# Tipping Culture?



## alassaf123 (Jun 5, 2015)

Preparing for my move to the UAE--just wondering, what is the tipping culture in the UAE? Also, tipping culture in other GCC countries would be appreciated as well!

Thx


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## Fresher (Aug 16, 2015)

Tipping is considered normal in restaurants where you get served by a waiter.

If you do not tip, some people (depending on the culture they come from) might consider you as stingy or cheap, regardless of the quality of food/service.

You are not expected to tip if you order delivery and it is not free, while you are if it is free.

I used to tip a lot more in previous years (around 2007-2008) when service quality used to be a lot better.

You shouldn't be surprised if you get an awful service at very well known restaurants nowadays, as the service industry standards have plummeted recently.

Personally, I only tip when the service is good, don't really care about what people think. 

Service quality across low/mid priced restaurants are normally painstakingly bad and they do not need any more spoiling, if people continue to tip regardless of service, we as consumers will suffer.


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## A.Abbass (Jun 28, 2014)

I tip around 10%, delivery guys included. The shisha guy gets around 15% as well. I also tip the building watchman for the free services he performs. Cleaners get random tips as well.

However, most of the people I know don't tip at all, here in UAE or in any of the other 2 GCC countries I lived in.


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## alassaf123 (Jun 5, 2015)

Thanks everyone. So it sounds like a general rule is to only tip if the service is good across the GCC basically?

A.Abbass, do you tip the building guard annually or monthly?


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## Fresher (Aug 16, 2015)

alassaf123 said:


> Thanks everyone. So it sounds like a general rule is to only tip if the service is good across the GCC basically?


It all comes down to personal preference.

Some people who usually never tip only tip when accompanied by others in order to show that they are generous and/or rich.

Coming off as stingy/cheap is considered a highly negative image to many people over here, so they tip when accompanied by others to show otherwise.

Others only tip when the service is good.

Its really up to you.


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## A.Abbass (Jun 28, 2014)

alassaf123 said:


> A.Abbass, do you tip the building guard annually or monthly?


Neither, whenever he finishes something I asked for.


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

If you want to tip, always tip in cash. Lots of hotels/restaurants keep the tips for themselves if added on by credit card. I know of one extremely popular 5 star hotel in Dubai where staff are forbidden from keeping tips while working in Iftar buffets during Ramadan.


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

I don't have a set rule. There really isn't one. Many people never tip as it's not a cultural norm for them and the 20-25% tipping you find in the US doesn't exist out here, thankfully. Americans are crazy in this regard. 

But I do leave 10-20 AED as a tip most of the time. Always give the petrol attendant a 10 AED tip, same with taxis. Cleaners get a 20 AED tip. No tips at bars. Never tip building watchmen as they do diddly squat for me.


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## Fat Bhoy Tim (Feb 28, 2013)

TallyHo said:


> I don't have a set rule. There really isn't one. Many people never tip as it's not a cultural norm for them and the 20-25% tipping you find in the US doesn't exist out here, thankfully. Americans are crazy in this regard.
> 
> But I do leave 10-20 AED as a tip most of the time. Always give the petrol attendant a 10 AED tip, same with taxis. Cleaners get a 20 AED tip. No tips at bars. Never tip building watchmen as they do diddly squat for me.


My agency cleaner - assuming it's the same guy - gets a massive tip from me. For a bill of AED 140, I'll just give him 200. I know full well he's lucky to get half of the 140, so I'm practically doubling his pay.

Needless to say, he always does a ridiculously good job.


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## QOFE (Apr 28, 2013)

Staff in the service industry gets paid very low salaries here. I tip, especially in the regular bars/restaurants and that ensures good service. I do think it's a disgrace that customers are expected to prop up low salaries. 
Bad service gets not tip.


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

Fat Bhoy Tim said:


> For a bill of AED 140, I'll just give him 200. I know full well he's lucky to get half of the 140, so I'm practically doubling his pay.
> 
> Needless to say, he always does a ridiculously good job.


