Do you tip when you go out to eat in Ireland?Getty Images
A number of listeners called Lunchtime Live on the Irish radio station Newstalk on Monday to talk about the 'Americanization' of tipping in Ireland in recent years.
Unlike the US, Irish people working in tipped positions receive the same minimum wage (€11.30) as people in every other sector and do not rely on tips as much as their counterparts in the US.
Generally speaking, tipping in Ireland is appreciated but not required. A rule of thumb is to leave a 10% tip in an Irish café or restaurant, although it is not uncommon to leave a higher tip depending on the service.
In December 2022, the Payment of Wages (Amendment) (Tips and Gratuities) Act 2022 came into effect, dictating how employers share tips, gratuities, and service charges amongst employees while also making it illegal for employers to use tips or gratuities to make up basic wages.
One listener named Rory told host Andrea Gilligan that he had noticed a recent trend of "rounding up" when ordering a drink in an Irish pub.
"Historically, you never really tipped in a bar, but now we’re in much more of a case of rounding up," he told Lunchtime Live.
"If you order a drink for €9.50, you just give them a tenner and let them keep it."
Corinne, an American-born caller who has been living in Ireland for many years, told the show that she has noticed a change in tipping culture since moving to Ireland.
Corinne said she found it "weird" when she first arrived in Ireland and realized that nobody was tipping.
"Now, especially with dinner, everybody tips at dinner, or at least they should, in my opinion," Corinne told Lunchtime Live.
She added that tipping culture is not yet as "prominent" as it is in the US, where workers can receive a minimum wage as low as $2.13 an hour if they work in tipped positions.
"My daughter worked in a restaurant in Missouri a couple of years ago - $3.26 (€2.99) an hour was what they paid her because they assumed she's going to make up her wages with tips," Corinne said.
However, Corinne encouraged people to tip whenever they can, describing it as a "nice thing to do."
"If it looks like they’re working hard and they’re pleasant, I don’t mind."