We found a nice little Thai restaurant for lunch with a friendly waitress and tasty food. The problem only came when we went to pay our bill. What is customary for gratuity? We consulted our trusty guidebook and found that tipping is generally not done at all. Only at fancy restaurants with exceptional service does anyone tip, and even then only at 5-10%.
Afraid to believe the book, we leaned over to a lady at the next table, confessed our Yank status, and asked her. Same thing. No tip. Hmm...
She saw the pained look on my face, "Really?" "Yes, really." She tried to console me in the fact that there is a tax assessed on each and every meal purchased in NZ that goes to the government. I think she thought I was disappointed at getting off cheap at lunch. We thanked her for the explanation. I left two dollars on the table anyway and we left.
2 comments:
You made it! I'm glad to see you two are off to a good start with your travelog.
I've gotta say, it doesn't take long to get used to the no tipping thing. I'm loving it here in Oz! When you feel guilty, don't forget that the waiters actaully get paid a decent wage, unlike in the US. Glad to hear you're there safe and sound!
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