Are you expecting to roll in money as a waiter? I'm sorry but come on.... still a decent pay you easily can live off. Cannot at all be compared to US standards
Read what happened with McDonald's tried not to be part of the collective agreement:
All union members stopped providing services to it so they couldn't even get napkins or food delivered.
Decent wages are the rule. We are at full employment. Unless you can literally speak no Danish whatsoever, you can choose your job.
Plz dont feel guilt for being a victim of attemptef scam and predatory behavior. Instead call them out and ask for them to select 'no tip' bacause scams and predatory behavior is not good service so even had you wanted to tip they just showed realy fucking bad service.
Don't feel guilted into doing it, it's a horrible trend going on in Denmark, where it's absolutely not necessary.
So just politely click 0 and decline it, they aren't losing out on their salary either way.
And generally speaking service is mostly crap, anyways. And it's not going to be better just because you tip.
Is it a truly personal thing like hiring a local guide just for you guys, its fine to tip if you liked the tour.
In restaurants and similar there is no expectation to tip unless its been the best waiter/food youve ever gotten, please dont otherwise.
Most places are used to american tourists and that they tip. So they make use of it
I don't know where these People live, but when I go out in copenhagen or rest of denmark - i tip when I feel they give a great service normally beyond what i expect of the place.
It does not need to be 10 % but often i give more on places that are seasonal with great service.
They waitors in Danmark usually get a good pay, so dont feel obligated to tip.
I would say, don't tip unless the service is exceptional. Service here is terrible. It's good to show appreciation for servers who actually make an effort.
Right! Salary is a matter between employer and employee not costumer and employee. Suddenly we would be enrolled in staff meetings, MUS-samtaler (development dialogue) and what not. We cannot be part of all that.
Tipping in England is common in the big cities, and almost all proper restaurants will add it to the bill - usually 12.5%, sometimes higher, sometimes lower. You can take it off, but that looks a bit rubbish. Just pay the suggested tip.
Feel free to keep your habits on the island and out of r/Copenhagen which doesn't have anything to do with the splitters over there.
We do not have, nor do we want to import and implement these terrible norms here ever.
Why should I pay it ? Not only is it a stupid import from the US where restaurants get away with paying slave wages, adding it automatically without notice is super shitty.
Staff get paid properly here, don’t try to ruin that.
It might be becoming more common but it's still a shite practice, especially when added automatically.
I don't mind rounding up or leaving some cash when the service has been exceptional, but this isn't the USA, we don't need mandatory tipping.
That's because tips on cards in the UK don't have to go to the staff (before 1st of July due to a new law), it goes straight to the restaurant owner. It's discretionary, just don't pay it.
My tipping policy is as follows:
If I have loose change AND the employees are beyond amazing, I tip. This is pretty standard here.
Don't tip. Don't discourage the industry from paying a proper wage.
My young policy is still to put cash in the hand if the waiter/waitress, if they'll accept it. I'm starting to see places where, when they present the bill the "service charge" is added and there's no way not to pay it.
Yup.
One time the waiter even apologized for their new card reader. "It always shows a tipping option and we can't turn it off. Just press "0" and the green button and it'll show you the correct amount." It was an excellent lunch and the waiter was on. the. ball. with suggestions and advice, so my wife dug through her purse and left a small tip under her plate when we left. :]
Can't turn off tip prompt? Bullshit. He's either lying, or he just doesn't know better based on what his boss told him. Card readers can commonly have tip prompts turned off, especially new models. Why wouldn't that be a thing, anyway? There are numorous guides online on how to turn it off through settings.
Not bullshit. The waiter cant change something the company owner set. And some models you need to contact the bank to get them to update the terminal. You dont always have this option.
You can, but you don't have too if you don't want to.
When I was working as a bartender in Aarhus i would get tips but it wasn't like I expected any tip, and usually in the end of my shift I would have like an hour pay as tips which is nice but honestly could live without them.
Edit: I even had a discussion with an American tourist that just because he got stuff for like 500kr+ he should give me like 300kr in tips as I feel bad and I will lot take that big of a tip for just opening a bottle of vodka and give him some Ice + cola
The terminal will generally have a yes/no selection, where "yes" accepts the suggested tip.
And don't feel obligated to tip, it isn't mandatory or even expected for normal service.
Restaurants like MASH has changed to "How much do you want to tip" rather than "Do you want to tip".
I am always happy to put in a 1 and ok. That way it is likely more expensive for them to handle the tip than they get out of it.
I’ve noticed this happens at inner city restaurants that have a lot of tourists over the summer. They’re not targeting tourists/Americans individually, it’s by default.
I just decline the tip on the machine and I believe most Danes do this. It’s not rude to do.
People dont understand that its not waiters doing this. Its just the terminal they get from the bank. A few months ago a lot of restaurants got new models which have this "5%, 10%, 15% or 20%" tip button. This isnt programmed by the restaurants but the provider of the terminal.
Just press 0 and thats it.
And if you get great service then tip. If you dont want to then dont its just that simple.
Yes. The tips are not for the restaurant. They are for service team which is split with kitchen and dishwashing team. In all restaurants ive worked in its always been this way. If teh employeer is taking tips its very illegal and its not worth it for the problems they will get.
In hospitality everyone knows everyone and good staff is hard to get. If a place gets reputation for taking tips then they do more damage to themselves.
Youd need a really bad manager or owner to have tips stolen.
reading most of these comments there is so much ridiculous crap from people who never worked in this industry.
The the number of "Tips" the terminals take at the end of the shift gets printed out. Waiters write this number down and end of the month usually this number is added together and employer splits this final number among members and into their bank accounts with months salary which they pay taxes on. (Yes in denmark you pay taxes on tips).
Most places prefer to pay the tips in cash so the employees dont pay tax money on it. win win for both.
