5 Exceptions to Tipping in Montreal
How to tip in Montreal?
Tipping culture in Montreal
The tipping culture
Tipping culture in Montreal is similar to elsewhere across Canada. It is technically optional, but is customary, expected and considered quite rude and inconsiderate to skip the tip (unless, of course, the service you receive is absolutely terrible). After all, many people in the service industry rely on tips as part of their salary. And whatever your position may be on that fact, it does still remain a fact. For now, at least.
How much should I tip in Montreal?
Standard tipping in a restaurant is 15-20%, for hairdressers, estheticians, etc, it’s typically 15-18%, and 10-15% for cabs. Then there’s the ‘exceptional service’ tip where you might go above and beyond, but that’s entirely up to your discretion.
Tipping culture in Montreal (and throughout Quebec) is similar to elsewhere across Canada.
Do you have to tip in Montreal?
Do you need to tip in Canada?
Technically, no. There’s no law that says you are required to tip (see #1 below for the exception to that rule). However, it is customary, expected and considered quite rude and inconsiderate to skip the tip (unless, of course, the service you receive is absolutely terrible). After all, many people in the service industry rely on tips as part of their salary. And whatever your position may be on that fact, it does still remain a fact. For now, at least.
How much do I tip in Quebec?
Standard tipping in a restaurant is 15-20%, for hairdressers, estheticians, etc, it’s typically 15-18%, in bars it’s more about the dollar amount than a percentage (see #3 below), and do you tip a taxi in Montreal? Yes! Typically 10-15% for cabs. Then there’s the ‘exceptional service’ tip where you might go above and beyond, but that’s entirely up to your discretion.
But of course, it’s not always as simple as that. There are exceptions. Here are 5 important exceptions to know about when tipping in Montreal.
1. When it isn’t optional
Many people will argue that we have almost an ethical obligation to tip since people do rely on tips for things like rent and food.
But that’s not what we’re talking about here. We’re talking about when a restaurant or bar adds an automatic tip to your bill. Usually it’s between 15-18% and is most often applied to large groups (usually 8+) or sometimes at establishments primarily frequented by tourists, as some tourists come from countries that don’t have a tipping culture and they wouldn’t be aware of the custom.
A mandatory tip is… mandatory. It will (or at least, should) be noted on the menu or drinks list so that you’re aware of it beforehand. However, do make a point of always checking your bill before adding a tip, just in case one has already been added.
You obviously do not have to add another tip on top of that, but if you received truly exceptional service, or were part of a particularly rowdy group, you might consider adding a little something extra.
2. Crap weather tax
Don’t worry. This isn’t a real tax. Yet. But it’s something you might consider adopting as a general practice when tipping delivery people.
We experience some seriously crap weather in Montreal. Whether it’s a 20cm snowfall, a mini (or major) ice storm, or a 40-degree-with-the-humidex-heatwave, it gets bad. And what do many of us do when the weather’s bad? Order delivery!
But keep in mind that while that St Hubert family meal may mean you don’t have to fire up a hot stove, or trudge out to your local Intermarche, it does mean the person delivering your food has to be out there. Tack a few extra dollars onto whatever you would normally tip. They deserve it.
3. “Let it go” is the best mantra for bars
Most bartenders and drinks servers in Montreal hand you your change and whether you tip or not is up to you. If you’re just having one drink, leave $2-3. If you’re staying a while, $1-2 per drink is plenty… unless you order complicated cocktails every time. In that case, bump the tip up.
If you don’t tip, that’s your prerogative, but expect a nasty look. If it’s your fourth time ordering, the bartender recognizes you and you know you’ll be back for a fifth and sixth trip, you can skip the odd tip and get them next time. Or consider running a tab and tip only on your final bill.
That said, you may run into situations where your drink is $8, you hand over a ten and… that’s it. End of transaction. Your $10 is gone and the bartender has moved onto the next customer in the loud, crowded club. This is illegal and you have a right to demand your change. But talk to anyone who has attempted this and you’ll find it never turns out well for the customer.
Although the bartender or server is in the wrong here, it’s probably best to just let it go. If it really bothers you, ask to speak to a manager, or send management an email the following day.
4. The brunch exception
Ah, brunch. Love it or hate it, it’s a tradition firmly embedded in the food culture of Montreal. Depending on where you go and what you eat, the price for brunch in Montreal varies greatly and can get pretty low if you stick with a classic bacon and eggs combo.
Brunch is where you might want to abandon percentages and tip based on service. Think about it. You order 2 eggs, over easy, sausages and whole wheat toast. Your server takes your order, brings you water and coffee, your meal, often a second plate or basket for toast, refills your coffee two, three, seven times, refills the creamer basket, clears all your plates and at the end of the meal asks, “Would you like anything else?” But no, you’re good.
Your bill comes. It’s $9.75. Even at 20% that’s a tip of less than $2. For all that service! Tip at least $5. That’s still under $15 for someone to essentially help you through your hangover.
