Server or WaiterWhen you go out to eat at a sit-down restaurant, you should tip 20%. And if you really want to be generous, go for the 25% mark. Remember: Most servers make around $2 per hour, so they're counting on those tips to make ends meet.
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London restaurants commonly include a 12.5 percent service charge in the bill; if so, it's not necessary to tip at all. (But if the bill in a British restaurant shows no service charge, tip 10–12 percent for good service — a little more than you would on the continent.)
Recommended tip: 10-15%Unlike most cities worldwide, tipping in London is not expected or essential. However, the general advice is to leave between 10–15 per cent of the bill, particularly when dining at a full-service restaurant.
Tipping in Spain works differently: The customer actually has the option to not leave any tip at all. However, restaurants expect a 10% tip on each bill—although it's not a formal rule, and that percentage is much lower than tipping practices in other countries.
Restaurant tips are more modest in Europe than in America. At restaurants, check the menu to see if service is included; if it isn't, a tip of 5–10 percent is normal. In most places, 10 percent is a big tip. If your bucks talk at home, muzzle them on your travels.
Unlike some countries you do not have to tip in the UK. However, there are some unsaid social rules about leaving a tip. For example, if you take a taxi it is normal practice to round up the fare to the nearest pound.
The expectation does vary from place to place - in fine dining restaurants where you receive personal service, a tip would always be expected (while never compulsory, it would be considered rude unless there was a problem with the service), whereas in the most casual of restaurants tipping is not universal.
It's not uncommon to see gratuities of between 30% and 50% from these travelers. If you leave tips like that, then you can safely consider yourself in the overtipper category. Is there such a thing as being too generous? says Samantha Lambert, the director of human resources for a media company in New York.
For starters, here's a simple rule for restaurant tipping: Leave 15 to 20 percent of the pretax total of your bill. Don't dip below 15 percent unless the service has been abysmal—and never skip a tip.
Tipping servers in restaurants and cafés in Spain, while appreciated, isn't mandatory. It's tough for Americans to get used to not leaving a tip, but locals generally don't leave anything extra at all in more casual eateries. In fine-dining restaurants, a tip may already be included in the check.