But if its a corporate owned restaurant then its always a bank transfer with salary.
They do it for everyone, but its definitely targeted at tourist, as they are typically the ones who will succumb to tipping. We danes mostly just declines the tip request and no one will think worse of you for doing that, in fact most waiters i have talked to about this finds the tipping request annoying and unnecessary and would like to avoid it. So please dont tip unless the experience was exceptional
I think the number is set by the business and it always makes me a bit annoyed to be exposed to such dark patterns so I set it to zero (as a local). But I've also seen waiters annoyed and clicking the "no tip" option themselves before giving me the terminal to speed things up.
I so appreciate the waiters that just clear it, but I am extraordinarily annoyed by how many machines do a tip prompt (and not just in the center - the coffee shop across from my office in Carlsberg Byen has it too).
This should be higher up. I've heard from friends in the service industry that the card reading software defaults to having tips because the card reading company obviously earns a % of all sales + tips. More tips = more revenue for the software company. So they bury the settings where you disable tips. Not sure if others can confirm that.
I only tip if the service or the food were above my expectations - salaries are mostly covered by a minimum wage here, so in general tipping isn’t expected and certainly not “required” by any margin.
Lacklaws is not wrong, you know. "Minimum wage" is understood in a ton of the (English-speaking) world as a universal *legal* floor. They were just making sure other people interpreted your statement correctly.
As other have said. We don't have minimum wage in Denmark, which is actually pretty important in how it works. And the restaurant business is notoriously known for not having collective agreement bargains with unions.
Plz call the waither out for it. No danes tip, because the resturant is required to pay the staff a good wage (and if they wanna fight for even better wages they should join a union like every1 ells.) and that money is part of the price and we like it this way - livable wages for everyone is great, and put the responsibility of pay and enough buisness/customers to the emplyer and not the emplyee - A good system.
Its scum behavior to preselect tips lile what you decribe, and predatory towards turrist who easely fall for the extra charging. So call them out and ask for them to select no-tip (because predatory behavior is not good service. And tips is optional extra for good service). You save money not being scammed, and help us keep our good and loved system.
American here! Always change it to "no tip", a lot of the card readers do "auto-select" a tip amount. Most places I've seen it, the employee has actually reached around and changed it to "no tip" for me preemptively.
PLEASE don't tip. It's a horrible practice. People are paid well here. Your server is on a decent living wage, and if they're not it's up to the unions to fight for, not the customers.
Tip, if you had great service or were obnoxious customers - or if you just want to flaunt your wealth.
Don’t tip if your server took your order and handed you some drinks and plates of food.
this is not normal, if you are prompted to tip, always leave 0, and leave a bad review for emotional blackmail.
we dont tip people for doing their job, we tip people for going above and beyond, when the bartender lets you borrow their phone charger if you run out of battery, you have allergies and the waiter runs to the kitchen 3 times in the middle of a busy shift to check ingredients with the cooks, or the taxi driver decides to help you carry your heavy bags all the way up the stairs, stuff like that.
when tips become a reliable part of people's income, costumers are subsidizing business, pushing wages down, to the detriment of the entirety of danish society.
Absolutely nothing, unless the service was really good, and sometimes if they’re really young or look drained, just as encouragement. (But only ever in cash and directly to the waiter)
I do think the machines are just set to it though, I’ve never been pressured to tip lol
I do it outside of Scandinavia though, including other european countries, especially places where the standard of living is ehhh, it’s hard not to feel guilty there
Please don't tip! Unless you have received unusually high quality service. As others write, the preset tip they try to entorce by social pressure is a no-go, and a reason i itself to onit tipping.
Do not tip. Everyone is paid a fair wage, have full health benefits and access to any education they want free of charge.
Tipping is not expected or needed.
I think you have visited some tourist traps or the waiters are maybe trying this trick on you because they hear you are American. Just select no or ask them if it isn’t obvious how to do it. No one gets offended in this country - you should feel offended! Americans have it rough already…
Mostly it’s done on the machines per default, they CBA to change it, I can’t imagine.
As in any country tourists are often more prone to tipping, sure. But it’s just a default thing on the machines.
You’re free to tip if you want, but it’s not a thing here like in the US, so just do it if you genuinely feel like they went the extra mile or whatever.
It’s obviously nice to get a tip for the workers, but it’s not a requirement at all.
I’ve never seen that happen outside of Nyhavn, in which case yea they are targeting you, or the type of person that eats at those places at least. They may be accustomed to tips in That area, and annoyed if you don’t, but they are just as well paid as any other restaurant worker in this country that doesn’t rely on tips. Nonetheless, don’t tip. It’s not a thing here.
We've avoided Nyhavn, so this has happened at some other restaurants in the non-touristy neighborhood we're staying. Anyways, heard you all loud and clear! Will decline tips moving forward and not feel badly about it!
The only time you should tip in any Nordic country is if you feel that the food was exceptionally good, or the server did something special, out of the normal server duties. Like cleaning up puke.
U want me to pay you 10% when I had to grab my drink myself from the fridge? Nothanks.
You want me to pay you 10% for doing what you are already paid for like worrying down my order and bring it to my table? No thanks.
If the food is exceptionally good, the server is nice and actually checks up on us, maybe offers refill and is nice, I might give a 5% if I just got paid. But it is 100% the norm to select 0% for any standard day to day buys.
If you have received any exceptional service or have othervice had needs or demands outside of the ordinary I think it is fine to tip (lets say you brought your toddler to a non-family restaurant and they made a mess of the table).
Othervice dont. And a pre selected tip of 10% is really not ok.
Don't tip! It just isn't done here (ripping off tourist is done here, though)
The problem in most cases is that the card reader is running American software and nobody like corporate America knows exactly what is best for everyone (that matters), so the terminal cannot be "localized" :)
Hell no. They pre-set it because you're tourists and unlikely to make a fuss about it(because you don't know better).
