Americans React: USA vs Europe - Guide To Cultural Differences | Loners Podcast Episode #24
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- čas přidán 29. 09. 2022
- Hello everyone! Today we are reacting to a video that is considered a guide to cultural differences between Europe and USA. We hope you enjoy this content, and if you do, please don't forget to like and subscribe! Thank you all so much :) Below, we will link information to what is going on with the women of Iran as well as the original video link of the video we reacted to and our Vlog channel.
Information about Iran --- bit.ly/3E8AyTS
Original Video --- bit.ly/3y4w78I
Vlog Channel --- bit.ly/3BWaEQk
The tap water in Czech Republic as well as in most of other EU countries is very good and its definately drinkable without another filtration. Its just that in most restaurants there is the custom they sell you a mineral water and not giving you the free tap water. But its also slowly changing and in many restaurants you can ask for tap water.
That does make sense. Thank you for your input!
@@loners4life it make sense, if you know, that every restaurant has to keep records of origin of food and drinks in case of diseases, so there is bureau of hygiene and if you don't have record of origin, you can be fined. So it is easier to buy bottled water, and keep record of bottles supplier.
That’s interesting. Here in the UK it’s illegal to refuse to give free water
If you go to Greece they bring you tap water to the table for free as a standard - you sit down, you get water.
@@loners4life I think they just have contracts with some fancy water companies and they are not allowed to give you tap water.
All countries in Europe have VAT(value added tax) which is within the price displayed for everything, so we pay what is displayed. For restaurants and pubs, it's within the culture that we spend 2 3h at least in a restaurant and even more in pubs, nobody asks you to leave unless they close it 😁 also, czechs are a bit weird/cold and outdated at services(i say here about every type of service) but in most eu countries you get very good services.
Cheers from a Romanian living in Prague
Perfectly said
Yep exactly, the only thing that I would add to that comment is that the only places that operate on net values are wholesaler companies (or just companies whose main target are retailers, not consumers) and even those have pricetags with both values so with and without VAT (value added tax).
Ps. That the thing that's grinds my gears, why in the menu/price tag there is no final price... I mean ok if you're familiar with state you can calculate final price but if you're not you can only roughly estimate...
I can say the biggest difference is Prague vs. the rest of the Czech Republic and old vs. young staff. Try some smaller business (espresso bar, etc.) with young staff and you'll see the service is great and friendly.
@@o-tessaneck9399 i`d say Brno as well, i`ve been on and off both these cities for 8y now and i can see very good improvements, but generally speaking based on my experience and what i discussed with other expats from europe, it's kind of the same impression and not just pubs/restaurants, but other services as well, it's still behind most EU countries. But it's good that it's improving with the young generation, that gives me hope :D
in romania la restaurante mai dai si baccis ce de obicei e 10% din costul total,dar nu esti obligat sa dai.probabil acelasi sistem e in toata europa dar nu stiu exact.
In sweden, sales tax is always included inte the price tag, what you see is what you pay. And also, our income tax (wich is 33% but pays for healtcare and education and other stuff) is taken out of the salary before you get the payout, so what ends up in your account is the money you freely can spend, no need to save up and do your taxes at one time, wich also means you never see that money, and will not miss it, or use it by accident.
Tax doesn't pay for healthcare/education. The government issues (by spending) money to pay for those and tax is the redemption of that money afterwards to cancel the liability.
Hello, German here. I don't want comment something about the diffrences in the video, many other have answered all of your questions to the situation in nearly all of Europe. I just want to thank you for 1) the way you present your content, 2) the content itself, 3) simply you two. I stumbled over one of your videos around two weeks ago - and I find it refreshing, thoughtful, reflected, open and smart. I like smart people 😊. Instantly subscribed. Keep going, it's a pleasure to watch. Thank you.
In most countries of the world, taxes are already included in the price. It is regulated by law that the price that is excellent is valid.Happy hours are also known in Europe, but as prices are far lower than in the US, happy hours are not a big deal here.In Europe, the prices of food in restaurants are extremely low, because the money is earned with the drinks. That's why there is no free tap water.
In Finland restaurants serve pure,good quality tap water free, sparkling usually costs.
@@lauraa5386 Good to know. Then I will test it on my way to the North Cape in December. Thanks for the info.
In France it's mandatory to restaurants and bars to serve free tap water.
@@lauraa5386 Norway too, tap is free.
Interesting to know! Thanks for your feedback.
Hello, fellow Czech here! As for the water, it is meant to be tap water, which you pour over the sink, for example. Many restaurants do not do this, but the water is practically the cleanest you can get in the Czech Republic thanks to our water purification system. Then also regarding the receipts, they really always try to keep you as long as possible, because the restaurants make money from you, and they don't try to push you out, because if someone has a reservation, that table is occupied practically the whole day until the person who made the reservation comes. Despite the fact that there are a lot of differences, tourists can quickly get used to it and I believe that they like it here. You are definitely welcome in our small but beautiful country and check out more Janek's videos, about beer and more! :D
In Sweden, where I live, I can drink water out Stockholm inner water!
Here in Spain the bars and restaurants are imposed by law to give FOR FREE tap water when is asked,no matter if the person is a costumer or not. So ,if you are thirsty,you enter in a bar and ask for a glass of water....gratis.
Our coffee is different, when I lived in the US i had to order a quadruple expresso to get a coffee strong enough to compare to a regular Swedish coffee and since I drink my coffee in mugs I had to order a bunch of those to satisfy my daily coffee needs and make it a decent late (my preferred coffee)
Hey! Spaniard here! I've never been in a restaurant in Europe in which they serve tap water as the default. If you ask for water, it will be bottled water unless you specifically ask for tap water. A lot of places will serve you a glass for free if you ask for it, but they will not be happy as the majority of money for restaurants comes from the drinks.
