French waiters accused of double dipping tips in run-up to Paris Olympics

It's scandalous: Parisians have accused cafes of double dipping on tourist tips. Photo / Getty Images

French waiters and hospitality companies have been accused of swindling tourists out of their euros, introducing a sneaky second gratuity fee.

Tourists on Paris’ boulevards near the Olympic Village have been reporting cafes charging a tip of between 10 and 20 per cent. This is despite a gratuity already included in French menu prices.

French labour laws mean a 15 per cent tip is automatically added to service at restaurants and cafes. This is part of the reason why France is not known for its tipping culture. However, it appears the 2024 Olympic Games may be changing this, with an influx of international tourists.

With 15 million tourists expected to arrive at the end of July, hospitality is expecting a healthy cut of the tourist boom. Though locals have accused waiters of scamming cafe goers, who aren’t aware of gratuity laws.

“I’ve been shocked in the past when I’ve seen waiters asking foreigners for tips. They were just taking advantage of them,” Françoise a 55-year-old Parisan told The Times. “It’s scandalous that they’re doing it to us too.”

The term le pourboire - or “drinks money” - is not uncommon in France, with generous-feeling patrons choosing to leave some of their change. However, the practice of obligatory tips has infuriated locals, when presented with card readers that are adding a second helping of tips.

French broadcaster BFMTV discovered this was a source of Gallic outrage among the citizenry of Paris.

Professor Olivier Babeau told the broadcaster that he expected the rise of mandatory extra tips was partially due to the influx of Olympic tourists.

The French have gained notoriety for being mean tippers in cultures like the United States, where gratuities are used to pay serving staff’s wages. Though Babeau said this may soon be changing.

“You can only think that this is a way to get the French to leave bigger tips or to get foreigners to give as much as they would in their own countries,” said the professor from the University of Bordeaux.

It’s not only customers who are disgusted by tipping as something distinctly un-French. One unnamed waiter described the practice “like prostitution”, telling The Times that having to “lick the boots” of patrons in the expectation of a tip was undignified.

Waiters carry trays with a cup of coffee, a croissant and a glass of water as they take part in a 2K waiter's run through the streets of Paris, Sunday, March 24. Photo / Christophe Ena, AP

French hospitality is one of the country’s proudest exports. In March, to mark the start of the Olympics cultural calendar, Paris ran “La Course des Cafes” a novelty race for hospitality staff who were challenged with racing 2km, carrying a tray of breakfast items.

Waiter Thierry Petit, 60, who was one of over 200 competitors and has been waiting tables in the French capital for over four decades, called waiting the pride of France.

“French pride means that in little professions like this, they don’t want to be trampled on,” he told AP.

When tourists realise their waiter is double dipping on gratuity for their le Croissant quotidien, the esteem for the profession may be forever damaged.