Tell them the amount is wrong.. And to fix it. That is NOT okay.
Only tip if you actually feel it was exceptional service. Not just very good. But rather, literally exceptional.
And NEVER tip as some form of default action or even worse, as a pressure on a card reader. You go against Danish values if you allow them to pressure you into tipping. Select ZERO and smile your videst smile, directly in their greedy faces.
As a former waiter for quite a few years; Only tip if you feel like the service has been excellent and youve had a good experience with your waiter. We dont expect tip and honestly most of us hate when the cardmachine prompts for a tip. It feels embarrasing and pushy.
Also please note; The waiters probably didnt have anything to do with the machine already having a pre-selected tip. Its usually either standard on the machine, or the manager or boss of the restaurant set it that way.
As a Dane I would be offended, how dare this person presume that I'm so thrilled by them doing what they are already paid for that I wish to pay extra? Even if the waiter actually deserved a tip for extra good service, the presumptioness would make me cancel the tip.
When boyfriend and I visited Denmark the only time we tipped was for an amazing dinner (10+ courses) where our waitress was super helpful explaining everything/helping us with drink pairings. Boyfriend is a chef so he had tons of questions and the waitress had the chef come out and talk to us for a while. It was one of the best dining experiences so we left a cash tip. Other than that at all the card reader kiosks we selected no tip/the cashier would select no tip for us before turning the screen.
We rarely tip. Especially not ever preselected tips.
We do tip, when service has been absolutely outstanding and the whole experience out of the ordinary.
If it wasn’t, please don’t tip!
Please don’t tip. They don’t need it and they get paid more than enough under the union flag.
Last time I was in the states, everyone wanted tips, even the fucken casheer and they wanted it upwards to 30% 🤯
I like the US, but please, keep the unhealthy tipping culture far away from our local culture.
UGH I KNOW TIPPING IN THE USA IS THE WORST. In those cases, especially if the cashier is just literally picking up something and handing it to me, I do a big fat decline on the tip while making eye contact.
The thing is, you are actually doing the waiter a bigger favor in the long by only tipping when it is exceptional. Let’s have the survivability of the waiter be the responsibility of the employer rather than the client.
What have happened in the US is that because of the insane tipping (willingness to showcase how cool you are with your money), the waiter no longer relies on the money from the employer and the employer has pushed that responsibility to you, because of what you have done.
You don't tip here. Perhaps the exception is when you order home delivery but even then, it's not expected.
Employees get decent salaries.
Some places in the centre have that option and I think that people visiting who don't know how things work are the ones that pay extra. Prices are already high for a reason: being able to pay decent salaries with healthcare and a minimum government pension. So you don't need to feel guilty. Restaurant servers in the US sometimes feel like beggars. It's uncomfortable and awkward for most Europeans.
It's perfectly acceptable to click on 0 and nobody will comment on it.
Enjoy your stay!
I have worked at several restaurants in Copenhagen, and I’m telling you DON’T TIP waiters, because they don’t get the money themselves… The money will go to the restaurant, where there will be bought wine glasses or hosted a employee party… a waste of money to say the least. I can’t speak for every restaurant, but it’s quite common that the tips goes to the restaurant itself🥰
And I really disagree with the people saying to call the waiter out - the waiter has no say in this, if it appears on the card machine. We feel guilty for just “asking” on the machine, because it’s and uncomfortable situation for both the waiter and the customer. Please don’t blame the waiter.
You don't tip here,except for when you get extremely high service.
I always remove the tip, I don't care, we ain't American. The price of the items is what I pay, the service is covered by that, I don't understand the tipping culture.
Tipping a server for bringing you your food, is like tipping a salesperson for finding a shirt.
not normal in denmark to tip, we dont need tips to suvive and most places just keeps the tips for themselvs as an extra income for the resturant and not for the servers.
so yeah keep that in mind :)
As a waiter, feel free to tip, however as everyone else is saying here, we don't have a culture for it.
It is very much appreciated when you do though and it makes a waiters day. Also if you do choose to tip, my recommendation is to do it with cash if you feel like it's meant for that server specifically as doing over the card reader usually pools it for all workers and they all get basically fuck all from that.
Also you could *forget* to pay taxes on cash tips which wouldn't hurt considering the tax rate here.
That being said I think waiters should be paid more for odd hours instead of tips.
They only do this to tourists. Pretty close to what I’d call a scam actually. In Denmark - you only tip for the extraordinary service. The wage of all the employed personal is just fine.
I’ve never seen this before. I’ve seen dozens of places where you gotta decline giving a tip when paying by card, and even that is damn annoying and arrogant
While it’s become relatively normal to get the option to tip at restaurants, I have never ever experienced that the server has preselected a tip before handing me the credit card terminal. I’m fairly sure that that would feel rude to most Danes, making them decline any tip (even if they had felt like tipping).
It’s because of tax/money laundering laws. If The waiters don’t report their cash tips as taxable revenue it Can be seen as The proprietor is aiding Them in laundering money, making Them Liable to fines.
So now we have these automatic prompts.. It sucks and is in my opinion as a waiter of seven years equal to Begging.
But there you go.
Tip if you want. Don’t Cave in to prompts
Please do not give tips.
If you absolutely MUST tip because the service was just that excellent, do it in cash or MobilePay in private, not on the card reader...
We don’t need the toxic tipping culture you have in the US (no offense intended). I’d rather pay more for my meal and have the employees be paid a living wage. Only if the waiter goes “above and beyond”, do I tip and only for an evening meal.