Dane here. It's not that unusual to get a pitcher of (tap) ice water in european restaurants. But usualy only when you order a bottle of red wine though. 😁
@@maxmoller don't forget all the amazing Ice cubes in there! It works for Sparkling wine as well ofc, it isn't only for white wine 😂
Icelander here - if you ask for water here, you will get tap water. You don't have to order anything else to drink. Sparkling costs, but still water is always free.
@@jamasunda True, but if you only order tap water, a lot of places will give you the slight 'cheapskate' look. 😄
@@maxmoller oof 😂 you shouldn’t get the same look here in Iceland lol or, well, I’ve never noticed it 😂😂
About the people bringing you the bill , No they will not bring you a bill here unless you ask for it or if it's closing time. The only exception is for some places around Meal or dinner time in which they will ask if you will eat or not since from X to X time tables are only for customers who will eat something.
Tap water in Czech republic is so clean some people claim its better than botteled water and drink it instead. Thats why its so outrageous even for us who live in Prague to pay so much for the small water bottle..
That's how we felt watching that. I would feel weird having to pay for a small bottle of water when the free tap is very clean haha
In most of Europe the case
Yeah, and then there is this one water source in Finland which is used in one well known Finnish alcohol bewerage. (Cant remember it right now). Which was so clean it cannot exist, this according to americans. This water was from natural resource, they were testing it to something and couldnt believe that water was actually so pure and clean. I can try to look it up from news if you are interested to see.
@@loners4life in the uk it,s a law that licenced premises (pubs) "Clubs, pubs, restaurants and anywhere else serving alcohol for that matter are legally required to " ensure that free potable water is provided on request for customers where it is reasonably available".The Licensing Act 2003 (Mandatory Licensing Conditions) (Amendment) Order 2014
Having travelled to America quite a bit my experience has been that bottled water is the US is tap water that has been filtered and in some cases minerals added after the fact which is cheaper. In the UK most of our bottled water is expected to be Natural Mineral Spring water which is not tap water and costs more. Coca Cola had a big problem introducing Dasani water in the UK when people discovered it was Tap water that had some minerals added to it and not Natural Spring Mineral water. Tap water in the UK is of the highest standard, among the best in the world. Much like the Czech water. The water you drink is of the very highest quality. Very strict standards apply to piped drinking water, set to protect public health and to ensure water quality is acceptable to customers so people felt Coca Cola selling bottled tap water with some added minerals was being ripped off. They soon pulled out of the market.
Restaurants can provide tap water and in the UK I’ve asked and on occasions depending on the restaurant they will do it but more often it will be bottled natural spring water still or sparkling as the option. It’s how they make their money!
I live in France and yes, here the price that is on the menu is always the price "Including All Taxes and VAT". If it’s not the case, which is rare, it will be precised on the menu. I always assumed it was the same in most European countries. As far as I know, it’s the case in the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain and Denmark at least.
It does make things slightly more expensive at first sight, but at least no surprise at the end !
Also, about the bar thing, i never had that problem here. Their goal is to get you in the restaurant or the cafe and to keep you there. If you book a table for lunch, it’s booked until 3pm. For dinner, it’s booked for the entire evening. Because here, the "opening hours" for restaurants/bars are not opening hours, they are the hours during which they serve meals. It can be from 11:30am to 2pm for example. But if you aren’t done with your meal after 2pm, no one is going to kick you out. The restaurant waits for the customer to be done, even if he’s alone and if he’s the only one left in the entire restaurant. Trying to make you speed up would be insanely rude.
Here you can stay in a bar by yourself for a whole two or three hours with a single drink, and you can even stay after you have ordered the bill if you want to talk with another person who’s seated with you ; they can’t take the table from you, they just don’t do that.
Here in Scaninavia you get free water. Our tap water is good aswell. There are alot of differences from country to country in Europe. In the Czech republic. Beer is cheaper than water. Around 2 us dollars for a berr. Even cheaper outside tourist places.
The tipping part is so true. My dutch sister lives in California for more then 40 years. Every time she visits The Netherlands and pays in a restaurant she gives huge tips. The waitresses always stare at her in disbelief.
Never understood this tip nonsense in the States. It's because of the American obsession with tipping that enables many businesses to pay very low wages.
@@monacophotographyevents2384 not so... the european system is so that you get paid because of the laws in european countrys say they have to pay, in the USA the amount of paid get by the companies where you are working..not by law...
@@peterang6912 I realise that, but It appears that businesses in the States attract staff by the fact that their low wages are supplemented by tips. If there wasn't this tipping culture, restaurants would be forced to pay more to get staff.
By tipping, one is enabling the business to pay poor wages.
It seems that there is no health, accommodation, or worker protection in the States.
Is there some sort of benefit and housing benefit system in the States as there is in Europe?
@@monacophotographyevents2384 yes but not so good, i understand that they have coupons or stamps but that is all i know... did you watch the video: why other countries treat their people so mutch better?? If not, watch it..some of your questions will be answerd
@@peterang6912 if a bussnies those pay ther workers it should not exist.
18:28
In Europe, you don't pay the price for the water, but for the effort it takes to serve the tap water.
Personnel costs, time, service etc.
If you want tap water in Germany, the guest can go to the restroom and help himself at the tap.
