Tipping in Lagos, Portugal and Beyond.
We’ve read a few articles recently that are frankly absolute nonsense when it comes to tipping throughout Europe. We thought we could help set the record straight!
***NOTE, just in case you don’t get through this whole article, let me preface by saying that this is a guide to holidaying & tipping here in Portugal. It was written in response to finding out that there are travel guides out there saying that tipping is not even wanted in Portugal. Plus, as a personal experience, from having a few large groups of diners, (who have said that their experience was fabulous), only leaving a couple of pennies as a tip between the large group. When this happens, we inevitably try to find out if we’ve done something wrong! We want our customers to have an amazing experience, and the tip can often be a good indicator to us as to how we’re doing. And it’s not an attack on you if you’re too damn broke to leave a tip. We get it, we do. Most of us are having a hard time with finding any spare cash right now. If you don’t want to read this whole thing here’s the main lowdown: It is polite, but not required/expected to tip here in Portugal. Tips are very gratefully accepted. Your holiday here and spending your money at all in any establishment is even more appreciated. Tourists, we love you. Broke-ass locals, we love you too 😍***
First, some background info on the cost of living.
Here in Portugal, in 2023, the monthly minimum wage is €887. Compared to Spain which is €1050, and France, €1709 – you can see it’s pretty low. Most of the hospitality staff you meet will be on minimum wage, or close to it.
Living in Lagos, as with all big towns and cities these days, is increasingly difficult. Many people (the same as everywhere) rely on long-term rentals for accommodation. Try doing a quick search for long term (annual) rentals in Lagos right now. Have a little look. I’ve just done it and found 1 available property. A 2-Bedroom apartment that’s on the market for €2,200 per month. €2,200 per month!!!!!! That’s OVER 2x the expected monthly salary. 2 people sharing, working full time, could not even afford to pay the rent – let alone to EAT.
Ok, ok. This isn’t an AVERAGE cost of rent. If you’re very lucky, and willing to live outside of Lagos center, you might be able to find a 2-bedroom apartment for around €700 per month. Realistically you will be looking at upwards of €800 euros.
In 2022 Lisbon was named the 3rd most expensive city to live in Europe, taking into account the house prices, cost of living, and average income. (Source The Portugal News: https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2022-05-26/lisbon-3rd-most-expensive-city-to-live-in/67362)
ABC News offered an interesting article about the cost of living crisis here in Portugal: https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/low-wage-portugal-europes-housing-crisis-bites-deep-97902413 that takes into account the effect of tourism and foreign investment into Portugal, and how many locals are being priced out of living in their own towns and cities.
Recently, the government announced a “zero VAT” policy on essential food items in supermarkets to help the cost-of-living crisis, but the situation is still difficult. In December 2022, the price of a basket of essential food rose by 6 euros in just one week. Here, as everywhere, prices are going UP UP UP whilst wages remain very much the same.
Ok. So back to tipping. More specifically, tipping when you’re ON HOLIDAY in Portugal.
When we read online that in Portugal “most people don’t expect tips” or “just round it up to the nearest euro” or “the locals don’t tip”….. it’s almost enough to tip us over the edge. Of course, you don’t HAVE to tip. It’s your prerogative. But the staff that are working in the hotels and restaurants you are visiting are often relying on tips in order to supplement their incomes. If you’ve had a terrible time, of course you shouldn’t feel obligated to leave any extra. (Unlike places like the United States, where tips are often expected regardless). And ‘rounding up’ is totally appreciated. But let’s say you’ve had a lovely meal out for 2 people. Great service, and great food. And your bill comes to €48.50. You could of course ‘round up’ to €50. But please consider ‘rounding up’ to a 10% tip. Or more, if you like!!! It’s always gratefully received and much appreciated.
We recently saw this interesting graphic pop up on social media:
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/mapped-how-much-should-you-tip-in-each-country/
Take a good look. It kinda seems like the poorest countries are the ones where you’re not expected to tip so much, doesn’t it? Does that seem to sit right with you? Often these percentage guides are basically rubbish. You should tip what you think is right – not what you’ve read in an outdated guidebook or an old TripAdvisor article. Or here, for that matter – ha!
I remember I started working in hospitality at a small pub in Essex. Often a ‘tip’ when you were working on the bar back then was “get yourself one” in Essex pub speak. Your customer wanted to buy you a drink as a tip. If you think about it now, that’s huge!! We rarely think to tip our bartenders – often they are just included when you leave a tip for service at the end of a meal - but consider the price of a drink these days. Looking back, that was incredibly generous and still is today.
When you come on holiday here to Portugal, it’s still likely that you’ll feel like things are cheaper here than wherever you’re coming from. They are! It’s great! I just read an article saying that the price of a pint in London is expected to reach £10 by 2025. Right now it’s often over £7 in the capital for a pint of draught lager. Here in Lagos? Get a pint of lager for just €4 (£3.50 ish) and our Tropical Rumble craft beer for just €5.50 (£4.80 ish) !!!!!
But it doesn’t seem that cheap to the person serving you that same pint. And this isn’t just applicable for us here in Portugal. Often, those countries you visit where everything seems super cheap are the poorest countries, where the service staff work long hours for little pay.
Don’t get me wrong, we are a rich country in so many ways. We feel beyond lucky to live here. Tourism is a massive boost for us and we appreciate each and every one of you that visit and spend your hard earned holiday money here. But when you spend money in a business, most of that money is going to the government. Any tips go DIRECTLY to the staff that have worked hard to provide your service. And when you tip the staff directly, they will often spend that money locally – in a big old happy circle that boosts the local economy, helps local businesses, and basically brings JOY to a ton of lovely Lagos locals!
If you’re able to, and feel like your experience was good / great / awesome, please remember that tips here are always accepted, and very much appreciated. If you just can’t afford to tip, we get it – we really do.
Easy Tipping Do’s and Don’ts
Do: When you receive a bill, from an experience that has provided a personal service, try to leave a 10% tip if you’re able. EG restaurants and cafes. Bars – you’re not expected to leave a tip with every round of drinks. But if you run up a tab, it’s likely that your bartender has looked after you for a good amount of time, and probably deserve a tip just as a waiter or waitress would.
Do: Tip in cash. Whilst some places do accept tips on a card payment, it’s much easier for us to process them and split them between staff fairly when it’s all in cash. Read more on why cash is king.
Do: Ask if you’re not sure! It’s very unlikely that a service charge is included in your bill, but don’t be afraid to ask. Your servers are also great sources of knowledge for other local do’s and don’ts. Got a hair or a nail appointment and not sure whether you should tip? Got a grotto tour and you’re not sure what the custom is? Ask your waitress or bartender! If we don’t know we’ll certainly be able to find out for you. (Note: it’s a YES from me on both of the above!)
Don’t: Feel obligated to tip if you have not had good service. It’s assumed if you leave without tipping that you have not enjoyed your meal/drinks/service/experience. If you’re not one to complain, and you don’t like to make a scene – leaving without a tip is a great way to show your dissatisfaction.
Don’t: Feel terrible if you’ve genuinely forgotten to bring cash and can’t leave a tip – or if you’re really on a tight budget and just can’t afford to. We still love you and it really does happen to the best of us.