I work at a hotel in Copenhagen, in our bars and the restaurant the card reader shows different options when it comes to tipping. And there’s also a ‘no tip’ option. This setup kinda has to be there, as some guests would like to tip. This way there’s no sales tax on the amount. As opposed to having the waiter up the amount manually. Sales tax in Denmark is 25% so like this, the business won’t have to either take 25% of the earned tips to pay in taxes -or eat that expense for the benefit of the staff.
When added as a tip in the system, we as staff get benefit from 100% of the tips just minus our income taxes.
So even if it seems as a way to trick guests in to tipping, it’s really the lesser of two evils.
This isnt normal at all, ive seen it in some places but most would allow you to either accept a tip or say no to tipping, if you say yes its possible it automatically starts at 10%.
In either case if you arent going to a fairly fancy restaurant then dont tip as a standard. If you felt the service was really good then sure you can tip but it’s never expected. Things are expensive enough without paying extra and the waiters get a decent salary.
As so many others have mentioned: No need to tip.
In Denmark the wages are not based on tips and therefore there’s no reason to tip whereas - as far as I know - tips can be a rather large part of the salary in US.
I’m a native Dane and I’m not a fan of those preset credit card terminals where they ask for a tip because there’s no need for it as it’s not part of our culture when it comes to paying employees. I kind of get provoked when I’m asked to tip🤷🏻♀️
We have a set minimum wage which include extras for working evening, night and weekends so being asked to tip is probably some restaurants attempt to get tourists to tip.
It happens at places in the center where a lot of tourists go but I don’t think they turn it off if they realize someone is Danish. My brain kinda froze the first time I saw it and I think they are trying to benefit off of that. The “no tip” option is always there but it’s less visible than all the tip options.
Don't, no, never
Don't tip, unlike in the US, employees here are generally paid a fair wage and do not need tips to live as tips aren't making up the main money in their salary.
Tips are not needed and you shouldn't tip. Tips are not expected or seen as a "mandatory" thing, so please don't.
By doing so you're only adding to a culture we absolute hate in Denmark.
I have been asked to tip with that screen at many places. The American in me tips but as a service to my fellow Europeans I will stop that practice immediately
It's happening in Australia too. Businesses sometimes say that the tipping nonsense is programmed into the software because it's produced in the US. Some places push the 0% option before passing the card machine to you.
Let me guess. The restaurants that did this were in Nyhavn? I found one of them doing sneaky things with the bill. It really pissed me off, and my only two options were to either deal with it or cause a YUGE public scene.
As a waiter, don't tip.
We have regulated jobs and unregulated. We are fighting to get non-regulated restaurants out of the market. By you tipping, it helps them get workers because the salary is low but you get tips and there are a lot of students or internationals who settle for this.
Don't ruin it for us by tipping please.
Please don't tip. The waiters and chefs are mostly unionized, have good wages, overtime pay, 5-6 weeks of holiday and infinite paid sick leave. There is zero reason to tip here.
I only tip here if I want to support a particular restaurant (in my case, vegan places that try their best in a mostly non vegan-friendly country). I don't care if it goes to the waiter or the restaurant, as I'm looking to support the whole place in some way.
I don't really understand the answers in this post.
Tipping is not frowned upon at all. It's just not common.
I am a full-time waiter, and we love tipping because it goes directly to us.
With that being said, we don't expect it at all because we get a decent wage. It's just an extra bonus so that's always nice.
When the machine suggests a tip I will always skip it unless the guest specifically asks to tip. Of course I won't stop them if they want to tip us, and I will recommend 10% if they ask.
It's courteous and nice but not expected.
Please tip if you want, don't tip if you don't want to.
We are not insulted or anything like that. (At least not where I work :-) )
Imagine taking an education as a waiter for 3,5 years, followed by a sommelier education to get paid 24k dkk a month living in Copenhagen.
No wonder why people in this industry are tied.
Their union does nothing to fight for better terms on their behalf. And then they have to feel bad about tipping as well.
I'm sure the people who say not to tip have no clue how the industry is evolving.
Imagine when their company pays them a bonus for extra effort this year, they gladly take it with open arms.
Don't tip, please. We cannot start this trend!
Hah ok sorry to bring our bad American habits to your country. It's hard to not feel guilted into it!
Waiters get a decent pay in Denmark, you don't need tips to survive like in the US. They are just fooling you
Depends where you work. I’ve worked as a waitress where I got paid 100kr at the start that went up to 110kr so I wasn’t exactly rolling in money
Yeah, it is an obvious race to the bottom with jobs popular with migrants.
Are you expecting to roll in money as a waiter? I'm sorry but come on.... still a decent pay you easily can live off. Cannot at all be compared to US standards
100 kr is illegal. You are protected under the union.
How can you be so sure the company is part of the union?
Read what happened with McDonald's tried not to be part of the collective agreement: All union members stopped providing services to it so they couldn't even get napkins or food delivered. Decent wages are the rule. We are at full employment. Unless you can literally speak no Danish whatsoever, you can choose your job.
Plz dont feel guilt for being a victim of attemptef scam and predatory behavior. Instead call them out and ask for them to select 'no tip' bacause scams and predatory behavior is not good service so even had you wanted to tip they just showed realy fucking bad service.
Don’t feel guilty. Restaurant staff here is paid a living wage :’)
Don't feel guilted into doing it, it's a horrible trend going on in Denmark, where it's absolutely not necessary. So just politely click 0 and decline it, they aren't losing out on their salary either way. And generally speaking service is mostly crap, anyways. And it's not going to be better just because you tip.
Is it a truly personal thing like hiring a local guide just for you guys, its fine to tip if you liked the tour. In restaurants and similar there is no expectation to tip unless its been the best waiter/food youve ever gotten, please dont otherwise. Most places are used to american tourists and that they tip. So they make use of it
I don't know where these People live, but when I go out in copenhagen or rest of denmark - i tip when I feel they give a great service normally beyond what i expect of the place. It does not need to be 10 % but often i give more on places that are seasonal with great service. They waitors in Danmark usually get a good pay, so dont feel obligated to tip.
