I normally tip my bartender in Poland maybe 10 zloty when I settle up but it's certainly not expected. Doesn't make us "cheap" - barkeeps in Europe have minimum wages and social security (at least they are supposed to)

I'm sure there are the odd bartenders who can make a few hundred bucks a night in NY or Chicago - it's a lot less in small town North Carolina and I'm sure if asked most of them, students and young moms, would prefer a regular wage

Barbers, restaurants, bars where you open a bill. All need a tip. Between 10 and 20 złotych is always very well received. Most Poles would tip less.

Much less is being a bit of a cheapskate, More is too much, though sometimes I've tipped 50 for a big meal with guests and occasionally 30 of it was rounding a bill up.

It isn't like America where service staff depend on tips, can be fired at a whim and have to pay money if they need to see a doctor.

@jon357
Depends on popularity of the place too, I was surprised how much a bartender in a popular place can earn in tips. Especially from tourists

In places like the starówka they make quite a bit of money on tips, however in some tourist joints I gather the restaurant/bar owner withholds them from the staff.

I'm more likely to be generous at a place where people don't tip much. I'd rather be generous to a poorer person who could really do with the money than a hipster who rakes in the tips for poor service mixing ironic cocktails or slowly serving disgusting 'craft beer' for other hipsters. Although in swanky places it does look bad if you don't tip.

It's always important to tip in cash so the owner can't skim it. The tax office too.

I remember when the best option was to hand it directly to the server (apart from settling the bill)

This was weird since the US practice was (still is?) to leave it under the edge of a plate.

I do that sometimes. or just put a rounded up amount in the vinyl bill thingy and say thanks.

In the UK, waiters are taxed on a notional amount in tips (in posh places anyway) so it's good to give a real cash tip.

That's what I do too (or just tell them how much change I want back (say 20 back from a 100 on a 72 zl bill)*

*US readers, that's not cheap in Poland where 10% is quite sufficient (traditionally it's not really a tipping culture, unlike say Hungary where'd you'd better tip if you know what's good for you....)

@mafketis
Which is a small pity cause the working staff expects small tips regardless of service. So there is very small incentive to look good/present oneself better in any way.

I do try to tip according to service... but the degree to which Poland isn't a real tipping culture can be demonstrated by the time I took a taxi and the driver thought the tip was too big and wouldn't take it all... (IIRC the fare was around 13 and it had been bad weather so I just gave him a 20 and told him to keep it)

Also, delivery guys. I always tip delivery guys (depending on size of package) and half the time I have to call them back as they usually hand over the package and head for the hills....

What is weird with the US bartenders is that you pay as you go along and then have to tip as you go along, and that's the guys above say, then unless you are constantly handing over a couple of bucks for every drink you end up getting bad service.

But that is arse about face - the idea of the tip is as a thank you for service, not as a bribe to be served quickly later on in the evening.

I remember being in a bar there where they just served the drinks and the customers who were sitting at the bar (i.e. most of them) put the money in front of them on the bar and left it in a pile to be collected when they left. I'd never seen that before (and haven't since). That was in New York, lower Manhattan.


The same. Service in Poland can still be pretty bad though, sometimes shockingly bad.

Plenty of shanty bars there esp in that gay village area.gays there are known to boot and not pay when it gets crowded,I had a bartender from there who told me


There is a bar culture and most bars do it all you gotta say is"can you run my tab",you pay once and tip once.


Its usually on the house,after every 3 drinks fourth one is on the house.Then depends on the bartender(if he hopes or knows you will tip lol)or you can even ask ,he will just put a shot glass upside down in front of you and you can ask for your free drink putting it upright

Whatever floats your boat.

Tipping is important though, even in Poland. It's always good to keep restaurant staff on your side, just in case of any mishaps.

That is true.


That is not true.

Thats not the way it worked in England though but changes are coming.
These new measures will apply to England, Scotland and Wales once parliamentary approval has been secured.
Commenting on Monday, Kevin Hollinrake, business and trade minister said: "It is not right for employers to withhold tips from their hard-working employees.
That would NEVER happen in the U.S.A. or someone would get shot dead.

It's also rare (as is tiupping other than rounding up by 10% or so, however as a new phenomenon (anti-worker) that capitalists are exploiting, it's good that the government are preventing it.


Gun proliferation is obviously bad, however surely it's better for workers to receive a good wage rather than depend on goodwill.

I don't see any change coming to the various tipping cultures of Europe.