The summer season brings not only sun and sea, but also additional income for seaside waiters, thanks to the generous tips of tourists.
The Romanian coast. PHOTO Archive
As surprising as it may seem, the most generous are not always the highest earners.
“Those with lower incomes leave much more tips than those with higher incomes,” Mădălin Ivanciu, an experienced waiter, told Pro TV. On a good night, he can collect even 550 lei from tips alone.
In the restaurants, bars and terraces on the seashore, tourists mostly shake hands. Most tip waiters who smile and engage in conversation with them.
Tourists say attitude weighs the most in a customer’s decision to tip. At the restaurant, some customers are also guided by how tasty the food was.
“If we don’t eat well, we don’t quit”, said one customer. Most of the time, the tip is 10% of the consumption value.
Răzvan Chițan, Mamaia beach manager: “Especially Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, when there are days like now at the peak of the season, the demand is very high in the first rows and people usually prefer to reserve and leave them another 5 lei, 10″.
Statistics show that in European countries, including Romania, customers leave an average of 10% of the value of the bill. However, there are also some countries such as Norway, Serbia, Poland or Austria where even 15-20% of the value of the consumption is left, while in Denmark or Moldova customers do not leave a tip at all.