"the guest can go to the restroom and help himself at the tap" if you are Berliner, you will even bring your 2L bottle to restroom 😀
Hi, I am from Czech Republic and i must say i was very surprised you reacted to video about our small country (though most of the things he talked about are similar everywhere in Europe). Regarding your questions :
1)As far as i know tax is included in a price in every country in Europe (let me know if someone knows about some place in Europe where it is not, maybe some microstates could have different rules) 2) About tap water. Yeah it is true you dont get water for free and it is also the same in a lot of European countries. Not sure why that is as we for sure do not have any problem with water supplies. Though you can always pour water into bottle yourself as all the tap water everywhere is completely pure. Fun fact: in Czech Republic beer is very often cheaper to buy then bottled water. (It is actually hard to explain how common is beer here and how embodied it is in Czech culture. - Czech Republic is the number 1 cosnumer of beer per capita in the world and by a lot. In 2020 it was about 181 liters per year per person while our neghbours Austria and Poland were 2nd and 3rd at 96 liters per year per person. )
Also congratulations to 1000 subs you certainly deserve it ;)
Ps: Sorry for my english i am used to listen to english but not used to use it myself. Hopefully there was not too many mistakes :)
What countries in the world, other than the US, don't include taxes in the total price??
@@wessexdruid7598 @Wessex Druid I am not sure, i think in Europe it is included everywhere. That is why i said to let me know if someone knows about some place in Europe where it is not included. If you are talking about the world quick google search is telling me that for example in Canada or Japan it is not included but i don´t have a personal experience with that so i can´t say that it is 100% true.
@@jakubfanta1494 It was more intended as a question to all, Jakub, not so much for just you to answer. 🙂
That's amazing how much beer you guys drink! haha we do love beer and the culture seems very nice over there in Czech Republic so we will have to make it a point to go and visit some time soon! Thanks so much for your comment and nice words :)
@@loners4life Hello, fun fact. Pint of beer is cheaper then glass of water at restaurants in Czech republic :)
In Greece you can get tap water everywhere, it is perfectly drinkable and it is free, most of the times they will bring you a big bottle of water along with your order and they will refill it if you ask, but even if they don't they will definitely give you at least a glass of water and they will refill it if you ask.
Of course you can even buy mineral water if you want but it will cost around 1 euro for a liter of water.
Having a limited amount of time in a Restaurant or pub sounds insane to me. 90min is maybe enough time if i was in a rush, but like if i'm in a restaurant with loved ones or god forbid the whole family we will stay there for 2-5 hours talking to each other.
Probably also a cultural thing since restaurants or pubs are our default "meeting areas"
We do get "happy hour", but it's mostly at restaurants and bars where certain drinks will be cheaper. Stores don't do that. Although, often times you can get bread or something at a discount on Saturday afternoon if it wouldn't keep over the weekend (stores close on Sundays and public holidays), and some supermarkets also have boxes or shelves with stuff that's sometimes 50% off because it would go "bad". This term is to be taken with a pinch of salt - some stuff, like chocolate or honey, can't go bad, but it still has to have a "best before" date. Which is not to be confused with the "consume by" date that is found on stuff like minced meat. You should never keep meat past that date, but if it's a "best before", even stuff like milk or yoghurt might still be edible. Still, supermarkets are no longer allowed to sell them, and therefore need to get rid of them in time.
The US is so vast and companies do business in so many different legal environments that it often does not make sense to calculate tax before purchase. Literally everywhere else in the world that I've ever been the prices displayed in shops include taxes. It can be a nasty surprise for international travellers to the US.
With current technology it's kind of ridiculous to say it would be too difficult to include tax in the displayed prices. At this point I think it's more something like... 'every competitor shows "lower prices" so i'm not gonna show prices that include tax. It would appear my products are more expensive and I will lose buyers.'
If they can calculate taxes at the register, than they can calculate and display beforehand as well.
That's nonsense 1 bar only sits in 1 state inside 1 country.
Do the math! Include!
'Vast' is an easy excuse. It is easily done, but companies think it puts buyers off with the higher sticker price. How big do you think Australia is??
Guys, I hear you. I was trying to be polite but I understand that in this day and age there is no practical reason to fail to list prices that include all relevant taxes - unless you want to hide them from consumers.
@wessexdruid7598
But when customers check out the cost will be higher anyway when the tax is added? Your answer makes no sense.
In Europe the taxes are always included so you always pay the price for goods shown on the price tag/menu.
And "Yes" ...Happy hours do exist...but foremost in Nightlife establishments like Disco Dance Clubs or Bars....not so in Restaurants, at least I´ve never encountered such...but what we have is price reduced lunch meals where certain 3 course meals are offered with a reduced price during lunch time....at least here in Austria where I´m from.
In Europe every country has its own things/traditions, so what is common/tradition in one country doesn´t necessarily mean it has to be common in an other European country. The European Union is not a state, just a Union of souvereign states which are bonded by treaties and not bonded by a constitution.
And all those guide-lines from the political part in the EU are just minimum standards (but which happens to be higher standards than the US has in almost most cases in behalf of food, working rights, social benefits etc you name it) and most member countries do have higher standards in their souvereign territories than those required ones anyway.
So when you ask "How is that in Europe/EU" in most cases you will get 27 (=amount of member states) different answers depending from where/which country in the EU the answer will be replied.
Well about "water" ...we call it tab water because it is tab water...it is clean water out of the tab...we don´t have "polluted water" in our tabs so that we have to "extra buy clean because filtered water for drinking" from water providers as like as it is common/necessary in the US.
And restaurants usually don´t sell "tab water" because they can´t charge you for that kind of water because tab water has to be free in Austria, and when they do = serving tab water + charging - they charge you for the service (for the bringing and for using a glas) and not for the tab water per se.. (Again speaking for Austria and not for whole Europe/EU)..BUT for certain orders you will get a glas of free water unasked here in Austria, at least in good/traditional restaurants, bars, coffee houses..as like for ordering a glas of wine or a cup of coffee ..that order goes with a glas of free water unasked and that is here part of our local wine culture and local coffee culture and therefore tradition.
