This month we talk about the traditions and customs around tipping in France with a focus on bars and restaurants. Secrets of Paris founder, Heather Stimmler, joins me to shed some light on how the French approach tipping, including the larger social issues behind their actions.
Long before she was talking about tipping in France, Heather’s writing career started in Scottsdale, Arizona, where she was Teen Correspondent at the Phoenix Gazette and attended the Summer Journalism Institute at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism in 1993. She studied political science and environmental policy at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota and the University of Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas in Paris where she moved permanently after graduating in 1997. After working for 17 years in the Paris travel industry as an author, tour guide and publisher, in 2016 she became the Media Director for a non-profit marine conservation group, but still maintains the Secrets of Paris in her free time. Read more about her travel writing, published books, past projects and interviews with her on Secrets of Paris.
Products, places and people mentioned in the episode Tipping in France episode
Secrets of Paris
Tipping Etiquette in France by Heather on Secrets of Paris
Tips on Holiday Tipping for Residents by Heather on Secrets of Paris
David Lebovitz and his book Drinking French (which includes the Yellow Cocktail below)
Paris by Mouth food tours in Paris
Heather also shared this list of articles related to tipping in France (in French):
METTRE EN PLACE LE POURBOIRE PAR CARTE BANCAIRE
(new tax law on CB tips)
Six questions sur la défiscalisation des pourboires au restaurant par carte bancaire
Le pourboire est-il encore légal ?
Faut-il rendre les pourboires obligatoires en France ?
En 1976, le pourboire à la française, un vrai casse-tête !
« Service compris » : la duplicité des restaurateurs (this is particularly biting, lol)
Pourboire (the law and wording differentiation)
Explication sur les pourboires et les services en France
Romain, serveur, 950 euros et « beaucoup de pourboires » (life of a server on 30 hours)
Le pourboire : ce qui se fait, ce qui ne se fait pas… En France et ailleurs
Pourquoi le service n’est pas compris aux US (on the slave origins of tipping in the US)
Pourboires : en France je donne combien ?
Cocktail of the Month:
Yellow Cocktail
3⁄4 oz / 20ml Gin
3⁄4 oz / 20ml Yellow Chartreuse
3⁄4 oz / 20ml Suze
3⁄4 oz / 20 ml Freshly squeezed lemon juice
Shake all ingredients together with ice.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
If you’re making this for yourself at home, no tipping required. 😉
Big thanks to…
Heather Stimmler
World Radio Paris for editing and production
Son Little for the music we use
and YOU for tuning in, downloading and listening!
You can also find more of the best Paris cocktail talk, including a possible future Tipping in France Part 2 at:
52 Martinis site or if you’d like to carry me around in your pocket, download the iOS app, Paris Cocktails.
Paris Cocktail Talk is available on iTunes, World Radio Paris, 52 Martinis or wherever you get your podcasts.
As usual, we remind you to drink responsibly.
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