"Gratuity is not included"

Guest   Mon Aug 18, 2008 4:59 am GMT
I'm a bartender and server at an airport, and french people (europeans in general, but french people are the worst offenders) do not tip. They snap their fingers and expect you to do cartwheels to serve them, but leave you not a penny - even on large tabs.

Anyway, I was thinking that Its probably a cultural difference, or maybe they wrongly assume that tip is automatically included, since many of them are very nice and go out of their way to thank me, but still leave nothing. So I wan't to ask, how do you say, "gratuity is not included" in french (and other languages), so I can have it printed out on checks, because i can't take this anymore.


...thanks in advace.
greg   Mon Aug 18, 2008 8:29 am GMT
En France, le service (forfaitairement égal à 15 % de la note) est **OBLIGATOIREMENT*** inclus dans le prix à payer, même si le client est déçu du service. C'est sans doute la raison pour laquelle certains se refusent à laissent un pourboire en espèces, qui alors signifierait une rémunération du service supérieure à 15 % du prix facturé au client.

Cela dit il est courant de laisser un pourboire en France. Il est tout aussi courant de ne rien laisser du tout.

Pour traduire <gratuity is not included>, je proposerais <la gratuité n'est pas comprise dans le prix> (ironique) ou <service non-compris> (factuel).
Guest   Mon Aug 18, 2008 7:11 pm GMT
Yup, "Service non-compris" is the traditional, clearest translation. "La gratuité n'est pas comprise dans le prix" might be more sarcastic but not as clear, and because it is unusual it might even be confusing.
Uriel   Mon Aug 25, 2008 4:16 am GMT
No one is ever required to leave a tip, no matter how good the service. It's simply a matter od custom and politeness.
Another Guest   Sat Aug 30, 2008 9:46 pm GMT
"Wan't?"
Poster0   Fri Sep 12, 2008 9:12 am GMT
Is that always true?
JF   Fri Sep 12, 2008 1:21 pm GMT
Although not required, but the waiters and waiteresses really depend on tips as an income (since in the USA, servers do not follow the minimum wage level), especially if the service is good. Leaving nothing would send the wrong message to the server that s/he may be doing a shitty job (no tip or a few pennies could mean a really crappy service). I cannot stomach not tipping people and I always feel bad if I am short on change.

"Service non-inclus (15%)" and a good old "Merci" next to it.
Jim   Wed Sep 24, 2008 1:08 am GMT
It is acultural difference.
Guest   Thu Sep 25, 2008 7:30 am GMT
Money grabbing waiters/servers always claiming poverty while they are raking it in.
Guest   Thu Sep 25, 2008 9:51 am GMT
I learned this lesson from an Austrian friend that studied in USA; he didn't tip at bar first time, and received no service from same bar entire 7 months there.

if you get Czech/Slovak customer: "Ucet nema spropitne"; still you may need to just explain the idea. In the Czech Republic, at least, leaving a donation is normally from laziness and not gratitude. "oh, it is 138 Czk; well here is 150" sort of like English "keep the change"
Guest   Thu Sep 25, 2008 6:23 pm GMT
<<No one is ever required to leave a tip, no matter how good the service. It's simply a matter od custom and politeness. >>

In the U.S it pratically is, and in many places management will come after you if you stiff your waiter with no tip.

Gratuity is never included here, and you have to pay for the service.

If you don't want to tip, get take out; don't sit down and expect to be waited on for free.
Guest   Thu Sep 25, 2008 7:04 pm GMT
Ironically the custom of tipping waiters was started by the French.
Clark   Fri Sep 26, 2008 2:35 am GMT
Just buy in the supermarket