Most have already commented on taxes, water and portion sizes and how to get the bill at a restaurant.
One difference here in the north (I live in Finland ) is coffee. We usually drink filtered coffee and the cup size is bigger than what is used for espresso that south of Europe is more used to. Most times it includes free refil, and in lunch buffet, coffe is included as standard.
We are nr 1 coffee consumers in the world, so good coffee is a must for a place to survive.
Paper cups for coffee is only if you are in a hurry and have take away. Even is a restaurant at a gas station, you get a proper 🥌
Like that you speak a lot, to tell your own opinion. Keep ut up.
In Finland restaurants will mostly serve the tap water. You can get a bottle water as well but it's not necessary because here you can drink clean water pretty much from every (water)tap you can find. Here the tap water even tastes better than bottle water.
And also in the bar we can drink as many rounds as we can but we have to pay every time separately when we go get a new drink.
All tap water in the Czech Republic is absolutely safe. In many regions, there is groundwater (available from municipal water pipes), so people there have extremely clean water filtered by sandstones and rocks. So we don't necessarily need bottles of water in the fridge. And yes, tap water in the Czech Republic means that steel thing over the sink or wash-basin.
The customized food topic brought back so many memories. Growing up in rural Germany in the 90s there was still I quite different approach to food at restaurants. They were literally served everytime exactely like described on the menu, no exceptions! So if you wanted to switch the side dish from like fries to rice or something like this, it heavily depended on the chef if he was willing to do that, even if they served the desired side dish. Of course today it is a lot different, but it's funny to see that not even 30 years ago it was almost considered rude if you had the audicity to ask for changes on the menu.
That's very interesting! It's funny how common it is here to adjust things on the menu I believe only at like higher end restaurants is where they get unhappy when you start to customize the dishes. Thanks for your comment!
In Europe taxes are included in the final price, in France it's the TVA going at 20% when It's normal and sometimes could be less then 20% depends on the products
Also in France when it's summer you can go ask a bar/restaurant for a glass of water, and they're obligated to give you a glass of water by the law
Here in UK when we got rid of plastic straws I bought a few metal straws for myself and friends that we put in our handbags. They don't take up any room and so much better than paper ones. If you suck too hard those paper ones close up. Annoying! Also the price you see is what you pay. So much easier. Love your reactions. More please😊
In the UK most places won’t just give you water but if you ask for it be careful. If you just ask for water they will probably ask you ‘still or sparkling?’ And you will get a bottle of filtered/purified water for which you will be charged. If you ask for tap water it is free and is just plain water for the tap! In the UK the water that comes from our taps in the kitchen and bathroom is perfectly safe to drink. Laws we’re passed that all restaurants, not sure about pubs, must provide tap water for free if asked for.
That’s so good to know, thank you for the tip !
Congrats on the 1000 subs and nice to see you again. :)
..And Happy Birthday 🙂🎉
we have one of the best tap water in the world - very often better as bottled water.
In our country often you get a little glas of tapwater with the coffee. And if you ask and consum other things they will probably give you some tap water for free
We have not to compensate the salaries, because it’s the duty of the employer to compensate properly.
Tipping is only for a very good service - its called „Tip“ and not „Compensation“ - it’s for me unthinkable to make the employees dependent on Tips.
Love from Austria/Europe 🇦🇹
You can ask for tap water in UK restaurants and it's free. It literally comes from a regular tap/faucet, no filtering, water isn't poisonous lol. They bring it in a jug with ice. You can also order bottled water at a cost (why would you? really don't get why anyone buys water in bottles).
Slovakia here (we were once the same country with the Czechs). In restaurant you can usualy get only bottled water that is not free but at home or anywhere you can drink water directly from the tap
Hi from Czech Republic, water for free isnt thing here. Even when tap water is perfectly safe and isnt disgusting. sometimes they bring you pitcher of tap water with mint and lemon to justify price. ;)
I think it doesn't really matter where or which country in Europe you are, pretty much all of the mentioned cultural differences compared to the US apply to europe in general. I m from Germany and I think I havent noticed anything that differences compared to the Czech Republic , at least regarding all of the content of the video.
Well, except of the size of a cup of coffee. The little cup he was showing in the video indeed is rather used for an espresso over here. Normal coffee use to be served in a cup around twice that size. The general point of having ridiculous huge sizes for drinks n stuff is true. You wont really find anything bigger than "large" in a fast food restaurant over here. (large usually is 0,5 liter which is around 0.18 gallon / 16 ounces?! I hope i did the math right) - just googled it, the equivalent of burger kings large drink in the US is about 38 ounces? wtf!
In Denmark large is usually around 0,75 - 0,8 liter. 0.5 is medium and 0.30 small
I don't go to pubs or bars, but restaurants certainly try to keep you - and going to one is about being social, and comfortable. We sometimes spend hours at a restaurant, starting with lunch, maybe having dessert and coffee, and then cake at around 3, especially if it's someone's birthday. Likewise, I imagine that people go to the bar or pub to meet with friends and stuff, and have a good time. I heard that Starbucks initially failed in Austria because they didn't offer places for people to sit down. They expected customers to just take their stuff and leave, but that's not how we work as a society. Sometimes, people will go to a café to read the newspaper. Some people go to a coffee house to study. Of course, places like Starbucks don't give you the option to keep a tab open, but, since you need to go to the counter to order anyway, it's not much of an issue. A restaurant would only kick you out if they expect a larger group of people, especially if they reserved in advance. Sometimes, they'll tell you that you can have this here table, but only until 1, for example.
It was a culture shock for me when I found out that in the USA they don’t take off their street shoes before entering the house and walk inside the house in street clothes. I thought everyone in the world took off their shoes and changed into home clothes. This is an axiom. But no, I was wrong.
