Restaurant Differences on International Vacations

You May Encounter Some Differences While Eating Out Internationally

It goes without saying that different countries have different ways of doing things, and the further away you get from your home country, the more different things become. If you’re an American (and I’m writing this from the perspective of an American), you can probably enjoy a dinner in Canada or Mexico without seeing too many differences in the way things are done.

But if you jump over the pond to Europe, Africa, or Asia, you’ll definitely see some changes when you sit down for a meal. And it’s not just the type of food you might be served or the order of the dishes that might come out from the kitchen. Everything from the way you pay for your food to the amount of money (if any) you give your server as a tip will change when you travel internationally.

The good news is that you probably won’t offend anyone to the point of getting kicked out of a restaurant if you happen to do something “wrong” or you do something differently than is the custom in a different country. In all my travels and on all the continents I’ve visited, I’ve only ever had people gently correct what I’ve been doing, if it’s even been necessary to do so.

Remember that when you’re eating at a restaurant, you’re in a place of hospitality, so the staff probably isn’t going to berate you or laugh at you for doing something strange, even if they think you’re acting really weird. They want your money, and they’ll probably put up with your odd American behaviors (I’m just assuming you’re probably an odd and totally uncultured American like me if you’re reading this, but even if you’re not, you’re welcome to the advice here!).

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Tipping Isn’t a Thing In Every Country

To get the biggest thing out of the way: no, you don’t need to tip in every country, but yes, there are some countries where tipping is either encouraged or the same as it is in the United States. There really is no rhyme or reason to it either as far as what countries have tipping and what countries don’t. You really just need to conduct a search before each trip to see if your destination is a tipping destination or not.

One thing to note, however, at least from my experience, is that servers do tend to expect that you’ll tip them when they see you’re an American (they might assume this if you’re Canadian, too, because we sound alike!). That’s not to say that you won’t get good service if you don’t tip in a country where tips aren’t a traditional part of the whole dining experience, but just be aware that Americans have a reputation for tipping whenever we eat.

And I understand that it can feel really odd to leave a restaurant without offering any sort of a tip. But bear in mind that the servers in those countries are often paid a wage that makes tipping redundant. The reason we “have” to tip in the United States is because many servers don’t get a wage that’s high enough to meet minimum wage, so tipping is there to boost them up to a reasonable level.

There is some change in that area with recent increases for servers in some states, but across the United States, tipping is still very much alive any well. But if you’re in France? No, you don’t need to tip. It’s really not necessary. And the same goes for a lot of other European locales, too. However, I’ve found that if you’re in South America or Central America, or even Mexico, you can tip and it’s appreciated.

Sometimes You Pay First & Then Sit Down

One big difference that I experienced when I went to Iceland (and it was a welcome change, actually) was that many restaurants were designed to have you order and pay at a desk, and then you took a seat somewhere to wait for your food to come out. By arranging the payment and ordering in this manner, the restaurants were able to avoid having to wait for a check, get the payment, and all the added time that goes into that process.

I’ve only rarely encountered that method of operation in the United States (other than fast food restaurants), but it makes a ton of sense. Not only are the servers freed up to just get their stuff done without having to check on all the diners to see if they need a check, gather payments, and deliver change, but the customers, too, aren’t sitting there trying to flag down a server to get the check. It’s a more efficient way to do things all around.

Even if you’re not in a country where it’s a pay first, sit second sort of affair, you might just need to walk up to the desk to pay at the end of your meal. The server won’t come over to you to see if you want a check. You’ll just walk up and pay whenever you feel like you’re done. Again, it’s an easier way to keep things moving and eliminates some of the guessing games that servers have to play with their guests.

Don’t worry if you enter a restaurant and you’re not sure how they arrange their payments and such. It’ll be pretty obvious whether it’s an arrangement where you pay first and then sit or whether they seat you and you wait for the bill. If you see a stand at the front where a host will seat you, that’s your cue to wait, but if you see a counter and a menu board, then you should just walk up and order. Pretty straightforward.

Some Countries Won’t Bother You to Pay

And on that same note regarding payments, it’s considered rude to ask people if they want a check in some countries. A meal is considered time to socialize, relax, and eat at your own pace, and the server will not bother you after you’ve gotten your food, unless you’re in need of another drink or another course of food.

They will literally leave you alone for two hours if that’s your choice. I found that this was very definitely the case in France. It was quite wonderful actually to sit down somewhere and eat and then relax for another thirty minutes just chatting and letting your food settle before waving someone over for the bill. There’s absolutely no rush to get out of any French restaurant. They’ll also give you a lot of time to eat in Italy.

But France and a few other European countries are probably the extreme on this particular point. Most servers in the restaurants I’ve eaten in around the world will actually leave you alone, but it’s only in France where they will literally ignore you for hours. Bear in mind that this isn’t a bad thing. All you have to do is wave a server over, and they’ll be right there with more food or a check or whatever you want.

Don’t let these cultural differences scare you away from eating out in your destination country, even if you’re not a social butterfly. When you visit a restaurant, you’re visiting a place of hospitality, and unless you start acting crazy, nobody’s going to care that you act like an American and don’t know all the rules of that country. You’ll learn them soon enough, and after just a few bites, you’ll be quite at home in whatever country you’re lucky enough to visit.

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