Working as a waiter in Malta, do you get tips?

Hi mauro,

don't count on tips ! It will depend on where you are working. In an upclass restaurant you might get a tip for good service but in a regular place it might not be very much. Make sure your salary is good enough and don't believe any promises about tips making up for a minimal salary. Service in Malta is usually so bad that I don't give a tip. Even if it is not the waiters fault.

Malta is not America -)))

Cheers
Ricky

Thanks Ricky,
i am a professional head waiter / manager with 18 years experience worldwide, fluent in 4 languages, so i will be looking for jobs in upmarket restaurant only..

I just wanted to share something here.

For the most part, found the service in restaurants good to very good. With the occasional low point. If there is a euro or two away from a note then we'd leave it as a tip.

There was one restaurant though (forgot the name, but my wife will find out for me), near St. Paul's Bay. We had the most fantastic 3 course meal, and the place felt very upper class (I don't recall prices on the menu!) - even the owners were very warm and welcoming, offering free drinks. The Bulgarian waiter was absolutely amazing, he even filleted a huge fish in front of me before serving, and he was so humble and nice. Going out of his way to make sure we were ok (we sat outside in a December evening, everyone thought we were mad!,But to us is was so nice and warm still!)

The meal was half the price we expected it to be, and so we left 50 Euro for the excellent waiter.

The tip we leave is always dependant on the level of service and standard of the meal.
I never add a tip to the bill if paying by CC but will leave cash for the waiter.
I never leave a tip if the bill has a service charge already loaded.

On a recent trip to  a restaurant in Sicily the bill contained a minimum charge AND a service charge, needless to say we left no tip and will not be returning!


Terry

Thank you both Drael & Terry for sharing your experience.

Mauro

A similar experience at an Indian restaurant on the Strand. No mention of a ' cover charge' on the menue in the window but one was added on the bill. After questioning the amount the waiter actually became aggressive!

No need to say that we will not be going there again although the food and service were good.

Cheers
Ricky

Being a waiter myself previously, I only tip if the service (not much the food) if it's really good. I've worked in restaurants before where some customers were not very happy with their meals (chef's fault) but still they left me a tip.
I have he same kind of mentality, if I like the service and food, perfect, I am happy and I tip the waiter/waitress min 10% of the bill, if not already included. If the food it's good and service it's bad, then no tip and the other way round.

To be honest, mostly of the places we've been for a meal here, I've always left a tip!

Thank you Mantonas, I agree with the way you think and do the same myself. .just wondering about tips as for what I've read on various websites wages look really low in Malta in the Restaurant sector so I'm hoping to be able to increment my salary with tips..coming for a week at the end of the summer to have a proper look around, think I will quizz the waiters of the places I will eat in..
Mauro

I work occasional shifts in a restaurant on Gozo where tips are not shared with staff, but are kept by the owners. The only exception is if the money is given directly to the waiter, in which case he/she is allowed to keep the tip. I know of three other restaurants where the same policy is in place.

Consequently, when I eat in a restaurant, I don't give a tip.

I get paid 5 euros per hour.

There are places you get good tips which mean about Euro10 per night but most places one would get much less.  Hotels for example one would almost get nothing, but good restaurants you might get some good tips but nothing compared to abroad.  Unfortunately waiters in Malta are not very well paid approx. Euro4-Eur5 per hour.

I have worked as waitress long time ago. I used to get good tip amounting more then the salary I get in a weeks pay. Unfortunetly things changed as now tips are shared not just amongst waitressing and managers but even kitchen staff too. So amount you get is really low. If you are looking for a high salary, you must opt for high class restaurants. Providing you have what it takes. And from what you said you should get one. Jobs at bugibba don't really pay good. Go to paceville and st Julian's, that's were the the money are. Good luck

My son has worked as a waiter here in Malta, he's  received lots of tips from his customers. But at the end of the night THE MANAGER takes them all off him, he got his salary and 1 euro extra for every hour he worked eg 4 euros for a four hour shift.
So when you are eating out and tipping the waiters ASK the manager who EXACTLY am I tipping!

My daughter also works as a waitress, we are Maltese and all tips are shared between all the employees of each section including the kitchen staff. I do not agree with it, but that's how it is. My daughter gets about 20 euros extra in a month.
When I was a waitress myself talking about 15 years ago, the amount of tips I used to get amounted more then the salary it self. Because the system was different, I get what I make.
So just for you to know how things are.
Regards
Doris

When we lived in Malta we would eat out a lot ( business expenses) and on average leave 10%, sometimes less if the service was bad. ( and there was some bad service).... I would not think things have changes too much in a few years.......

I think Its better to share the tips to the people behind screen like cook barman and cleaners

abhinav wrote:

I think Its better to share the tips to the people behind screen like cook barman and cleaners

I currently have a part time job washing dishes 'behind the scenes'. It's hot, messy, very busy and I'm not treated too good either. Also, I get less pay than the waitresses in the restaurant. I go home late in the night covered in grease and filth. And I stink!

I don't mind doing 'anything' for a bit of extra income when the need arises (such as now), and so I am inclined to agree with the above comment on sharing the tips. It might not seem fair to the waitress/waiter, but we all work hard in the background and I receive little, if anything, in the way of thanks. (for cash in hand, well below minimum wage work....here in the UK).

- David

Well David I do respect the fact that you also work and that everybody speak from his own perspective. Yes putting myself in your shoes I would say it is fair, to share the tips. That's how it is here. The only thing I would wish to change in Malta is the salary. Today I am a self employed after 35 years working for other people and I make my own money, but if the salaries will increase and become like other countries, we would be much better, although with high salaries the cost of living will also get higher that I know.
So as you can see everything is a chain and there are repercussions. For every action there's a reaction in life.
Anyway good luck
Doris

We always give a tip when the food/service has been good. I am though learning much here too and taking a lot for granted. I am assuming that on menu's etc that they don't say "service included"? I thought that in most that all tips today are indeed shared with everyone but not sure how this is shared when considering shifts etc or if it is with those in the background (dish washers, cleaners etc) or not every time everywhere and do we ask first or not?

What is the best to do? Ask the waiting staff or the duty manager and would they just lie anyway due to pressures being applied on them?

We do like to tip and show an immense appreciation for their work on our behalf!

In one sentence (considering Malta)....what is best to do to ensure that the real workers can earn more than their pay?

Cheers.

Roy & Linda

We now own a restaurant in Qawra called "the Whole Hog" and being English we split the tips with everyone working that shift  as everyone works hard and the whole operation depends on excellent food, great service and polished plates, clean toilets etc.

We do take a cut for breakages incidentals as advised by the old owners and this works well for everyone.

The amount of tips we get in our "piggy bank " can be quite surprising and makes up a lot of money onto the staffs wages but I have heard awful stories about owners keeping the tips etc.

We also had bov and HSBC take the tip option off the card machines as I find it rude. if people would like to tip which invariably 99 percent do they will tip in cash. ( one person left a 30 tip only yesterday).

So I'd certainly clarify at interview what you can expect.