We take off our shoes when we are entering a house, especialy if its anotherones house. I think this is very respectfull and i will never change that
In the Netherlands we have people who take shoes off and who keep shoes on, i only take off my shoes when they ask or they have a card in the window with the text, please take of your shoes..
It's just too cute seeing you two arguing while basically agreeing
In Austria, taxes are usually included in the price, and the receipt will show the amount (10% for foodstuffs including milk and ice cream, 20% for everything else). There are special stores that sell to companies where the tax is not included in the price, since it will be "passed down" until the consumer pays for it in the end. I've never been to such a store before, though. But, yeah. If you buy, for example, a bottled drink for € 1,29, that's what it costs. You don't have to add taxes or anything.
The EU banned plastic straws. So we basically just have paper straws in most EU countries. They always dissolve before i finish my drink. 🙁
yep that made a big diff dint it
I live in Norway and water here is free in restaurants. Norway sells it's tap water to the whole world and call it "VOSS". Norway gets a lot of rain, and we have mostly mountain landscape so great water is flowing around everywhere. Still large water supplies into cities are purified with chemicals just like everywhere else in the world. You never know what may be decomposing in the lakes that supply large areas.
In Europe, usually on vacation, there are many hotels that offer "everything included"You eat and drink as much as you want.
You know what's the best thing about coasters? You can build houses out of them XD We used to do that as kids. So much fun.
Congratulations on 1000 Yay
If I'm not mistaken, "Tax not include" only exists in the US. I had to learn that in Florida when I was a 7 year old with $5 in my pocket trying to buy a $4.99 toy....
Hi guys, love your reactions, you really discus deeply every point. I am from England but have lived in Spain for many years. Waiting staff here are paid well and tipping is done if you are happy with the service. A few years ago, a law was made to say that bars and restaurants had to give a free glass of water if someone requested it. The problem is water (tap water) is NOT free, it can be somewhat expensive depending on the supply company for the business and it may seem like a small thing but then there is the cost of washing the glass so at the end of the day giving a glass of water is a cost to the business and if you are not eating anything then…. Tap water here is clean and safe to drink but personally I prefer mineral water. Happy hour does exist and generally is done during times of the day that there are not many sales.
here in Italy where i live tap water was a thing a long time ago.
focusing on bars, you can always ask for water and it's free, they used to open the tap, fill the glass and give you that, not anymore, or at least it's ages that i don't see that anymore, they take a bottle of natural water from the fridge and serve you that (still free).
restaurants are another story, they always serve you water in bottles (natural, slightly sparkling or gassy) if you ask for it, they give you what you ask, wine, beer, tea, spumante, or water, and you pay for it as part of your meal.
and water from the tap is considered "not nice", even if it's perfectly drinkable.
about the bill, you have to pay as soon as you order only in those places and in those situations where it is difficult to take track of what is happening, like in a pub at saturday night.
but still, you can stay as long as you want and order how many times you want and pay a new bill every time, it's only a logistic matter.
in bars is the other way around, you pay before everything, you go to the cashier, say "i want this, this and this", pay, take the bill to the bar and then you get served.
In Scandinavia we have happy hours in pubs and dance places,often late at night to keep the people as long as possible until closing time
In Finland we often don't have "happy hour" but instead it's called "after work" which lasts from about 3pm to 5 or to 7pm, depending on the place.
in czechia its more like a "happy meal" they dont have specific time, they have specific dishes and they stop when they sell them out
I think you missed a major difference in the coffee. In much of Europe, you sit in the café/pub etc and take time to drink it, mainly from a cup, mug or glass, not from a disposable carton, not pick up and go (yes we do that, but its not the main way).
In many European restaurants, a table may be used only 2 or 3 times in an evening session.
Tap water is available in many European countries restaurants, many will try to sell bottled water, rules are different across Europe, it is available in UK.
I was at an IHOP in Florida last month and the waitress took my plate before I'd lifted my last mouthful to my mouth. That was a shock. My family had a good laugh about that. Would never happen in the UK.
As someone in the UK, for the most part, you either pay each time you want something at the bar, or when you first order, certain places will offer a tab for you to pay when you leave, but I've only had two experiences where the bill was brought to the table.
Glad to be here in the Loners-Hub
In Italy nobody presents you the bill. Like the guy in the video said: YOU ask the bill when you are done. The thing that I see rude in the US restaurants is that every 5 minutes the waitress asks you if everything is ok or if you need something else. Till I'm eating do not bother me. If something is wrong or I need to order more, I will tell you , do not worry, but you cannot bother me every 5 minutes . Like the guys said, they do all this for the tips. But for us Europeans it is rude that the waitress keeps asking questions...
9:40 Even if there is only one brewery on tap, you'll mostly have a choice of different beers from that brewery (and maybe different variations of serving it, as he showed in the video he mentioned at the beginning). But one of those will be the default.
Back in the days when there were fees on CCs, it was common to be asked if we wanted to pay or keep a bill, or even leave the card in the pub. Now everybody pays for what they´re getting, then pays again if they want something else.
A bit different with meals, esp fine dining where there is usually a bill given when asked for. (Sweden)
19:00 When Janek talks about tap water, he literally means tap water. Restaurants often serve it with added stuff like ice with slices of lemon or mint. But it came out of a tap and you pay for that here.
In Sweden at bars you usually pay upfront for every order so there's no total bill at the end if you order more. In restaurants they usually don't push you, and you pay at the end. Sometimes You might even have to push Them to get the bill sooner :D
Yes i like all your videos so far, I found you yesterday and I'm watching all 112 videos ........... not a case of needing a life, been in hospital and I'm not moving mutch till I get my stichs out.
I love your insite on life.