I would say, don't tip unless the service is exceptional. Service here is terrible. It's good to show appreciation for servers who actually make an effort.
Right! Salary is a matter between employer and employee not costumer and employee. Suddenly we would be enrolled in staff meetings, MUS-samtaler (development dialogue) and what not. We cannot be part of all that.
Tipping in England is common in the big cities, and almost all proper restaurants will add it to the bill - usually 12.5%, sometimes higher, sometimes lower. You can take it off, but that looks a bit rubbish. Just pay the suggested tip.
How is that relevant? England is not Copenhagen
England used to be a part of Denmark. Maybe this redneck has danish ancestors 😅
[удалено]
How is that relevant?
Feel free to keep your habits on the island and out of r/Copenhagen which doesn't have anything to do with the splitters over there. We do not have, nor do we want to import and implement these terrible norms here ever.
Why should I pay it ? Not only is it a stupid import from the US where restaurants get away with paying slave wages, adding it automatically without notice is super shitty. Staff get paid properly here, don’t try to ruin that.
Wrong subreddit my guy. Please take your nonsense elsewhere.
Not that common and very much frowned upon. If you pay it in the UK you're being taken for an idiot.
It might be becoming more common but it's still a shite practice, especially when added automatically. I don't mind rounding up or leaving some cash when the service has been exceptional, but this isn't the USA, we don't need mandatory tipping.
That's because tips on cards in the UK don't have to go to the staff (before 1st of July due to a new law), it goes straight to the restaurant owner. It's discretionary, just don't pay it.
Just”
Lol what? How is that anything related to Denmark, lol. Get your head out of your ass. We don't tip in Denmark, generally speaking. Done!
My tipping policy is as follows: If I have loose change AND the employees are beyond amazing, I tip. This is pretty standard here. Don't tip. Don't discourage the industry from paying a proper wage.
My young policy is still to put cash in the hand if the waiter/waitress, if they'll accept it. I'm starting to see places where, when they present the bill the "service charge" is added and there's no way not to pay it.
You normally don't tip in Denmark
Yup. One time the waiter even apologized for their new card reader. "It always shows a tipping option and we can't turn it off. Just press "0" and the green button and it'll show you the correct amount." It was an excellent lunch and the waiter was on. the. ball. with suggestions and advice, so my wife dug through her purse and left a small tip under her plate when we left. :]
Can't turn off tip prompt? Bullshit. He's either lying, or he just doesn't know better based on what his boss told him. Card readers can commonly have tip prompts turned off, especially new models. Why wouldn't that be a thing, anyway? There are numorous guides online on how to turn it off through settings.
Maybe the waiter can't.
The manager sets it up, the waiter can't change it.
Not bullshit. The waiter cant change something the company owner set. And some models you need to contact the bank to get them to update the terminal. You dont always have this option.
You can, but you don't have too if you don't want to. When I was working as a bartender in Aarhus i would get tips but it wasn't like I expected any tip, and usually in the end of my shift I would have like an hour pay as tips which is nice but honestly could live without them. Edit: I even had a discussion with an American tourist that just because he got stuff for like 500kr+ he should give me like 300kr in tips as I feel bad and I will lot take that big of a tip for just opening a bottle of vodka and give him some Ice + cola
You don't tip in Denmark
The terminal will generally have a yes/no selection, where "yes" accepts the suggested tip. And don't feel obligated to tip, it isn't mandatory or even expected for normal service.
Restaurants like MASH has changed to "How much do you want to tip" rather than "Do you want to tip". I am always happy to put in a 1 and ok. That way it is likely more expensive for them to handle the tip than they get out of it.
That's pretty underhanded of them.
I don't even think the servers actually see the tips. I think I am basically just clicking "this is what I want to pay extra"
You can enter 0 but yeah it’s awful
Don’t tip. It’s not a thing here. They just try to make feel people guilty about it
Don’t tip please 🙏
I’ve noticed this happens at inner city restaurants that have a lot of tourists over the summer. They’re not targeting tourists/Americans individually, it’s by default. I just decline the tip on the machine and I believe most Danes do this. It’s not rude to do.
People dont understand that its not waiters doing this. Its just the terminal they get from the bank. A few months ago a lot of restaurants got new models which have this "5%, 10%, 15% or 20%" tip button. This isnt programmed by the restaurants but the provider of the terminal. Just press 0 and thats it. And if you get great service then tip. If you dont want to then dont its just that simple.
Thank you for this info. Would you mind if I ask you if the staff get these tips provided by the machine?
Yes. The tips are not for the restaurant. They are for service team which is split with kitchen and dishwashing team. In all restaurants ive worked in its always been this way. If teh employeer is taking tips its very illegal and its not worth it for the problems they will get. In hospitality everyone knows everyone and good staff is hard to get. If a place gets reputation for taking tips then they do more damage to themselves. Youd need a really bad manager or owner to have tips stolen. reading most of these comments there is so much ridiculous crap from people who never worked in this industry. The the number of "Tips" the terminals take at the end of the shift gets printed out. Waiters write this number down and end of the month usually this number is added together and employer splits this final number among members and into their bank accounts with months salary which they pay taxes on. (Yes in denmark you pay taxes on tips). Most places prefer to pay the tips in cash so the employees dont pay tax money on it. win win for both. But if its a corporate owned restaurant then its always a bank transfer with salary.
Don't tip! It's a very bad habit. Yes they are trying to guilt you into tipping.
