Tipping at restaurants

rookie84 wrote:

I am still confused on whether I am supposed to tip or not. Some of my friends told me I don't have to tip, but I usually leave 10~20SR on the table depending on the service I get. What really are the standards for tipping in restaurants in KSA? Thanks in advance.

Dear Rokie,
There is nothing wrong in giving some tip to the person who attended you during your visit to any restaurant. It's a kind act of appreciation of his services to you, I will say continue this kind practice  Usually tip is 10% of your bill and you can make it +/- according to the quality of service was provided to you.

Most people here dont tip and tipping is not part of the culture.

I always leave a 10% tip, though, as I know that the waiters have very low salaries, work for long periods daily, and dont get to see their families back home for 2-3 years in a row.

10% is the international standard for tips, in some countries it is very much appreciated and in others they expect more. I am the same as Trapezius and give a standard 10% no matter where I am in the world if the service is of decent standard.

Well, my advise is to leave tip based on your experience with the server. Tip is a norm in Saudi Arabia.

I always tip in a restaurant or barbers, unless the food is awful or I look like Nicholas Cage having a bad hair day.

Food for thought: if the food is bad, is that the waiter's fault?  And conversely, if the food was great, but the waiter was aloof, hurried, rude, etc., why should he get a tip?

Food for thought indeed! If the food's really bad I won't tip the waiter but I might tell them why I'm unhappy. If they replaced my food (never happened) then I would give a tip. Once I was served, after waiting a half hour, a cold pizza and asked for it to be heated up - it came back hard and burnt.

If the food is great and the waiter a jerk? I can't remember that happening, the last few times I was in a good restaurant the waiters were all great. I did go to a good restaurant - mid week - and it turned out the chef was on his own (I specifically asked as my duck was as dry as a bone and obviously reheated). I said it wasn't very good and the waiter made a lot of nice noises (thanks for the feedback, the chef will make a note of it!) but nothing was done. My parents' meals were better so I left a small tip; about £10, which was under 10% as it was supposedly a good restaurant.

Trapezius wrote:

the waiters have very low salaries, work for long periods daily, and dont get to see their families back home for 2-3 years in a row.

... and they receive almost nothing from your tip because they must give everything to their supervisors

Which Witch wrote:

Trapezius wrote:

the waiters have very low salaries, work for long periods daily, and dont get to see their families back home for 2-3 years in a row.

... and they receive almost nothing from your tip because they must give everything to their supervisors

But I believe end of the day supervisors distribute equally among his team.

10 to 20 is good and also giving the take away food to the workers in the streets or stations is common here.

Check the receipt if service taxes is included or not.