Irish Service

In Ireland tipping is not necessary. This fact I found both difficult to grasp and feel comfortable with. I felt cheap every time I paid the bill with exact change. But after a while I got more comfortable not tipping as I learned that Irish servers aren’t really working to get your tips. It would often go something like this. We would walk into a pub and seat ourselves at a table. After about ten minutes of waiting we would either decide to go somewhere else or go up and ask for some menus. We’d get our menus and look them over. If were weren’t ready to order it may have been another ten minutes before we’d see the server again. When we would order a Guinness it would take about five to ten minutes to actually get it (you’ve got to let it settle). But when you’d order food it was not uncommon for it to come out in ten minutes and be mouth-burning hot. Then if we wanted another order of drinks or wanted to get our bill we’d have to wait another ten minutes to get the bill and pay. No one seemed to be in a rush to do anything, which was nice but also created a cultural clash. At one restaurant our server left for a break and no one really seemed to cover for her. We had to work really hard just to pay our bill. Americans are so used to being catered to so carefully that this carefree attitude was certainly a change of pace. I think I would enjoy living at the slow pace of life that the Irish seem to enjoy; they take their time and enjoy it as it passes.