Similar here - the bill for us is 160AED and she gets 180 AED but she also gets a Christmas bonus and birthday bonus if things continue to be good - the two combined must be not far off six months wages for her.

Always keep people sweet if they have the keys to your apartment


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

10%, rounded up or down depending on the actual service. I really need to have been put out not to tip at all.

Short taxi runs I'll tip 10-15 AED on anything less than a 15 AED fare. I'll also over tip in Ravi's/Karama curry houses and I generally tend to be a lot more generous having imbibed grapes or hops.


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## alassaf123 (Jun 5, 2015)

This is a great system compared to America's ridiculous 20-25%. Looking forward to not having to do more than 10% except under extreme circumstances  Thanks everyone!


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## Simey (Dec 4, 2012)

alassaf123 said:


> This is a great system compared to America's ridiculous 20-25%. Looking forward to not having to do more than 10% except under extreme circumstances  Thanks everyone!


Darn, there goes the only reason the world loves Americans abroad.


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## omar92 (Oct 8, 2013)

Tipping here is welcome but not mandatory. 
Usually I leave 10-15 dirhams. 
If it's a restaurant I'm at a regular at, I generally tip well because I like the food/service and because I know I'll always be coming back. 
If I have a bad experience, I do not tip. 
In petrol stations, I usually try to remember to leave a few dirhams, maybe 5 to the station attendant. I've noticed it's definitely not expected because most times they look genuinely shocked. In my home country however (Egypt) they definitely expect a tip at petrol stations (a few pounds) and linger after they give you your change, and always give change in coins never bills  
Taxis I pay 3 dirhams DHS (because the minimum fare is 12 and I don't usually have coins so I round up to 15). 

The OP is American, where tipping is mandatory (at least 20%). Many restaurants spell it out for you (usually a message at the foot of the bill) to make sure diners leave something. I remember a relative (a visitor in New York) telling me they simply rounded up (paid $50 on a $48 bill or something) and the manager came over to ask why the customer didn't like service, because there is no other reason a customer wouldn't leave a good tip (at least $8-10 in that case). Needless to say, they paid up! If you don't tip at all in Dubai, you won't get any attitude from the servers or a visit from the manager.


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## ccr (Jun 20, 2010)

omar92 said:


> The OP is American, where tipping is mandatory (at least 20%)...


I believe the standard is 15%, and it is not generally mandatory but customary.

The general rule is to tip in proportion to the service, and the quality of service being delivered like no tipping at buffet restaurant but may be leave a few dollars for the cleaning crew, etc.

However, customers are required to pay 'mandatory gratuities' if these are disclosed (on the menu or elsewhere) *prior* to being served. Mandatory gratuities are charged by many restaurants when large groups (6 or more; sometimes, 8 or more) are being served.

Waiter/waitress in the US is one of very few jobs where minimum wage is not mandatory. This means they get paid much less per hour. The rest of their income comes from tips.

This set-up probably came from the idea of encouraging better service since it relates to the amount of tip received. This explains why you will get annoying over-attentive waiters at your table all the time 

One can argue that the customers subsidize for the restaurant, but I am sure it will reflect on the higher prices if the restaurant has to pay higher for the waiter staff.

Sometimes I wish the same system is used elsewhere. For example, when a waiter in Paris turned obnoxious as soon as he realized we were Americans...


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

I lived in Washington for a few years, about ten years ago. Even then most people in Washington were leaving 20% tips. Apparently the 15% used to be the norm but now in Washington and New York it's higher and people tell me it's up to 25%. When I was in New York last December 25% did seem to be the norm.

May be different in less expensive parts of the United States.

