Tipping in the Netherlands
TL;DR
Tipping in the Netherlands is voluntary. By law the price on the menu already includes VAT and every compulsory cost, so the number on the menu is what you owe. Dutch diners round up the bill or leave 5 to 10 percent when the service was good, and leave nothing when it was not. The tip screen on the card terminal is optional: you can always choose no tip.
| Situation | What to leave |
|---|---|
| Restaurant dinner, good service | Round up or 5 to 10 percent |
| Restaurant dinner, poor service | Nothing |
| Coffee or a drink at a table | Round up to the next euro or two |
| Ordering at the bar or counter | Nothing expected |
| Snackbar, herring stall, takeaway | Nothing expected |
| Taxi | Round up, or 3 to 5 percent |
Is a tip included in Dutch restaurant prices?
The price you see is the full price. The Dutch consumer authority ACM requires every price shown to consumers to include VAT and all costs you cannot avoid, which you can check in the ACM rules on showing prices. There is no hidden service charge to work out at the end.
Restaurants rarely add a service charge to the bill. When one does appear, the hospitality association KHN points out that it counts as the restaurant’s turnover, not a tip for the staff. A restaurant may not make a tip mandatory, add one to the bill or preset one on the card terminal unless it has clearly agreed this with you first.
How much do the Dutch tip?
Less than visitors expect. In the largest Dutch survey on tipping, run by the consumer programme Radar among about 54,000 people, 15 percent said they always tip in a restaurant or bar and 43 percent said they tip most of the time. Half of the tippers leave 6 to 10 percent, and 44 percent leave 1 to 5 percent. Two thirds decide the amount by rounding up to a round number.
Restaurant owners see the same thing. KHN, citing later Radar research, puts the share of guests who tip at about 40 percent, and its members say Dutch guests tip little or not at all while foreign guests almost always do. So a 10 percent tip makes you a generous guest, and a rounded-up bill makes you a normal one.
How does the tip screen on the card terminal work?
Most Dutch restaurants bring a card terminal to your table, and more and more of them show a fooienscherm, a tip screen, before you pay. It offers buttons such as 5, 15 or 20 percent, a custom amount and no tip. Here is how to handle it:
- Check the amount on the screen matches the bill.
- Pick a percentage, type your own amount, or press the button for no tip (geen fooi).
- Hold your card or phone to the terminal.
The screen works. A consumer psychologist quoted by Hart van Nederland in October 2026 found that 17 percent of guests tip when nobody asks, against 39 percent when a tip screen appears. Some terminals hide the no-tip option. If you cannot find it, ask the server to put in the bill amount without a tip. That request is normal.
Paying by card cuts tipping too: in the Radar survey, 56 percent said they tip less when they pay by card. If you want your tip to reach the staff in cash, leave coins on the table or in the bill tray. Read more on cards and cash in paying in Dutch restaurants.
When should you skip the tip?
Skip it when the service was slow, unfriendly or sloppy. Dutch diners do this without a second thought, and staff do not chase you for it. You also leave nothing when you order and pay at a counter: at a snackbar, a herring stall, a bakery or the bar of a brown café.
Do tips go to the staff?
Many restaurants put tips into a shared pot, the fooienpot, and divide it among the team, including tips paid by card. The Belastingdienst treats these shared tips as pay from third parties: the employer does not withhold tax on them, and staff declare the tips in their own tax return. Ask the server if you want to know how their restaurant shares tips.
How do you say keep the change in Dutch?
Say laat maar zitten, literally “let it sit”. Hand over the cash, name the round amount you want to pay, or say laat maar zitten when the server starts counting change. You find this and other table phrases in the Dutch menu decoder.
Questions people ask
Do you have to tip in the Netherlands?
No. Menu prices must include VAT and every compulsory cost, and a restaurant may not make a tip mandatory without agreeing it with you first. A tip is a thank-you for good service.
How much do you tip in a Dutch restaurant?
Round up the bill or leave 5 to 10 percent for good service. Ten percent is generous by Dutch standards.
Do you tip in Dutch bars and cafes?
It is not expected at the bar. Rounding up for table service on a terrace is a friendly gesture.
Can I press no tip on the card terminal?
Yes. The tip screen is optional, and restaurants may not preset a tip without clearly agreeing it with you. If a terminal has no no-tip button, ask the server to enter the bill amount without a tip.
Is service included in Dutch restaurant prices?
Prices include VAT and all compulsory costs. Restaurants rarely add a service charge, and if one appears on the bill it counts as the restaurant's turnover, not a tip for staff.