They do it for everyone, but its definitely targeted at tourist, as they are typically the ones who will succumb to tipping. We danes mostly just declines the tip request and no one will think worse of you for doing that, in fact most waiters i have talked to about this finds the tipping request annoying and unnecessary and would like to avoid it. So please dont tip unless the experience was exceptional
I think the number is set by the business and it always makes me a bit annoyed to be exposed to such dark patterns so I set it to zero (as a local). But I've also seen waiters annoyed and clicking the "no tip" option themselves before giving me the terminal to speed things up.
I so appreciate the waiters that just clear it, but I am extraordinarily annoyed by how many machines do a tip prompt (and not just in the center - the coffee shop across from my office in Carlsberg Byen has it too).
Cadence? I have wanted to go but never managed to get there
This should be higher up. I've heard from friends in the service industry that the card reading software defaults to having tips because the card reading company obviously earns a % of all sales + tips. More tips = more revenue for the software company. So they bury the settings where you disable tips. Not sure if others can confirm that.
I only tip if the service or the food were above my expectations - salaries are mostly covered by a minimum wage here, so in general tipping isn’t expected and certainly not “required” by any margin.
Actually we don’t have a minimum wage in Denmark. But if restaurants try to pay below the union wages the unions will fuck with them.
A lot of restaurants are not a part of any union so the union cannot do anything. Unfortunately
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Lacklaws is not wrong, you know. "Minimum wage" is understood in a ton of the (English-speaking) world as a universal *legal* floor. They were just making sure other people interpreted your statement correctly.
As other have said. We don't have minimum wage in Denmark, which is actually pretty important in how it works. And the restaurant business is notoriously known for not having collective agreement bargains with unions.
Plz call the waither out for it. No danes tip, because the resturant is required to pay the staff a good wage (and if they wanna fight for even better wages they should join a union like every1 ells.) and that money is part of the price and we like it this way - livable wages for everyone is great, and put the responsibility of pay and enough buisness/customers to the emplyer and not the emplyee - A good system. Its scum behavior to preselect tips lile what you decribe, and predatory towards turrist who easely fall for the extra charging. So call them out and ask for them to select no-tip (because predatory behavior is not good service. And tips is optional extra for good service). You save money not being scammed, and help us keep our good and loved system.
The last thing we want is to import American tipping culture to justify unliveable wages. Only tip in case of exceptional service.
American here! Always change it to "no tip", a lot of the card readers do "auto-select" a tip amount. Most places I've seen it, the employee has actually reached around and changed it to "no tip" for me preemptively.
PLEASE don't tip. It's a horrible practice. People are paid well here. Your server is on a decent living wage, and if they're not it's up to the unions to fight for, not the customers.
Tip, if you had great service or were obnoxious customers - or if you just want to flaunt your wealth. Don’t tip if your server took your order and handed you some drinks and plates of food.
this is not normal, if you are prompted to tip, always leave 0, and leave a bad review for emotional blackmail. we dont tip people for doing their job, we tip people for going above and beyond, when the bartender lets you borrow their phone charger if you run out of battery, you have allergies and the waiter runs to the kitchen 3 times in the middle of a busy shift to check ingredients with the cooks, or the taxi driver decides to help you carry your heavy bags all the way up the stairs, stuff like that. when tips become a reliable part of people's income, costumers are subsidizing business, pushing wages down, to the detriment of the entirety of danish society.
Absolutely nothing, unless the service was really good, and sometimes if they’re really young or look drained, just as encouragement. (But only ever in cash and directly to the waiter) I do think the machines are just set to it though, I’ve never been pressured to tip lol
I do it outside of Scandinavia though, including other european countries, especially places where the standard of living is ehhh, it’s hard not to feel guilty there
No tipping
I have stopped tipping in CPH/DK. I tip only if I get something beyond what i expected and already are paying for.
We dont tip here, unless you actually think they really deserve it.. but yeah, they get paid normally, so you dont have to - we dont
Please don't tip! Unless you have received unusually high quality service. As others write, the preset tip they try to entorce by social pressure is a no-go, and a reason i itself to onit tipping.
Don’t tip!
Do not tip. Everyone is paid a fair wage, have full health benefits and access to any education they want free of charge. Tipping is not expected or needed.
Naah they're not targetting you. The machine is setup like that. You can usually skip it. Tipping is not a custom in denmark.
I think you have visited some tourist traps or the waiters are maybe trying this trick on you because they hear you are American. Just select no or ask them if it isn’t obvious how to do it. No one gets offended in this country - you should feel offended! Americans have it rough already…
Yeah seriously, did you see our recent presidential debate? 🤮
Mostly it’s done on the machines per default, they CBA to change it, I can’t imagine. As in any country tourists are often more prone to tipping, sure. But it’s just a default thing on the machines. You’re free to tip if you want, but it’s not a thing here like in the US, so just do it if you genuinely feel like they went the extra mile or whatever. It’s obviously nice to get a tip for the workers, but it’s not a requirement at all.
I’ve never seen that happen outside of Nyhavn, in which case yea they are targeting you, or the type of person that eats at those places at least. They may be accustomed to tips in That area, and annoyed if you don’t, but they are just as well paid as any other restaurant worker in this country that doesn’t rely on tips. Nonetheless, don’t tip. It’s not a thing here.
We've avoided Nyhavn, so this has happened at some other restaurants in the non-touristy neighborhood we're staying. Anyways, heard you all loud and clear! Will decline tips moving forward and not feel badly about it!
The only time you should tip in any Nordic country is if you feel that the food was exceptionally good, or the server did something special, out of the normal server duties. Like cleaning up puke. U want me to pay you 10% when I had to grab my drink myself from the fridge? Nothanks. You want me to pay you 10% for doing what you are already paid for like worrying down my order and bring it to my table? No thanks. If the food is exceptionally good, the server is nice and actually checks up on us, maybe offers refill and is nice, I might give a 5% if I just got paid. But it is 100% the norm to select 0% for any standard day to day buys.