Frankly, I'd rather the restaurants increase their prices and phase out tipping. Saves no end of confusion. As someone who travels a lot and has lived in various countries with very different tipping cultures there's no difference in the quality of service from place to place, regardless of the tips left (or lack of a tip). 





ccr said:


> I believe the standard is 15%, and it is not generally mandatory but customary.
> 
> The general rule is to tip in proportion to the service, and the quality of service being delivered like no tipping at buffet restaurant but may be leave a few dollars for the cleaning crew, etc.
> 
> ...


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## Simey (Dec 4, 2012)

TallyHo said:


> I lived in Washington for a few years, about ten years ago. Even then most people in Washington were leaving 20% tips. Apparently the 15% used to be the norm but now in Washington and New York it's higher and people tell me it's up to 25%. When I was in New York last December 25% did seem to be the norm.
> 
> May be different in less expensive parts of the United States.
> 
> Frankly, I'd rather the restaurants increase their prices and phase out tipping. Saves no end of confusion. As someone who travels a lot and has lived in various countries with very different tipping cultures there's no difference in the quality of service from place to place, regardless of the tips left (or lack of a tip).


I'm from the DC area. Definitely 20-25% has become the norm, and I think it is becoming so across the US. People recognize that the cost of living has risen hugely and people have to make a living. Nobody will say anything if you only tip 15%, they will just think you are a miser. 

Also, it's a bit more complicated than that because most people I think informally apply a minimum and to a lesser extent a maximum. Most people won't tip less than $1 even if the charge is actually less than that. If a restaurant bill is very high then it is more likely that the tip will be a bit lower percentage-wise because it is healthy in absolute terms. 

I tend to instinctively apply the same rules here. I don't think we can hide behind "they were already paid their salary" here, given what we know a lot of service jobs pay. When I see someone not tip where it is customary to tip (e.g. the gas station, the car wash), I think less of them as a human being. 

Plus, have you ever noticed that the guys who are the most annoying and contemptuous customers don't tip? E.g. the guy who yells at the car wash guys and insists they redo the job because of some invisible speck . . . You know, the guy I inevitably get stuck behind in the line every weekend.


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

I rarely tip the petrol station guys because it said in the local newspapers a while back that the staff are forbidden from keeping tips, and often get searched at the end of each shift to make sure they're not keeping any cash for themselves. I'd be happy to chuck them 10 Dhs if that's not the case?

Not looking forward to being viewed as a miser for "only" tipping 15% in the States though. Tipping 25% is just obscene.


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## Simey (Dec 4, 2012)

Gavtek said:


> I rarely tip the petrol station guys because it said in the local newspapers a while back that the staff are forbidden from keeping tips, and often get searched at the end of each shift to make sure they're not keeping any cash for themselves. I'd be happy to chuck them 10 Dhs if that's not the case?
> 
> Not looking forward to being viewed as a miser for "only" tipping 15% in the States though. Tipping 25% is just obscene.


Re: miser. Just say you are Scottish. Everyone will understand. 

True story: my cousin from the UK was visiting me in DC and a group of us went out to dinner. We all paid in cash but he said he wanted to pay by credit card and taking our cash would save him from a trip to the ATM. So he pocketed our cash, including the tips we had left, and then proceeded to write out a credit card payment for _exactly the amount of the check_.

This is how to fail the "when in Rome" test.


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## Pelagia (Jun 8, 2015)

In a lot of the places here the tips all seem to go into one general bowl, and get distributed by some formula among all staff at the end of the day/week/month. While the whole idea of equality is great in theory, it does not always work out very fair. So I've been in cases when you have to tip in two parts - one you give out openly for the general purpose, and the other one gets secretly handed to the waiter.


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## Malbec (Jan 2, 2014)

A.Abbass said:


> I tip around 10%, delivery guys included. The shisha guy gets around 15% as well. I also tip the building watchman for the free services he performs. Cleaners get random tips as well.
> 
> However, most of the people I know don't tip at all, here in UAE or in any of the other 2 GCC countries I lived in.


