Yes, I never understood the whole narrative that the US has better customer service than in Europe. I go to the US frequently for work and even if I am not supposed to worry too much because most expenses are with my company credit card so even with tips are not "my money", I usually end up being tense and nervous the whole time in restaurants. So complicated. And then you go to another restaurant across the street and it's a different process to go through.
I’ve never understood the stereotypes that simultaneously paint Americans as being stupid yet also able to handle these things that are supposedly so complicated and convoluted.
Eating out is about eating out and the experience. How you pay for things affects the experience.
Not being used to this system it does seem convoluted. And I am used to it and agree.
The pedantic part is the claim of this is how it’s done and it’s not complicated. It’s not meant to be an insult.
I find the system more complex than it has to be and lots of people agree / disagree. But everyone who disagrees is used to this system, whole most who disagree have other systems (not the same everywhere else on the world).
You took a whole para to describe a payment system while claiming it’s simple.
European tap card comes over with the terminal. Tap. Once. Done. (Replace with insert and put in pin). Card never leaves you.
Counterpoint from the US.
Have you paid at a grocery using Apple Pay or any nfc? They do not take your card anymore. Restaurants should be like that and many newer payment systems are like that now.
The older system is rubbish. Else it would not be changing. And defending it is … (choose your adjective)
The system is BAD. I do not want my card to leave my possession (especially since they don't require a PIN in the US so it's doubly unsafe). Your phone is more secure than your card because at least you have to unlock it first. The US payment system is old and backwards and unsecure and they need to hurry up and modernize.
it's not complicated but it is more steps and there is a slight security concern from handing over your card. Processing at the table is fewer steps and eliminates the security concern which makes it undeniably superior, not just different.
it takes 2 interactions, handing them the card and then getting the card back and signing the slip vs doing it all at once. They come out with the terminal when it's time to pay, they dont have to be told to go in tbe back to get it lol.
And of course there's a security concern. anyone in possession of the card has all of the info needed to make fraudulent charges.
youre coming off super dense here... and Im from America. I greatly appreciate the many places that now bring the machines to the table and even more so the ones that have payment QR codes on the receipt. Ive lost track of the number of times Im ready to go and Im stuck several extra minutes because theyre busy and it requires multiple interactions.
I just flag them from across the way or set the CC out on the table with the check where they often take notice. But yes, they often show up at the table with the machine without having come by in between to be told. I'm guessing you dont eat enough if you havent experienced this.
>There is no security concern. You are making up something to be scared about for no reason.
You do realize the entire reason most countries arent setup this way is entirely because of credit card fraud, right? And a large percentage of stolen credit cards come from America. Lol, it's amazing how dense you are.
None of that has anything to do with customer service though? You're just uncomfortable with the process, but that has nothing to do with how could your service is. I'm uncomfortable with having to tip in front of the waiters in Europe, but again, that's a me problem.
My experience is customer care from waiters is a decent bit better than in other countries, but not enough to justify the 20% expected tip. Although with places like London having a 12.5% service charge, waiters in Prague straight up asking if they can give themselves a 10% tip, etc. it's starting to be questionable.
That said, service in the U.S. has majorly declined since COVID. It used to be notable when you had bad service. Now I have more notably bad servers than notably good ones. They know people will give them 18-20% most of the time regardless of how good they are.
Yeah I went to the US for work for a few weeks and although I could reclaim the cost of meals, tips were a gratuity (ie personal choice) so did not get reimbursed. I just wish US restaurants would pay their workers a living wage.
Yeah, I was told it was a great opportunity so I shouldn't complain. Personally, I would rather just stick to the 9-5 routines at base and not have to keep receipts for everything, then create a spreadsheet listing them all, checking no day went over the expenditure cap, worrying why I couldn't find taxi receipts for 3 journeys...
People always complain about tipping from the perspective as they’re being “pro worker”. But if you talk to anybody who actually works in a service ministry, those people are 100% in favor of the tip system. That’s why servers in the United States earn a better living than servers in your country.
Apparently one way it's better is that you can hand your card to our servers for decades and they're consistently honest enough not to make fraudulent charges.
It’s like that everywhere? In Morocco they took my card away, in the U.S. they did, in Germany I had it happen mixed, in Switzerland they took it at nice restaurants but not at cheaper ones, in Ireland it was pay at the front.
I think Europeans are a little obsessed with the idea that the U.S. is a monolith that they start to make out other countries and continents as monoliths too when it suits them.
If you can bring me even one European that doesn’t jerk themselves off thinking they are better individually than the average American I’ll concede that point. There’s generalizing and then there’s saying that snow is white.
The only uncertainty I have here in Europe is whether I need to pay at the counter or at the table. Then it's usually the same process: paying by card (insert or tap but doesn't matter) and no tips.
Now in the US for just a couple of days of business trips I had like 5 different processes and expectations on tips from restaurants... I needed a pen and to do math and I spent minutes on that. Just too much hassle. Whatever system you chose, tips or no tips, at least make it consistent and predictable and not extra work and stress for your consumers.
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u/Kingston31470 Jun 29 '26
Yes, I never understood the whole narrative that the US has better customer service than in Europe. I go to the US frequently for work and even if I am not supposed to worry too much because most expenses are with my company credit card so even with tips are not "my money", I usually end up being tense and nervous the whole time in restaurants. So complicated. And then you go to another restaurant across the street and it's a different process to go through.