5. When your food is late… or terrible
If you get exceptionally bad or rude service, absolutely forgo a tip. But if the problem is slow service or even terrible food, take a moment before leaving off that tip.
Slow service and bad food are usually not a server’s fault. Maybe it is and they forgot to put your order in. Or maybe the kitchen is running behind, or is understaffed. Maybe half the wait staff called in sick. Maybe the restaurant overall is poorly staffed or organized. But a lot of that isn’t your server’s fault. And if the food is bad, well, that definitely isn’t your server’s fault.
Were they polite? Did they apologize for the wait? Did they do their best to correct any problems? Tips are part of a server’s wages. If they did their best, consider at least the minimum 15% tip. Any other issues you have can be discussed with management. Forgoing a tip only punishes your server, so make sure you’re directing your dissatisfaction at the right party.
“Slow service and bad food are usually not a server’s fault. But a lot of that isn’t your server’s fault.”
Bad food I will agree, but SURE THE HECK NOT SLOW FOOD IN MOST CASES!
Sorry to burst your bubble, but here’s why you are wrong:
Ask yourself these questions as a server:
1. WHEN do you put in my order? Do you wait or do you go put it in immediately after taking it? If you are double sat or triple sat, you can still go put in each order into the computer after taking each table’s order. By not doing that can result in a much longer wait and that would be YOUR FAULT.
2. FORGETTING to put in an order. My husband and I have experienced this for REAL that servers ADMITTED to our faces they have FORGOTTEN TO PUT ORDERS IN. All of them were appetizers, bar drinks, and a cup of soup.
3. Did you put in the order CORRECTLY into the computer? Have had many times servers ADMITTED to our faces they did not do that correctly. Have had wrong entrées before due to our server putting in the order wrong. Have had wrong bar drinks too due to the server putting in the order wrong.
4. Did you FORGET ANYTHING I ORDERED such as a SIDE DISH? We have had this happen a number of times as well.
5. Did you DROP anything I ordered? Luckily, we have not had this happen, but I have seen a server once drop some fries from a plate before and I did have a waiter spill some margarita martini when pouring into a martini glass. In other words, it is possible, not likely, but very possible.
6. Did you remember to GET my food? We have had a server do that before. Also, we have had a number of servers forget bar drinks.
7. Did you bring out my food obviously correctly if you bring my food out? Do you realize how many times OUR OWN SERVER brings out DUH mistakes like the side dish is wrong, the entrée is wrong, something obvious is not correct bacon that isn’t covered up isn’t extra, extra crispy when you can clearly notice that it isn’t without touching anything, etc.? Every DUH mistake you bring out is YOUR FAULT I am waiting for what I did order by you wasting my time bringing me the wrong item or wrongly prepared item or forgot something. While we all make mistakes, I would have to say a good 90% of the time, servers NEVER COMPARE THE WRITTEN ORDERS TO THE FOOD, because they are TOO LAZY and DON’T CARE!!
8. Servers DO wait to put in entrée orders when appetizers, side salads, or cups of soup are ordered. THAT *IS* THE GOD’S TRUTH! Sometimes it’s TOO LONG THEY WAIT! If it’s another server, it still doesn’t make it the kitchen staff’s fault I have the wrong side dish for example since that is something that’s obvious. It’s either my server that didn’t put in my order correctly or this other server that didn’t compare the ticket to the food or that this other server did compare the ticket to the food, but just missed it(HIGHLY UNLIKELY, but possible).
9. WHEN do you come to GET MY ORDER? That part is covered in #2 below.
10. WHEN do you DECIDE to LET ME ORDER? That part is covered in #4 below.
11. WHEN do you decide to DELIVER MY FOOD? That part is covered in #1 below.
12. Do you, because they are out of something, decide to assume everyone wants the closest thing so you do the ordering for me? That part is covered in #3 below.
13. WHEN do you decide to check up on WHERE the food is? If the kitchen staff somehow lost the ticket, did you wait 30 minutes and then decide to find out that or did you check after 10-15 minutes to see that our food was getting started on?
1. Once, we had a Red Lobster waitress had our 2 entrées on the tray as well as 2 side salads that were for a couple that wasn’t even there when we ordered. Anyway, instead of bypassing their table to hand us ours first since WE DID ORDER FIRST(common sense would tell you that it takes more time to cook food than it does to fix a side salad anyways even if it wasn’t our server that delivered our food, but it was our waitress that delivered our food), she decided to hand them theirs first off the tray. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS IN THE SERVER’S CONTROL TO HAND OUT THINGS OFF THE SAME TRAY IN THE ORDER IN WHICH IT WAS ORDERED IN!!
