Dining Out

It needs to be said that going out to a restaurant with your friends in Germany (and most of Europe) is much easier than in the United States. The service in the US is better because the servers work for a tip. In Germany, the servers do not work for a tip but it IS customary to round up to the nearest Euro for their tip. Because of this, they really don't treat you as nicely as they should. Even if you don't leave them that small "tip" they make a regular wage comparable to other customer service employees so they really don't care. If they are in a hurry and you are in their way while walking to the bathroom, they will let you know. You may be asking yourself why I said dining out in Germany is easier. Although the service sucks, paying is SOOOOO much easier. Unlike in the US where the waiter or waitress rushes to give you your bill and doesn't even ask if you want it split (and acts like it is an inconvenience if you do), the servers in Germany bring the bill to the table and get each individual person at the table to pay. They have a little leather zip bag with all size bills and coins in it to make change for you. It is unusual to pay with a debit/credit card in Germany but using cash is much easier here. They have built their consumer world upon using cash unlike the US where people use plastic wayyyyy too often.