No general tipping guidelines really. I saw an Emirati lady tipping a guy baking sweets at Wafi Gourmet @Wafi Mall (the older man has been there for years), it surprised me because I am sure she already left a tip after her dinner or sweets she was having. So it's like if you would go to the kitchen of the restaurant and handed a tip to the master chef.

I tip 10% at restaurants (except for hotels) and to delivery guys unless there is a delivery charge, in this case I tip 5%. As for the shisha guys, it really depends on the place. I was tipping regularly at Reem Al Bawadi for example, until I was told by the staff there is no need to tip shisha guys as they get their share from tips left with the final bill. In fact I didn't see people tipping shisha guys there. Also at some other places it is not a general rule it seems, e.g. cafe Nar - I have never seen people handing out tips to shisha guys there and I am regular at their Tecom branch.


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## A.Abbass (Jun 28, 2014)

Malbec said:


> No general tipping guidelines really. I saw an Emirati lady tipping a guy baking sweets at Wafi Gourmet @Wafi Mall (the older man has been there for years), it surprised me because I am sure she already left a tip after her dinner or sweets she was having. So it's like if you would go to the kitchen of the restaurant and handed a tip to the master chef.
> 
> I tip 10% at restaurants (except for hotels) and to delivery guys unless there is a delivery charge, in this case I tip 5%. As for the shisha guys, it really depends on the place. I was tipping regularly at Reem Al Bawadi for example, until I was told by the staff there is no need to tip shisha guys as they get their share from tips left with the final bill. In fact I didn't see people tipping shisha guys there. Also at some other places it is not a general rule it seems, e.g. cafe Nar - I have never seen people handing out tips to shisha guys there and I am regular at their Tecom branch.


I double tip. I give the shisha guy his tip by hand and leave another tip with the bill, that of course if I like the shisha. Most shisha guys allover Dubai are egyptians, am trying to help as well.

If you are a shisha fan I recommend you visit Avec cafe in dubai media city


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## Malbec (Jan 2, 2014)

A.Abbass said:


> I double tip. I give the shisha guy his tip by hand and leave another tip with the bill, that of course if I like the shisha. Most shisha guys allover Dubai are egyptians, am trying to help as well.
> 
> If you are a shisha fan I recommend you visit Avec cafe in dubai media city


Shisha meetup @Avec?

I didn't say I don't tip, I do tip shisha guys but it just doesn't seem to have the same rule everywhere. At some places people tip, others don't and why it is like that I have no idea. I was also surprised when I was told at Reem Al Bawadi there is no need to tip the shisha guys. I know Egyptians are masters of shisha and I am glad they have monopoly here.


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## mkhalid123 (Apr 14, 2014)

It's up to you and there is no hard and fast rule or culture, it's the same as in other countries. It's a courtesy only


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## A.Abbass (Jun 28, 2014)

Malbec said:


> Shisha meetup @Avec?
> 
> I didn't say I don't tip, I do tip shisha guys but it just doesn't seem to have the same rule everywhere. At some places people tip, others don't and why it is like that I have no idea. I was also surprised when I was told at Reem Al Bawadi there is no need to tip the shisha guys. I know Egyptians are masters of shisha and I am glad they have monopoly here.


Definitely why not ! We can arrange it over the weekend.


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## ccr (Jun 20, 2010)

Gavtek said:


> Not looking forward to being viewed as a miser for "only" tipping 15% in the States though. Tipping 25% is just obscene.


Same here...

We left the US 20 years ago so really need to brush up on what are the "norm's" before moving back...


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## Edino (Sep 22, 2013)

For us it really depends on the service quality and the size of the bill. For a dinner of 2 in regular places like Chillies or TGIF, it would be 10-20aed, depending how well we felt about the service and food. But places where they serve alcohol, and the bill goes 500 to 800aed, we are not shy of giving 50 to 100aed or higher.

