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I have lived in Istanbul for a decade now and while many of us do tip, and tipping is rarely expected. The expectation is higher than foreigners, but if you liv

I have lived in Istanbul for a decade now and while many of us do tip, and tipping is rarely expected. The expectation is higher than foreigners, but if you live here, you end up eating at the same places over and over, and that expectation goes away fairly quickly. When I first moved here I realized I was tipping 3-5x what a local would, because I was tipping American standard. Tipping is mostly expected when there is a lot of service involved in the meal. This means either fine-dining, or Meyhanes where you spend 3-5 hours drinking heavily (Raki/Ouzo) and eating mezes & fish. I think the tipping culture you're talking about is "Bakshish" which is really more of a bribe than a tip. It doesn't exist much in Turkiye anymore (unless you're an Arab or Syrian refugee, their experience is far different than others). Bakshish is still very prevalent throughout the lower Balkans, Serbia and most Islamic nations I've visited and worked in, except for KSA and UAE (they'll kill you for that shit.)

red-iron-pine 4y ago
> Bakshish Definitely more of a bribe, and common in a lot of the world, in the countries mentioned but plenty of others, esp. the African ones I worked in; different names but same idea. A "cost of doing business, and we appreciate the opportunity" gesture. Prove that you're serious, and that you want an actual result.
- itwontbelik 4y ago
  There are a lot of business dark patterns, and when they are prevalent in that society, that society is always poor and corrupt. An Egyptian friend, once warned his friends about me: "Now he's American. When he says 2pm he means 2pm, and when he says we have to leave at 8, that means we have to leave at 8. This is why Americans are rich. They respect schedules, and care more abut business than friends or family."
tsimionescu 4y ago
I haven't been to Turkey, so I don't know how the culture evolved there. However, in former Ottoman-controlled states that I've been to (and especially in Romania, where I was born and live), tipping (as well as small bribes, which are both called bacșiș here, same word as bakshish, though that is changing somewhat recently) is quite prevalent and expected in many settings. At the very least, in any setting where you are served by someone while sitting down, even if it's just drinks at a bar, you are expected to tip (typically 10% being seen as a tip for cases where you were happy with the service). Tip jars are perhaps a more recent phenomenon, but they are now almost ubiquitous in all places that serve anything, event at a counter or to go - including club bars, coffee shops, even many fast food places.

red-iron-pine 4y ago

> Bakshish Definitely more of a bribe, and common in a lot of the world, in the countries mentioned but plenty of others, esp. the African ones I worked in; different names but same idea. A "cost of doing business, and we appreciate the opportunity" gesture. Prove that you're serious, and that you want an actual result.

itwontbelik 4y ago
There are a lot of business dark patterns, and when they are prevalent in that society, that society is always poor and corrupt. An Egyptian friend, once warned his friends about me: "Now he's American. When he says 2pm he means 2pm, and when he says we have to leave at 8, that means we have to leave at 8. This is why Americans are rich. They respect schedules, and care more abut business than friends or family."

tsimionescu 4y ago

I haven't been to Turkey, so I don't know how the culture evolved there. However, in former Ottoman-controlled states that I've been to (and especially in Romania, where I was born and live), tipping (as well as small bribes, which are both called bacșiș here, same word as bakshish, though that is changing somewhat recently) is quite prevalent and expected in many settings. At the very least, in any setting where you are served by someone while sitting down, even if it's just drinks at a bar, you are expected to tip (typically 10% being seen as a tip for cases where you were happy with the service). Tip jars are perhaps a more recent phenomenon, but they are now almost ubiquitous in all places that serve anything, event at a counter or to go - including club bars, coffee shops, even many fast food places.