[liotier]

France here - no tip is the norm, tip is for service above & beyond... But, contrary to the USA, everyone gets a proper living wage !

[vladvasiliu]

Depends on when you are. Making minimum wage while living in Paris isn't exactly a "proper living wage".

[coldtea]

Still it's not the scam that passes for wage in the US (especially considering cost of living and other expenses). And Paris can be anything, from expensive neighborhoods to project suburbs.

[account42]

That isn't the customers problem though nor should it be.

[lesser-shadow]

The only issue with restaurants in France is that they close up early, or only open within strict lunch hours.

[sokoloff]

If you're paying a relatively high hourly wage to all of the staff, it seems unsurprising that you'd not want to be open during times of low customer traffic.

Honestly, this seems good overall; there's no more sense in having low-paid waitstaff hanging around hoping to get a customer table that will tip than in having a restaurant owner keep the restaurant open while paying the staff a reasonable hourly wage.

[nobleach]

In France, I always thought it was customary to leave the change from l'addition. (I'm not French though, so perhaps I was commiting a faux pas)

I can confirm in Italy almost no one will even accept a tip. (Taxi drivers, wait-staff, hotel staff)

[liotier]

> leave the change from l'addition

Yes, that is the basic tip if you expect to come back to that restaurant and get an upgraded welcome.

But even with no tip, being a regular counts - tip or no tip, you are good business and worth cultivating.