In New Zealand the sales tax (or GST/Goods and Services Tax) is including in the price advertised. I think we have legislation where it is illegal to false advertise. We also have Happy Hour... usually between 4-6PM at bars and pubs
In Czechia is law that says the consumer must know the final price. (tax included). User have right to know the final price before buy.
Only one beer in a restaurant is a Czech thing. Every place I've been to in Europe (most countries) has more than one beer to choose from, though in southern Europe they often have just a couple of options and typically only bottled beer.
almost every single restaurant in czechia has 2 types minimum ("strong - light")
Congratulations on growing! And happy belated birthday 🙃
Something that I have not seen mentioned in the comments about the tap water.
As far as I recall, in the US restaurants make the most profits from food, while in Europe restaurants make the most profits from drinks. I.e. higher margins. If you order tap water, you're really cutting into their profits.
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Concerning VAT, Value Added Tax, you can calculate it from the total price by using its percentage as a fraction (percentage / 100 + percentage).
So if VAT is 15%, on a total price of 20 euro, you pay (20 x 15 / 115) 2.61 euro VAT, with the price excluding VAT being 17.39 euro.
Prices without VAT may by law never be shown to the end consumers, but are useful for companies as they can subtract VAT from their taxes when they buy something.
... and then add it again to their selling price. So if they buy something for 20 euro and sell it for 30 euro, they subtract 2.61 euro from the buying price, and pay (30 x 15 / 115) 3.91 VAT; then they have in total paid (3.91 - 2.61) 1.30 euro VAT on the product, which is 15% of the 10 euro extra value they added to the 20 euro item. Hence, Value Added Tax.
For end consumers, this all doesn't matter. It's just a company thing, explained to you for clarity.
The phrase happy hour started in prohibition america, but we use it in the UK during quiet times where drinks are heavily discounted to try and drum up business...
With the water it depends. I mean, Prague is basically state within the state at this point. In some restaurants in the rest of the Czech
republic it is the same. But in some they just give you a glass of tap water for free if you ask. It differs from 1 to the other. As for the straws, sometimes you get paper one, but there are places using either a metal or bamboo straws. And both of them are amazing :)
it's not about Prague vs not Prague, it's about better restaurant vs some beer pub
In the UK at a restaurant they typically allow around 2 hours for a meal and will only rush you at the end of that if they’re pretty busy but will usually say you can just move to the bar area, you don’t have to leave. They will only bring you the bill when you ask for it in most places. Sone chains you pay for your food and drinks when you order.
14:40 Here in Finland, prices include taxes, so if some price is 5€, you pay 5€, nothing more, nothing less.
17:57 Free tap water is free in some European countries, but not in all of them. Here in Finland, most places serve it and it is free.
24:25 Here in most Finnish restaurants, we have menu's, and after you choose what you want, you pay price of that food what you want from menu and then you sit at a table, waiting for the food you ordered to be brought to you.
In Finnish bars, you order a one beer, you pay, and bartender fill a glass with beer for you. And if you want next beer, you order that too in same way as first one (and they refill your glass), so no bottomless beverages, etc. in Finland.
26:40 No tipping in Finland, because the wages of the workers are good.
28:40 Overproduction creates a lot of waste. But fortunately, some countries create fuel, packaging material, etc. from waste.
And some countries, need a certain kind of waste, in some of their energy plants.
Here is fact's about Finnish energy plants:
-"Waste and recycled fuels made from it are used in various plants. Different fuels are suitable for different plants."
-"In a waste power plant, the primary fuel is waste, and the primary task is waste treatment. At the same time, electricity and heat are generated."
-"Recycled fuels made from waste can also be burned by so-called parallel combustion power plants, whose primary fuel is, for example, wood. Parallel combustion is used, for example, in the forest industry and in the production of district heat."
-"There are different qualities of waste-based fuels. Recycled fuel of a mixed quality is also suitable for a waste power plant, the boiler of a parallel combustion power plant requires a fuel of more uniform quality."
(Source: yle.fi/a/74-20027904 (news article) + google translator)
I skipped your content most of the time, because you made almost everytime an hour content out of a 15 minute video. But after giving a chance to your videos - i have to say - i love your thoughts and the way you talk about all of that. It still tends me to skip some parts, but after all - thank you for reacting to this the way you did! All of these type of videos. You are a very kind couple and I like how open minded you are! Keep going!
Tap water is very good in Austria too, you can drink it in every bathroom here, and if you ask in a restaurant, cafe for a glas of water, you also get tap water. In good restaurants, cafes,... you get automatically a little glas of tap water together with your coffee!
Not in all of Europe u pay for the water, in Spain for example in most restaurants or bars it's free, even in someplaces if u didn´t order anything they will give u water for free, but i guess it doesnt happen in all of europe. Also here in Madrid the capital of Spain we usually drink tap water because is clear and clean but as u get closer to the sea the water tends to get worse. But if u go to a proper restaurant they´ll give u bottled water.
Love the content.
😀
In the restaurant I have worked you had to pay for tap water (one dolar for this large 2 liter pitcher with slice of lemon/cucumber and ice if the costumer wants it). When I asked my boss she said that first of all the water is not free, they need to pay mefor filling hte water and bringing it to the costumer and the pitcher and glass need to be cleaned which is also not free... but in any restaurant you can fill your watter bottle in the toilets (I mean it is the same water that is used in the kitchen and Czechia has high standard for drinking water).
When it comes to coffee ... I work at a university and we have visitors from around the word. We had a professor from the US visiting and I noticed that he got only about 2/3 of a cup with coffee and filled up the rest with hot water. Our coffe (Sweden) is generally stronger than in the US, and usually no weird mixes. Maybe some sugaror milk.