2. Once, we had a waitress that greeted us which we ordered an appetizer as well as our drinks when greeted. I saw she tucking in chairs at empty tables and pretty much doing everything but coming back to get our entrée order. Well, I found out what happened. She brought out our appetizer and when I asked she said that she wanted to wait to put in our entrée orders. The thing is, that delayed us more by not at least coming to GET our orders. That way, when the appetizer was ready, we wouldn’t have gotten delayed eating our appetizer since we then had to give our entrée orders when we could have given our entrée orders WELL BEFORE THAT and we would have gotten our entrées faster due to that she could have just left to put our entrée orders into the computer after delivering our appetizer instead of taking time to order when our appetizer was sitting in front of us. The point is, SHE delayed our entrées as well as to be able to start eating our appetizer because she could have at least TAKEN our entrée orders and then when our appetizer would have been brought out, could have immediately gone to the computer to put our entrée orders in. What she did was make us wait while our hot appetizer was sitting in front of us, we couldn’t touch it, because we had to order our entrées and could have done that wayyy before that. She also delayed our entrées because we had to spend extra time AFTER our appetizer arrived to give her our entrée orders when we could have done that wayyyy before that.
3. Once, we had a waitress that assumed that because they were out of raspberry topping for a cheesecake slice when we had ordered dessert that she’d bring us strawberry. Turns out, she knew when she put in the order that the computer had it the manager told us. So she did it on PURPOSE to be so lazy and uncaring as to not come to ask if we wanted the next closest thing. We didn’t, we sent it back, so she had MORE WORK. Also, she didn’t even think about what if someone is allergic to strawberries. I just honestly can’t believe someone would do that. If they are out of something, common sense would be to come to see if the next closest thing is ok. Not everyone wants the next closest thing. So it wasn’t like it was just getting the order wrong by accident or by not verifying the written order with what she was bringing or putting in the order wrong by accident, this was on PURPOSE to be LAZY and to ASSUME. I didn’t know at first that she did that. I thought at first she just was that stupid(or truly just messed up(highly doubt it)) to bring us strawberries on top of a cheesecake when we ordered raspberries.
4. Your server delays coming to get your order or delays you ordering due to personal conversation. We have had that before as well. Once, we had a waiter that we didn’t know after waiting 15 mins. for a table on Mardi Gras day ask us BEFORE we ORDERED ANYTHING “How’s y’all’s Mardi Gras” “Go to any parades.” See, I don’t mind chit chat with a stranger, but be considerate to do it AFTER we have our orders into the computer so you don’t take up our time.
We have also had servers not come to get our order due to playing around. Sometimes taking a long time or a longer time has A LOT to do with the server: My husband and I have had 3 TIMES where servers FORGOT to put food orders into the computer. We also have 8 times servers forget to get bar drinks from the bar. Once a waitress forgot to put in a bar drink into the computer. Two of the 3 times it was an appetizer and the servers ADMITTED doing so. The third time was a cup of bisque which is normally served before a meal just like a side salad is. My husband and I also have had delays due to that the servers delayed putting orders into the computer when they COULD have such as deciding to buss a table first or decide instead of a mini-greet(I’ll be right with you all), one waiter I saw decided to take a party of 6 people’s drink/appetizer orders instead of putting in our food orders into the computer. I can understand if they call you over, but if they don’t, you should be putting that order into the computer not delaying our food. The longer you wait to put in orders, the LONGER WE WAIT!! So truly think about that MOST of the time when you wait a LONG TIME for your food or bar drinks even, it could be the server’s fault. 9 times out of 10, your server had *SOMETHING* to do with the delay in most cases! That’s the GOD’S TRUTH!
“Your bill comes. It’s $9.75. Even at 20% that’s a tip of less than $2. For all that service! Tip at least $5. ”
If the service was ******GOOD********** to tip that. I don’t agree if the service was bad.
“though the bartender or server is in the wrong here, it’s probably best to just let it go. ”
So it’s OK TO STEAL, YET they want a TIP, WTH???
How about getting the stealing person arrested and fired?
“Or maybe the kitchen is running behind”
I expect my server to let my party know about the delay. That’s part of service.
” or is understaffed.”
Usually you can tell just by LOOKING at what is going on around you.
As far as that goes, that doesn’t mean they aren’t guilty of forgetting to get the order once it’s done or forgetting to put an order or put in an order wrong or serve you the obviously wrong thing. I may not take off as much of the tip if I see them busting their butt short staffed, but I sure won’t tip 20% simply because bad service should not get 20%. My husband and I have tipped 25%-30% and more before. We also have given bad tips for bad service and even stiffed before for horrible service. It goes by the service the tip, plain and simple.
“remember that we’re all just trying to pay our bills”
If that’s the case, WHY are so many servers don’t try their best? Why aren’t they writing things down? Why are they not rereading their written list? Why are they asking if you want change? Why are they “auctioning off drinks and/or food” when they took the order? Example “Who had the coke, Who had the sprite, etc.” Why are servers walking away while you are trying to ask for things or trying to stop writing things down? If they really wanted to pay their bills they’d try their best.