Tipping here in Kuwait

your call; it is not a hard placed rule - if you wish to tip them, do so, if you dont, its not obligatory. at restaurants you can leave a tip as well, a sort of "thank you" for the service, again it is not a mathematical amount, i usually try to round the change to the nearest note and leave that as a tip.

as for delivery drivers - i'd say a quarter never hurt anyone

In general, tipping is not part of the culture here in Kuwait, but it is not for the wrong reasons. Some people don't give a tip coz they'd say something like: "They're getting a salary to do it, why should I tip them?". The overpriced food we're paying for doesn't reflect on the people serving it. So we end up paying more, but those guys still get ridiculously low salaries. It's a loss-loss situation.

On the other hand, there isn't much that would encourage you to give tips. Most of the time, the food is not impressive and the service is much less than professional or sometimes the treatment is down right rude. So I happily guiltlessly don't leave tips usually.

On a positive note though, I have the best service at TGI Friday's in Marina Crescent. I left a tip of as much as 10$ coz the waiters there are sooooooooo friendly. They greet me warmly even when I'm not dining there. I don't know though whether they're friendly because I tipped several times or they're just like that.

So to summarize, I don't think that a tip should be given unless someone serves you well, then it would be a well-deserved tip for a most probably underpaid waiter.

I forgot to talk about delivery people. If you stay here up till june or july, you'll see how hot it gets plus with this traffic I almost always give them a tip.

I am jaded from working in the service industry in the States but no matter where in the world I go I tip 20% for excellent service, 18% for good, 15% for average and even 10% for bad service (although I almost always ask to speak to a manager to let them know I had a bad experience.)  These people receive a salary but it's never a lot and even though the food isn't great or impressive, if there's no ambience, or if the prices are unreasonable it's not the server's fault. They're just people trying to make a living and it's unfair to penalized them for something they have no control over.

Thanks for the advice.  The whole Kuwait forum is full of the most helpful people.

Tipping is also a part of your personality. If you are dining @ standard resturant where you get perfect hospitality, great food & good environment you can tip upto 20% of your total bill.

Some of the restaurants include a service charge, I wonder where that money goes to? I doubt to the servers but I usually tip when the service is good and we know the waiter but when they service or waiter is down right rude I don't leave them anything.

Just give a little  something  man, even tho they get salary, it really low...plus imagine  you have to drive  in this  horrible  heat and traffic

tipping is not a Rule in here,
however, most of the waiters are working on a low budget contract (really low)

if you want to tip out of a good deed, 10% is good, i do 15%.

With Home Deliveries, you are expected to leave the driver a minimum of 250 Fils.
If you want to be a bit generous, leave him 500 Fils (which is half dinar).

In Restaurants, I normally leave 10% with a minimum of KD 1/- so anything less than Ten KD, I leave one KD tip.
Restaurants I vist most are:
Johnny Carino's
Nino's
Fish Market
Seneor Sassi
Fridays
Chilli's
Olive Garden
Cheesecake Factory.

Beause I am frequent, I get recognized easily, and I do tip minimum 10%

I've heard the waiters only make around 80 KD a month in restaurants like Applebee's and one American was told he would have to pay the Egyptian manager 1000 KD to release the guy's Filipino fiancée. I don't think there is any place that doesn't have some kind of corruption.

Dear Kuwait 411,
please note that it takes a lot of efforts and headache to recruit in Kuwait, and usually most employees (waiters, supervisors at restaurants) have multi-year contracts.  For someone to walk in to a business who have spent so much on traveling, interviewing, screening, shortlisting, and then employing, not taking in consideration accommodation, transportation, uniforms, training, etc. to ask for a release prior to contract's expiration can end up paying this much and more in order to get her released before time.

Now, if the Egyptian you are referring to has pocketed the KD 1,000/- and asked the company to release her free of penalty, yes, I would consider this a corruption, however, if that money went at the end to the employer, then please understand it's for the reasons mentioned above.