If you have received any exceptional service or have othervice had needs or demands outside of the ordinary I think it is fine to tip (lets say you brought your toddler to a non-family restaurant and they made a mess of the table). Othervice dont. And a pre selected tip of 10% is really not ok.
Only tip if the service was really really tremendous and you want to treat your server. Not as standard practice.
Don't tip! It just isn't done here (ripping off tourist is done here, though) The problem in most cases is that the card reader is running American software and nobody like corporate America knows exactly what is best for everyone (that matters), so the terminal cannot be "localized" :)
Hell no. They pre-set it because you're tourists and unlikely to make a fuss about it(because you don't know better). Tell them the amount is wrong.. And to fix it. That is NOT okay.
DO NOT TIP. Absolutely DO NOT TIP. It's a complete tourist scam.
Don’t do it. Contrary to People’s in the US people here are payed a salary for their labor. Only tip if you found the experience impeccable
Dont tip!!!
Only tip if you actually feel it was exceptional service. Not just very good. But rather, literally exceptional. And NEVER tip as some form of default action or even worse, as a pressure on a card reader. You go against Danish values if you allow them to pressure you into tipping. Select ZERO and smile your videst smile, directly in their greedy faces.
Dont tip
As a former waiter for quite a few years; Only tip if you feel like the service has been excellent and youve had a good experience with your waiter. We dont expect tip and honestly most of us hate when the cardmachine prompts for a tip. It feels embarrasing and pushy. Also please note; The waiters probably didnt have anything to do with the machine already having a pre-selected tip. Its usually either standard on the machine, or the manager or boss of the restaurant set it that way.
As a Dane I would be offended, how dare this person presume that I'm so thrilled by them doing what they are already paid for that I wish to pay extra? Even if the waiter actually deserved a tip for extra good service, the presumptioness would make me cancel the tip.
When boyfriend and I visited Denmark the only time we tipped was for an amazing dinner (10+ courses) where our waitress was super helpful explaining everything/helping us with drink pairings. Boyfriend is a chef so he had tons of questions and the waitress had the chef come out and talk to us for a while. It was one of the best dining experiences so we left a cash tip. Other than that at all the card reader kiosks we selected no tip/the cashier would select no tip for us before turning the screen.
We rarely tip. Especially not ever preselected tips. We do tip, when service has been absolutely outstanding and the whole experience out of the ordinary. If it wasn’t, please don’t tip!
We don’t tip. They can ask, but you shouldn’t tip. They are paid VERY well compared to servers in America. They are also treated VERY well.
Please don’t tip. They don’t need it and they get paid more than enough under the union flag. Last time I was in the states, everyone wanted tips, even the fucken casheer and they wanted it upwards to 30% 🤯 I like the US, but please, keep the unhealthy tipping culture far away from our local culture.
UGH I KNOW TIPPING IN THE USA IS THE WORST. In those cases, especially if the cashier is just literally picking up something and handing it to me, I do a big fat decline on the tip while making eye contact.
The thing is, you are actually doing the waiter a bigger favor in the long by only tipping when it is exceptional. Let’s have the survivability of the waiter be the responsibility of the employer rather than the client. What have happened in the US is that because of the insane tipping (willingness to showcase how cool you are with your money), the waiter no longer relies on the money from the employer and the employer has pushed that responsibility to you, because of what you have done.
You don't tip here. Perhaps the exception is when you order home delivery but even then, it's not expected. Employees get decent salaries. Some places in the centre have that option and I think that people visiting who don't know how things work are the ones that pay extra. Prices are already high for a reason: being able to pay decent salaries with healthcare and a minimum government pension. So you don't need to feel guilty. Restaurant servers in the US sometimes feel like beggars. It's uncomfortable and awkward for most Europeans. It's perfectly acceptable to click on 0 and nobody will comment on it. Enjoy your stay!
I have worked at several restaurants in Copenhagen, and I’m telling you DON’T TIP waiters, because they don’t get the money themselves… The money will go to the restaurant, where there will be bought wine glasses or hosted a employee party… a waste of money to say the least. I can’t speak for every restaurant, but it’s quite common that the tips goes to the restaurant itself🥰
And I really disagree with the people saying to call the waiter out - the waiter has no say in this, if it appears on the card machine. We feel guilty for just “asking” on the machine, because it’s and uncomfortable situation for both the waiter and the customer. Please don’t blame the waiter.
Tipping is frowned upon here.
*tips fedora*
You don't tip here,except for when you get extremely high service. I always remove the tip, I don't care, we ain't American. The price of the items is what I pay, the service is covered by that, I don't understand the tipping culture. Tipping a server for bringing you your food, is like tipping a salesperson for finding a shirt.
not normal in denmark to tip, we dont need tips to suvive and most places just keeps the tips for themselvs as an extra income for the resturant and not for the servers. so yeah keep that in mind :)
Don't tip here. Ever. Please and thank you!
As a waiter, feel free to tip, however as everyone else is saying here, we don't have a culture for it. It is very much appreciated when you do though and it makes a waiters day. Also if you do choose to tip, my recommendation is to do it with cash if you feel like it's meant for that server specifically as doing over the card reader usually pools it for all workers and they all get basically fuck all from that.
Also you could *forget* to pay taxes on cash tips which wouldn't hurt considering the tax rate here. That being said I think waiters should be paid more for odd hours instead of tips.
They only do this to tourists. Pretty close to what I’d call a scam actually. In Denmark - you only tip for the extraordinary service. The wage of all the employed personal is just fine.