In average: 5% for average service, 10% when we are happy... higher if it was a blast


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## BedouGirl (Sep 15, 2011)

Gavtek said:


> I rarely tip the petrol station guys because it said in the local newspapers a while back that the staff are forbidden from keeping tips, and often get searched at the end of each shift to make sure they're not keeping any cash for themselves.
> 
> That was a particular company - I think it was Emarat. All the others allow their workers to hold onto their tips.


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## Edino (Sep 22, 2013)

BedouGirl said:


> Gavtek said:
> 
> 
> > I rarely tip the petrol station guys because it said in the local newspapers a while back that the staff are forbidden from keeping tips, and often get searched at the end of each shift to make sure they're not keeping any cash for themselves.
> ...


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## Nursemanit (Jul 10, 2015)

US tipping has gone nuts in the past few years. It is almost a bragging rite to overtip. The cost of dining out has kept up with inflation since the 90's so from a cost of living standpoint the tipping rate has had no real need to increase. In the 1970s food was more expensive relative to now so 10% was the norm. It went to 15% in the late 90's and it seems to go up 5% every decade .


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## nidserz (Sep 23, 2013)

I have grown up in Canada and tipping was 10% and now the norm is 15-20%. I find it ridiculous.

I tend to tip 10-15% at restaurants and delivery, regardless of casual to fancy and in general (taxis, cleaners, petrol station I round up, valet generally AED10, AED5 during the day, less formal place). Shisha guy gets 10 AED from me every week at my regular spot.
Even if I get bad service, I tend to tip because I give them benefit of the doubt, could be a bad day, we all have them on the job. And I hope they do better next time. If they don't, I tip less.


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## iggles (Jan 4, 2015)

i quite literally refuse to tip. No one tips me for doing my job. I get a good old "well done, iggles" So why should I tip others.


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

So says the resident spoiled brat....



iggles said:


> i quite literally refuse to tip. No one tips me for doing my job. I get a good old "well done, iggles" So why should I tip others.


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## iggles (Jan 4, 2015)

TallyHo said:


> So says the resident spoiled brat....


I've just wrote an email, tip me AED10 please


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## patrick152 (Jun 13, 2018)

Frugal people aren't going to tip 20% no matter what. Jerks aren't going to tip at all, because they're jerks. For every hyper-generous tipper and gratuity-included party that comes along, there are scores of diners whose motives for withholding gratuity range from valid, to judgmental, to downright petty. My mozzarella sticks didn't come on time. Screw your livelihood.


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

patrick152 said:


> Frugal people aren't going to tip 20% no matter what. Jerks aren't going to tip at all, because they're jerks. For every hyper-generous tipper and gratuity-included party that comes along, there are scores of diners whose motives for withholding gratuity range from valid, to judgmental, to downright petty. My mozzarella sticks didn't come on time. Screw your livelihood.


And you registered to respond to a three year old post ?

When does the spam get posted ?


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## patrick152 (Jun 13, 2018)

Your message is gibberish. Sorry do not understand!


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## QOFE (Apr 28, 2013)

patrick152 said:


> Your message is gibberish. Sorry do not understand!


If your name is Patrick the message really wasn't gibberish. 

Why should tipping be mandatory and why should non-tippers be slagged off as cheapskates? 

I tip but it depends on the service. The American tipping culture that is trying to spread around the world is a disgrace. Employers should pay their staff a decent wage. The tipping is for great service, not for propping up salaries. If the service was not up to scratch, why should one encourage the continuity of it by tipping?
Too many restaurants here have staff who haven't got a clue what they are serving and how it should be done. No wonder so many restaurants and bars fail here.


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

patrick152 said:


> Your message is gibberish. Sorry do not understand!


I asked why you bothered to register for the forum to respond to a post which was three years old.

The message is pretty clear. Its your lack of English that appears to be the issue.

What normally follows someone responding to a three year old post is spam, just before their account is deleted along with their pointless posts.


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