Personally I prefer the European system.
Employers in Europe are required to pay their employees mandatory minimum wages. Otherwise they risk serious financial penalties and a criminal crackdown on their business. Hence, over here the waitress serving you a meal or the guy flipping a burger for you get properly paid and get social security benefits + they don't need to 'beg' a customer for helping them out with their indecent wages paid by their bosses: no embarrassing or discomforting scenes at the time of payment.
In Europe tipping is mostly no standard practice: you don't feel morally 'pressed' or even 'intimidated' to pay a tip and in most cases you won't be considered disrespectful or greedy if you don't leave a tip. Some waiters may think differently about it and expect a bonus at the end of a meal. Of course, also think long term: if you're known by restaurant staff to be a (very) appreciative client, you may get some perks (better table, extra service, more smiles, etc.). Give a bouncer nothing and he may remember you the next time around - give a bouncer a few euro coins and he will remember you the next time around - give a bouncer a €5 or €10 bill and he will certainly remember you the next time around.
You are free to leave a few euros on the table after your meal (cash = bigger chance that the waiter or waitress will get the money, but they can have a deal with their boss that all tips will line the pockets of the boss only) or to ask adding a small extra to the bill (for example rounding up: a €152 bill rounded up to €160 = €8 tip) as some sort of true/genuine bonus to express your gratitude for excellent service. However, if you leave, say, a €50 or €100 euro bill, on the table for the waitress, she will definitely appreciate the extraordinary bonus, but may equally suspect that you fancy her too much (making a pass on her) or that you're a 'show off' or a foreign tourist who is unaware of the local standard practice.
In Italy "coperto" (cutlery) exists for centuries. When Italian travelers stopped at an inn to seek shelter or cover during harsh weather but brought their own food in, they paid to use shared items (plates, silverware, tables and chairs). Nowadays "coperto" normally ranges from €2 to €4 per person in Italian sit-in restaurants. It is separately indicated on the bill. In reality it's nowadays some sort of automatically included tip.
Over here in Europe we got the 'Value Added Tax' system (see
https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/what-vat_en). The standard VAT rate varies per European country, ranging between 16% (Luxemburg) and 27% (Hungary) (see
https://www.globalvatcompliance.com/...n-europe-2021/). You cannot opt out of VAT - it's mandatory. Well, if for Canadian and US bars and restaurants mandatory standard taxes + 20%-ish "tips" + 3%-ish "credit card payment fee" + "a donation for our staff" becomes the moral norm for you in the US and Canada: well, there you'll have your VAT equivalent. OK, unlike VAT you can opt out of tips and donations, but you can feel pushed to cough up, especially if you plan to revisit the place (as in my bouncer example above).
Attachment 3251811
❯ Has anyone stopped tipping?