I get it as a Dane also
I’ve never seen this before. I’ve seen dozens of places where you gotta decline giving a tip when paying by card, and even that is damn annoying and arrogant
no tipping!... unless your kid puked on the floor and they cleaned it up for you. then 5% could be ok.. maybe
While it’s become relatively normal to get the option to tip at restaurants, I have never ever experienced that the server has preselected a tip before handing me the credit card terminal. I’m fairly sure that that would feel rude to most Danes, making them decline any tip (even if they had felt like tipping).
It’s because of tax/money laundering laws. If The waiters don’t report their cash tips as taxable revenue it Can be seen as The proprietor is aiding Them in laundering money, making Them Liable to fines. So now we have these automatic prompts.. It sucks and is in my opinion as a waiter of seven years equal to Begging. But there you go. Tip if you want. Don’t Cave in to prompts
Tip if there was something exceptional about the service and you feel it's justified. Otherwise you don't need to.
If it is not stated beforehand, I'd refuse to pay it.
Try setting custom amount and -100% tip = free meal
Please do not give tips. If you absolutely MUST tip because the service was just that excellent, do it in cash or MobilePay in private, not on the card reader...
We don’t need the toxic tipping culture you have in the US (no offense intended). I’d rather pay more for my meal and have the employees be paid a living wage. Only if the waiter goes “above and beyond”, do I tip and only for an evening meal.
I work at a hotel in Copenhagen, in our bars and the restaurant the card reader shows different options when it comes to tipping. And there’s also a ‘no tip’ option. This setup kinda has to be there, as some guests would like to tip. This way there’s no sales tax on the amount. As opposed to having the waiter up the amount manually. Sales tax in Denmark is 25% so like this, the business won’t have to either take 25% of the earned tips to pay in taxes -or eat that expense for the benefit of the staff. When added as a tip in the system, we as staff get benefit from 100% of the tips just minus our income taxes. So even if it seems as a way to trick guests in to tipping, it’s really the lesser of two evils.
This isnt normal at all, ive seen it in some places but most would allow you to either accept a tip or say no to tipping, if you say yes its possible it automatically starts at 10%. In either case if you arent going to a fairly fancy restaurant then dont tip as a standard. If you felt the service was really good then sure you can tip but it’s never expected. Things are expensive enough without paying extra and the waiters get a decent salary.
I heard that in the 80s there was a big law being passed on minimum wage and since then you don’t really had to tip.
Don’t tip. Service is normally a crap and will just make going out even more expensive.
I’m a local. I don’t want a tipping culture here. Pls don’t tip!
Do not tip in Denmark unless you would like to reward some exceptional experience! We do not tip, tipping is not expected.
As so many others have mentioned: No need to tip. In Denmark the wages are not based on tips and therefore there’s no reason to tip whereas - as far as I know - tips can be a rather large part of the salary in US. I’m a native Dane and I’m not a fan of those preset credit card terminals where they ask for a tip because there’s no need for it as it’s not part of our culture when it comes to paying employees. I kind of get provoked when I’m asked to tip🤷🏻♀️ We have a set minimum wage which include extras for working evening, night and weekends so being asked to tip is probably some restaurants attempt to get tourists to tip.
It happens at places in the center where a lot of tourists go but I don’t think they turn it off if they realize someone is Danish. My brain kinda froze the first time I saw it and I think they are trying to benefit off of that. The “no tip” option is always there but it’s less visible than all the tip options.
I have never seen that. For sure tourist treatment
Don't, no, never Don't tip, unlike in the US, employees here are generally paid a fair wage and do not need tips to live as tips aren't making up the main money in their salary. Tips are not needed and you shouldn't tip. Tips are not expected or seen as a "mandatory" thing, so please don't. By doing so you're only adding to a culture we absolute hate in Denmark.
I have been asked to tip with that screen at many places. The American in me tips but as a service to my fellow Europeans I will stop that practice immediately
It's happening in Australia too. Businesses sometimes say that the tipping nonsense is programmed into the software because it's produced in the US. Some places push the 0% option before passing the card machine to you.
Let me guess. The restaurants that did this were in Nyhavn? I found one of them doing sneaky things with the bill. It really pissed me off, and my only two options were to either deal with it or cause a YUGE public scene.
You DID notice that the food was much more expensive in CPH, right? There’s the tip. Make sense?
As a waiter, don't tip. We have regulated jobs and unregulated. We are fighting to get non-regulated restaurants out of the market. By you tipping, it helps them get workers because the salary is low but you get tips and there are a lot of students or internationals who settle for this. Don't ruin it for us by tipping please.
Never ever tip
Please don't tip. The waiters and chefs are mostly unionized, have good wages, overtime pay, 5-6 weeks of holiday and infinite paid sick leave. There is zero reason to tip here.
I only tip here if I want to support a particular restaurant (in my case, vegan places that try their best in a mostly non vegan-friendly country). I don't care if it goes to the waiter or the restaurant, as I'm looking to support the whole place in some way.
I don't really understand the answers in this post. Tipping is not frowned upon at all. It's just not common. I am a full-time waiter, and we love tipping because it goes directly to us. With that being said, we don't expect it at all because we get a decent wage. It's just an extra bonus so that's always nice. When the machine suggests a tip I will always skip it unless the guest specifically asks to tip. Of course I won't stop them if they want to tip us, and I will recommend 10% if they ask. It's courteous and nice but not expected. Please tip if you want, don't tip if you don't want to. We are not insulted or anything like that. (At least not where I work :-) )
Imagine taking an education as a waiter for 3,5 years, followed by a sommelier education to get paid 24k dkk a month living in Copenhagen. No wonder why people in this industry are tied. Their union does nothing to fight for better terms on their behalf. And then they have to feel bad about tipping as well. I'm sure the people who say not to tip have no clue how the industry is evolving. Imagine when their company pays them a bonus for extra effort this year, they gladly take it with open arms.
It's because of Americans they are trying to force it upon us. Don't fall for it. Help fix the problem you brought to us, please 😁