I don´t know any country in Europe that doesn't have the tax included in the price... I think that´s more an American thing, maybe I´m missing something..
In Sweden you can get free tap water.. And the tip thing in America is so f-up, the waiters should be paid fair by the reastuarant owners...
The tap water thing is true in a lot of places in Europe. Not 100% sure about it, but one reason is because restaurants here make the vast majority of their money on drinks. Food generally is cheaper than in the US, but staying hydrated may cost you.
At 12:50, (Item Price plus Tax) The Price we see is the price we pay for the most part here in the UK, At 17:40 (Tap Water), That’s generally referred to as Council Pop here in the Uk especially in areas that are not considered as affluent as other areas, At 22:50, (Cheque please), If we go to a restaurant then we get presented the Cheque/Bill once we have completely finished with the Meal & Drinks where as if we go to a Pub then we generally pay for Drinks as we get them, It may be different to that in some areas but that’s how it’s done for the most part, At 25:21, (Bottomless Alcoholic beverages), We do get Free Refills at some establishments here in the UK but not for Alcoholic Drinks, As far as I’m aware anyway, At 25:50 (Tipping), Tips are generally voluntary and me & my Family generally tip at least 10% or 12% & that can be increased especially if we feel that we have been well looked after. Anthony, Birmingham, UK
Tipping is handled differently across Europe. Here in Switzerland they are voluntary. A daughter of my work colleague and good friend, works in upscale gastronomy. In her business and with her guests, she makes $100 in tips on a good day. Working 20 days a month, that's $2,000 extra on top of her normal salary of around $4,200 a month. However, she does not have this every month as she has 5 weeks paid vacation per year and does not receive tips for those 5 weeks. Oh yes, almost forgot, they have 13 monthly wages per year. But she has already worked in a "normal" restaurant for a season, so a tip of $100 is a very good day and doesn't happen often. You can also tell what day of the month it is by the tips, since most people get their wages on the 25th of the month. After the 25th, people are more generous and round up.
hey there! nice and entertaining video again :)
in germany you pay what the price tag says. tax included, no hidden cost. not allowed by law to add any hidden costs. all has to be transparent for customers.
we do have happy-hours here, but its more like a few bars/clubs do this like an event on one day a week to attract more people. personally i saw that most happening in cocktail bars. since alcohol isn't that expensive here, even in "standard" clubs, it's not that big of a deal to have this i guess.
most countries in europe have excellent (in the worst case still pretty good) tap water quality. in germany in most areas you don't need to filter the water. it's the best monitored food here. but there are some reasons why its not sold in most places. when the water pipes in that places are very old, wouldn't be very good to sell it, even if the pipes are ok but a customer complains about sickness after getting tap water, might cause insurence problems. a lot places just got the menu in the register-system, so it wouldn't be the standard procedure to get tap water onto the bill. and ofc they wanna earn money, and thats hard with tap water ^^
regarding the tips in the US... imo if the american customer would not expect enourmus big portions, free and unlimited re-fills, hundreds of extra sauces, etc., maybe the prices would be enough to pay the waitress/waiter fairly... not sure if the employers would do if so... ;) i mean the customer can't change the system, but if the industries just would change it, i think there would be rebellions going on :D
and the restroom situation... idk man. a country what bans nudity and lightly sexual things (and ofc prostitution) from everywhere, you guys leave a big gap open for some mental unsatable ppl with a tendency to voyeurism and other stuff. with these restrooms and the child beauty pageant thing and many more... i heard these pageants getting less, but still... strange things happen over there :D
in the restroom you do one of the most privat thing you can even do, so for industries offering some services including restrooms, its the most natural thing to offer ppl privacy in a public restroom.
In Europe it would never ever happen that a restaurant or bar would tryna make you leave without a very solid reason (like misbehave, etc).
I'm from the Czech Republic and if you want water in a bar/restaurant, they usually bring you bottled water. It's really more expensive than a pint of beer. And if you ask for tap water, you won't get it or they put a piece of lemon to it and its cost you 2 times more than beer.
No surprise we are the most beer consumers of the world per capita. :D
I'm glad you took the time at the beginning to speak up
Just now found your channel but just wanted to answer your question about the happy hour. At least here in Finland, although we don't call it the happy hour, most restaurants do have some kind of "lunch deals" that are usually somewhere between 12pm - 3pm depending on the restaurant.
So as far as I experienced it, Switzerland, Tap water is either filtered or fresh for consuption from the mountains. Usually people could who would order tap water specificacly would get it. There might be a serving charge depending on the place.
Well, speaking from France :
-Tap Water is free. Actually restaurant you go in have the obligation to give you Tap Water and Bread if you ask so. But, you have to ask for tap water (or "Une caraffe") or they serve you a mineral bottle of still water.
- We do Tips in France bur thats not really usual anymore. I guess it's because we don't have a lot of 'free' money to put at the end of the meal. Everyrhing can be paid by card and it's unusual to say "hey can you add 2€ for the tips ?" it's a bit cringy to 'say' you will give more money.
- Restaurant wants to keep you because someone that take is time will eat more, drink more. But they also occupie a place in the restaurant. So when some people outside try to find a nice place, they will see that some people are having fun inside, rather than a restaurant empty
In the Netherlands all prices are incl tax. For business it is possible to get a tax return.
On cars we get luxury tax witch is added to the price and then is taxed again to get the total amount.
Business can get a return on that.
Food is taxed for 9%
The rest is taxed for 21%
Yes, like the rest of the European union. Taxes are included in the prize.
Same for France taxes are included in the price. For 15$ I can buy a rather nice bottle of wine in a supermarket or at the vineyard.
