Letter from Montreal

On the menu, a classic North American breakfast (two eggs, bacon, fresh fruit) was listed at 13.95 Canadian dollars (€9) on the window of a restaurant in the West of Montreal with small leather booths. In reality, the customer ended up paying much more: With sales tax and the tip, the breakfast cost over 18 Canadian dollars. Isabelle Durand, 67, a retired resident from the Orléans region who was visiting Quebec for two weeks, had prepared herself ahead of time: "At first, it's surprising! But I was told that here, servers really need this money."

Generally, the recommended amount is 15% added to the bill. Credit card machines often offer three options: 15%, 18% or 20%, depending on satisfaction. In France, a customer leaves a tip only if they are truly pleased with the service. In Quebec, if you leave nothing, the server's pay is automatically reduced. The minimum hourly wage in Quebec for so-called "tipped" positions is set lower than for other jobs, as tips are expected to make up the difference. The gross minimum hourly wage for servers is 12.90 Canadian dollars (€8.27), compared to 16.10 (€10.32) for other positions.

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