Have you ever tipped? If not, what holds you back? And if you do, how much is enough to show your appreciation? Tipping may seem like a small gesture, but for many in customer service, it can make a world of difference.
Whether it’s a waiter rushing to get your order just right, a receptionist making your stay smooth, or even the guard ensuring your safety, these service providers often rely on tips as a form of acknowledgment for their efforts.
However, here’s the thing: tipping isn’t just about money. It’s wines, champagnes, jewellery, thank you cards and notes...you are spoilt for choice. It is more than just loose change—it’s a way of saying, “I see the extra mile you went, and I appreciate it.” So, how do you decide who to tip, and how much?
Dr Grace Githaiga, who is in her 50s says she started tipping after the age of 35 because of her exposure abroad.
“I used to travel a lot and in places like the US it is compulsory to tip five-15 percent of the bill an if you do not tip it looks like a crime,” she recalls.
Dr Githaiga shares that her tipping culture also came from appreciating that waiters or waitresses sometimes earn very little and depend on the tips.
Dr Grace Githaiga, the CEO of KICTANet, says she always tips regardless of the service offered.
Photo credit: Pool
So, do you give a flat rate or go with your gut? “Apart from the US where it is prescribed, in the other places that I tip, I just go with my gut and depending on the quality of the service.
"So, if a waiter or waitress has served me well…with a smile, is very responsive like my order does not take too long. I always tip but if you did not give me good service, of course the tip is less (Sh100).”
However, a number of times, Dr Githaiga notes she has encountered hotel staff who went above and beyond to earn the generous tip. “There is a particular waiter at a Nairobi restaurant who goes beyond the call of duty.
“You know, I will ask for the menu, recommendations and he tell us try a particular dish, we won’t get disappointed…and then he keeps on checking up on us if we need something else, or if we enjoyed the meal? That one gets exceptional tip.
In fact, every time me and my kids go to that restaurant, he notices us. He has become our friend even my kids ask for him. And it is simply does his job well…ile tu roho safi.”
While some restaurants ensure that their staff are tipped through the main payment accounts, Dr Githaiga, the CEO at KICTANet, says she asks for personal M-Pesa numbers or give cash for tip.
Is there a particular time that you tip? “Not really. Either when I’m checking out or paying my bill and I do tip Sh500-Sh1,000, as a sign that I have appreciated the service.”
Nonetheless, there are hotels which suggest the amount one should tip, and Dr Githaiga says that proposal is not fair. “I do not like that because you may not have enough funds to tip on those suggested amounts.
Maybe, they should put a statement like, ‘we appreciate tips please give what you think is fair’.”
To travellers who do not tip, Dr Githaiga advises it is important to appreciate the service and workers as some work under very difficult and hard conditions.
“I know there are hotel workers who are not given food, or they cannot eat the food they are serving. So, you go order a nice meal with a great aroma and the waiter/waitresses serve you but however they are not allowed to have a taste.”
I tip based on how you make me feel
Unlike Dr Githaiga, Joys Kimani, 40, recalls how her young 25-year-old self was tipped Sh5 when working in a cybercafé.
“I was holding fort for someone at the time and this person came and gave me an extra Sh5 and I remember the excitement of someone going overboard. So, from then on, I made it a habit to appreciate,” she says.
For her tips, Joys says she gives Sh200 and above, depending on how good the service was.
While tips should depend on the willingness of the giver, Joys shares she has been in situation where staff are extra friendly thinking she would leave a tip.
Did you give? “No. I pause and refuse to give once I see the person is over demanding. Because it ends up feeling it’s my role to give.”
Though Joys always gives out money as her tip, she shares that there sometimes, she has to be creative in her tipping. “We were in a hotel in Dar es Salaam and then they used to do group distribution of the tip.
I felt ‘offended’ because I tip someone who has been friendly to me not everyone. So, we had to roll it down in a tissue and wrote in a serviette the amount we were giving her.”
What’s the biggest tip you have ever left? “It was between $80 and $100 (Sh10,000-12,000).”
I’m curious what did that hotel do?
“I went to this hotel, and it was at that time of the month, and I messed up the sheets. So, I had a conversation with them but just because someone went overboard to clean my sheets it was prudent that I tell them thank you.”
Joys, a human rights defender, determines who gets her tip and who does not depend on how the staff member makes her feel.
"If you make me feel happy, appreciated, comfortable, you don't take time with my order, you make conversations with me…then I will totally tip you.
"If you make me feel like I'm bothering you then I won't tip you. There is this hotel I went, and this waiter was just clattering dishes when serving me. I did not only tip but never went back."
However, Joys has found herself in situations where she felt obligated to tip, even when it was not her intention; that is when it’s added on her bill.
“I hate it because you do not know how big my pocket is. Just because I’m at a very expensive restaurant it doesn’t mean that I have extra cash. I have had an instance where I paid via card and the tip was deducted. I am the one to decide,” she emphasises.
Joys says she has been in hotels where the waiters were loud enough when enquiring the amount she will give for tips. “Then when you say, ‘No tip’ everyone around you looks at you like, ‘You mean person’.
For me it was really uncomfortable, and I did not tip them because you can never shame the shameless.”
