TABLE MANNERS IN GERMANY - Going out to eat | Restaurant, Cash, Etiquette, Tax | American in Germany

A collection of practical tips, what to expect, and etiquette which will help you when you visit a restaurant in Germany. Whether you are visiting or moving to Germany from the US, you should be aware that there are some cultural differences between the two places in regards to Restaurants.

This does not cover all restaurants, especially high-end, but rather a typical restaurant you may encounter on your travels. As an American in Germany, these are a collection of my own observations, so if you have any other helpful tips, please let me know and I will include them right here! When I came here as a student for my master's degree, I know a lot of these things were quite new to me!

I have reuploaded this video to include corrections about the takeout vs. dine-in prices, due to taxes. Please see the link below to find the source on that, other changes will be coming due to Corona! I am sorry to those who lost their comments. But I wanted to make the change so that the reasoning was more clear! Thanks for your corrections - they are always appreciated! xx Sara

00:40 CASH. YES
1:10 CAN I HAVE SOME WATER PLEASE
1:58 NEVERMIND ABOUT THE WATER
2:27 NO FREE APPETIZERS
3:10 NO EATING WITH HANDS (notable exceptions: bread, fruit, chicken leg)
3:50 DON'T SWITCH HANDS FOR YOUR FORK WHILE EATING
4:56 FLAGGING DOWN SERVERS IS A NATIONAL SPORT
5:22 DO ASK FOR SPECIALS
6:00 DINE-IN VS TAKE OUT PRICES - Taxes are different! See below
6:30 TIPPING CULTURE
7:44 SCHNAPPS OR COFFEE?
8:45 WHO ARE YOU AT MY TABLE?
9:51 HOW DO I ASK FOR THE CHECK?
10:47 WHAT IS A SCHORLE?
11:44 SCARIEST THING IN GERMANY
13:03 WHY IS THERE ICE CREAM IN MY COFFEE

Please let me know down below what you think needs to be added to this list! I will include your tips here!

1) Taxes for take-out vs Dine-in are different. For take-out is normal food tax 7%, and for dine-in is normal sales tax, 19%. Hence the difference in cost. I have seen it on some menus like pizza places with the different prices listed (from the tax factored in)
https://www.unternehmenswelt.de/mehrwertsteuer-gastronomie-befristete-mehrwertsteuersenkung
https://www.buhl.de/steuernsparen/zum-mitnehmen-oder-hier-essen/@Pjffofo @M8 k1 Shaiz @Tom

2) No Free refills! @mirgehtsgut @Dirk B

3) Aim for 10% tip @foxyankee

4) You can sometimes eat a burger, or maybe a bit of chicken with your hands and no one will look sideways. @Stephan Teuscher

5) Water or another item to drink should be at least as cheap as the beer. @Tom

6) Another word for receipt - Kassenbonbon @Hirn GOAT

7) In the US, you are expected to pay and leave as soon as you are done eating. In Germany, you can stay as long as you would like, it is a social occasion. @Martin Geyer @th.a

8) You can usually bring your dog into the restaurant! Many restaurants even have a water bowl just for the furry friends :) Germany is an incredibly dog-friendly society! @Else Kopka

Another nice website where you can find more in-depth explanations about many of these (and others): https://www.german-way.com/travel-and-tourism/germany-for-tourists/dining-out-in-germany/dining-etiquette-in-germany/

All images are courtesy of unsplash.com , royalty-free images. Here are the credits anyways!
Camel - https://unsplash.com/photos/YAIGmqV4dFc
Beer - https://unsplash.com/photos/rMO-JWxFJbI
Hamburger - https://unsplash.com/photos/PxJ9zkM2wdA
Asparagus - https://unsplash.com/photos/vCBAjpO3EA0
Takeout Box - https://unsplash.com/photos/5R5Trsu1aIM
Tips - https://unsplash.com/photos/-rF4kuvgHhU
Shot glasses - https://unsplash.com/photos/SCtVXcDVhgc
Phone - https://unsplash.com/photos/r-enAOPw8Rs
Coffee - https://unsplash.com/photos/yFjq8vqMxP4

And my husband of course for helping film the b roll :) Thanks for watching. As always, I appreciate your comments/ corrections and will do my best to make the necessary changes either in the description box or the video! You are all the best!

Instagram: baytobayern