
Tipping 101: the ins and outs of tipping in high-end restaurants
Now let’s explore the ins and outs of fine dining, and how to tip in Taiwan’s restaurants. Upscale restaurants have many different systems for tipping. Most include a 10% service charge on the menu. Others put a “tip” line on the bill for the customer to fill in freely. And at high-end restaurants, customers may be nudged to leave a tip by special gifts from the kitchen, or other fees being waived. But with all these customs usually left unspoken, how do you know what’s expected? We spoke to restaurant experts for Tipping 101.
When a pregnant customer arrives, the restaurant staff immediately bring out extra cushions so she can dine in comfort.
The diner’s preferences for the steak, side dishes and seasoning are all checked repeatedly. These are the foundations of good service in an upscale steakhouse.
Grace
Restaurant owner
The customer perhaps glances over, and then we go to them. When a customer feels truly satisfied, or really touched by the service, they may give an extra tip. We’ve had NT$3,000, NT$5,000 before, one-off. And it’s different again at Lunar New Year, then it’s a bit like giving a red packet.
Apart from the 10% service charge listed on the menu, the bill may have a special line for tips, which the customer can fill in according to their degree of satisfaction. Tipping by card or cash are both acceptable. The restaurant divides tips equally between staff at the end of the day, unless a customer specifies that a tip is for a particular server.
Fei Chi
Food writer
At restaurants where it’s hard to get a table or the bill that day has gone over your norm. Ifthere’s a request not to have a corkage fee, then they will specially prepare a tip. For a big talent, the chef might get NT$5,000. For the waiters and waitresses who serve at the table, it usually depends on the number of people. They’ll give those two servers NT$2,000 to split evenly.
Member of public
They don’t write a number. They let you decide how to reward them.
Member of public
It’s written, “You can tip me,” or there’s a tip box – there’s no rules about it.
Restaurants often go out of their way to make guests feel at home, and while they subtly encourage diners to leave a tip, they try to make it feel like a choice. When you get into it, the world of tips is full of surprises.
For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53
2023-10-05