To travellers who would like to start tipping, Joys shares: “Tip in a currency that you are familiar with. There was this time I was in Johannesburg with a friend, and I had my cash in rand but did not understand the currency at that point.
So, I ended up giving the person an equivalent of Sh8,000 as tip but my friend took it back and gave a substantial amount.”
Tipping on and off
Like Joys, Geoffrey Kamau, has found himself in a similar predicament and he gave in. He shares, “Some years back when I was in Europe and I saw whites tipping and I did not want to be judged, so I tipped.”
While he knows tipping warms the service provider’s heart, Geoffery, a marketing strategist does not tip when services are poor, the food quality was off and if the bill was more than he had budgeted for.
Do you have a fixed amount you tip? “I tip more depending on the place because I know there are places where salaries are low, for example, a kibandaski (eatery) can’t be compared with these five-star hotels.”
However, Geoffrey notes there are workers who judge him based on his looks and how much he tipped.
“I once entered somewhere suited up and tipped Sh100 only to hear them saying, ‘huyu amevaa suti na anatuachia mia pekee (this guy has suited up and can only leave us Sh100).”
Geoffrey Kamau, a marketing strategist, does not tip when services are poor.
Photo credit: Pool
So, what did you do after hearing such? “I promised myself never to tip again but I always find myself tipping.”
Have you ever withdrawn a tip you intended to offer? I ask. “Yes. So, there was this time I requested a watchman to check behind as I was reversing the car.
He did not know that I was doing that in order to tip him Sh1,000. So, in the process, he asked ‘you don’t know how to drive a car?’ and I felt he was just being rude so I returned the cash.”
According to Geoffrey, an industry he always makes sure to tip is when he encounters female night guards. “Certain jobs should be done by men so when you see a mother working at night…that gives it more reason to tip.”
Maasai sandals and thank you cards
Other than cash, Janet Otieno shares that she writes thank you notes and cards plus other gifts as an appreciation gesture.
She recalls, "At one point in Geneva, I gave one housekeeper my Maasai sandals because she really admired them anytime I had them on."
While her tipping culture began 13 years ago, Janet reveals that she usually leaves the tip on the table but if she will be boarding in the hotel, she accompanies the tip with a written thank you note.
So, what's the biggest amount you have ever tipped? "The biggest was $100 (around Sh12,000). The hotel staff took time to get me a charger which I urgently needed in Morocco during a busy conference meeting. She had to use her lunch break to go to town to look for it."
While she does not tip after poor services are offered, Janet remembers that she there are moments she wished she had tipped more but her pocket could only afford.
"This was a time we had gone for a game drive in Selous National Park in Tanzania and the tour driver went over and above to ensure we saw most of the big games which involved covering extreme terrains. He gave us extra hour ride beyond what was initially scheduled. I only had 50 dollars (about Sh6,000) on my pocket and that is what I gave but I wished I could give more."
To other travellers, who would want to tip, Janet, a journalist offers, "Tipping is a personal choice so let your own values and the local tipping culture guide you on deciding whether to do it or not."
For Oscar Musonye, tipping became a ritual he adores after concluding his hospitality attachment in his mid-twenties. He says his decision was informed after a firsthand experience of what hoteliers go through for that perfect service or meal to be.
However, while the intention is there, Oscar acknowledges that most facilities do not encourage cash payments making it difficult to tip.
Additionally, he believes asking for a staff phone number can be deemed unprofessional so, often times he stashes the tip in the bill booklet.
"For facilities I'm visiting for the first time I often do my tip on departure, but for those I visit regularly I tip prior which in turn influences the level of service, from regular to personalised," he says.
So, what's the biggest tip you have ever given? "About 40 dollars (Sh5,000) to a chef, about eight months ago. We were at a facility in Kajiado, and this chef was checking out when we arrived for a staycation late in the night. He willingly resumed duty and fixed our order which made him stay an extra four hours past his shift."
Oscar Musonye, a private chef, says when tipping consider other players like chefs and cleaners.
Photo credit: Pool
While most people tip service providers, Oscar reveals that sometimes, they ride on the back of other players like chefs, cleaners…so, he tips based on the overall customer experience.
However, he admits, "Tipping staff especially of opposite gender with gifts other than money can be easily misinterpreted, so the only other way I often tip is to highly recommend a particular staff to his/ her seniors or dropping positive feedback about them in the suggestion box or in the hotels website or social media page."
As a professional hotelier what informs the suggested tips? I quip. "Such set out amounts are often shared equally to all staff rather than one staff often being tipped while others are not.
"So, I guess it's a way of standardizing service and ensuring neither the staff or the guest abuse the tipping gesture to either their advantage or disadvantage."
To travellers who are cagey about tipping, Oscar shares, "The same way we are often quick to criticize or raise queries when a particular service is not given as expected, we should equally learn how to deliberately appreciate by not just saying thank you but also tipping as it motivates them to go an extra mile to ensure they have a good customer experience.
Also, don't just focus on waiters and waitresses, consider other players like cleaners, receptionist, the guards, chefs, valets, potters, or even that steward who ensures your crockery and cutlery is as clean as possible for use."
