It’s kind of true. If you’ve ever been to Europe, the service is good but not anywhere as attentive like in the states. The problem is not greedy waiters taking tips, it’s the CEOs who don’t pay their employees enough to dine out more than once a year.
In some countries in Europe (Spain, Portugal, …) tips are just a bonus, not their wage. It’s a thank you but with money. So if you tip them you reinforce their good behavior.
If the tip is mandatory it stops being a thank you and becomes charity.
That’s not what charity means, they’re quite literally performing a service for that money.
Idk what experiences you’ve had but i’ve had nothing but downright pleasant service in Europe.
In my experience, if an american says they’re consistently getting bad service in europe it’s because they’re being inconsiderate or rude
Oh I didn’t mean to imply it was unpleasant, just certainly not as attentive, you’ll have to ask for refills on water or spend spend a long time waiting. Though that said in Tokyo the service was on par with New York and they don’t have tipping culture either.
In Europe though, the waiters get healthcare and good wages so they have reason to be happy.