I am in Scotland in the UK VAT( value added tax) is included in the price so you pay the price that is show on the shelf when you get to the till . But if you are a tradesman like me and you buy building materials LinkedIn timber or concrete the tax is added on when you get to the check out
Taxes are always included in the final price so what you see as a cost is what you pay. How much tax was included in the price you can see on the receipt you get cause it's always printed on it. :)
We have happy hours in several countries in EU. Some restaurants have on the other hand kinda a all you can eat price so you can select either to eat from the buffet (tons of fresh as also already cooked stuff and fruits, salad, desert and more).
As about the coffee, the coffee he presented is more of like a greek mocca or regular espresso. In Germany, Malta, Greece, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, UK, France you will get a regular coffee or can get a large one (also tons of specialties). Mentioned these countries in particular because I was there personaly already.
Tap Water was always and still is free in Greece. If you go to a cafe or restaurant you will always automatically get a glas of tap water and in restaurants mostly even a Carafe filled with water.
In germany and some other countries you will rather have to order a water because most people wouldn't drink tap water (I do and many people I know does too but it's not a common thing) but rather sparkling water (regular or medium or without gas).
Still in most places if you nicely ask if you could additionaly have a glas of tap water they will give you one for free.
In all the countries I have been in europe you always ask for the bill when you are ready to pay and go, they will never force you to.
Exceptions are:
- when a shift changes in some cafes, it can happen that the server would kindly ask you if you could pay because of that since they change the shift.
- They have a system that prints a receipt for every drink you order so they bring it to your table, gathering all receipts there but never ask you to pay until you ask for the final bill.
- you reserved a table for a certain time OR they told you upfront that the restaurant is totally booked for the day BUT they have some space for you for like 1,5-2 hours for you if you like to have it.
Giving a tip is a free choice here, if you pay with card you just tell them the total number you want to pay after they told you have much it is (or after you looked on the receipt).
If you pay with money then you just tell them the total price they should keep aswell.
If you order groceries to be brought to your home or ordered food you can either give a tip (if you want to, not a must) to the total when you order or just give it personaly to the person that brings you the groceries/food.
I'm from Romania, even though our tap water is safe, most of us drink bottled water even in our homes. Bottled water here comes from springs and I was surprised when I heard in the US some bottled water is basically just filtered tap water. So in a restaurant, if you order tap water, 99.99% of the times you'll get one free, but most of us don't do it, I guess. Also, we have a lot of customers who meet in restaurants, pubs, etc, just to watch games or socialize with friends and a lot of them only drink water. There are a lot of customers that order just water because they don't want to eat, don't drink coffee, sodas or alcohol. Also, I don't know how it goes for other countries, I know Ireland has free tap water for households but here we pay for it. It's not expensive, but also not that cheap, equivalent of 1.2$ for cubic meter and you have a device that measures how much you consume and you pay for that. Given the fact that minimum wage in Romania is about 733$ and you're left with 466 after paying your taxes, it's also not that cheap.
I believe we are less sociable than US too, as a waitress, I would definitely not call a customer darling, honey or sweetie unless they are under 12 years old. I also think it's considered rude, heh. hen I visited Ireland I thought everyone was hitting on me haha. A smile is ok here, but keep the conversations short and on point. We usually greet neighbours with a "good day" and they answer "good day" back, but we'd definitely not ask them how they are first time meeting them. I remember feeling so weird when cashiers were asking me how I am...Like "There's a line behind me, you really want me to answer that? " :)))
The tip in Romania is about 10%, depending on how big the bill is. Like if you get a coffee or a beer, you might leave 50-100% tip on that bill, if you have a big table with lots of people and the bill is huge, 10% is more than decent. But then again, tipping is optional. I believe we did try to put it on the bill like the "american way" but it didn't work out. Tips here is given either for appreciation or because we know it's not an easy job. Personally, I never frowned upon not receiving a tips, even though, like I mentioned, the wages are small and I used to be a waitress in a period of time when waiter wages were even smaller than minimum. Some people didn't leave a tips, some left more than 10% and at the end of the day, having 10% of he sales that day was quite a big amount. Some places I worked at had their own rules regarding tips, like in a restaurant I would give 40% to the kitchen staff, in pizza place I worked at, I was only giving the guy that was making the pizza a percentage of the pizza sales (from my tips I mean), in other places I got to decide if I share it with the bartender or the kitchen staff.
Funny story about toilets: I don't remember exactly where it was, either a restaurant or clinic, but I went to the toilet, There was this rather small room, a sink with a mirror and in front of that, two stalls, which was weird, because they are usually separated from floor to ceiling, but this time there was a gap at the ceiling part, very tall though. The light was one with a sensor and what I didn't realize at first, is that there was only one light and it was in front of the sink and mirror. It was a bit dark when I first entered the stall, but I could deal with that. Except when the light turned off, I couldn't see anything. It was pitch dark and the sensor couldn't see me moving inside the stall. It was a no2 and I had to touch the yucky walls to find where I hanged my bag, then rummage through tons of useless stuff to grab my wipes and wipe a thousand times to make sure I got the job done. So hey, at least that doesn't happen in the US, plenty of light coming through the gaps :))
1) Tap water - there is possible to have it but mostly the restaurant wants you to order something to be paid before they give you a tap water for free. They want to get their money so they don´t like to give you something for free if they have anything what can by paid (bottle of water etc.). They also have to wash glas so they want to have some money for the work it´s done even with the free product. I know some places out of Prague there is no problem to get tap water for free.
2) Draught beer is always better because it is not pasteurized so long as a bottle beer. Sometimes even not pasteurized at all. The longer pasteurization takes the worst taste beer has.
3) Toilets here have full door and when you turn of the door there is a mark on door that clearly says that the cabin is full.
4) You have to pay for toilets because someone have to clean them. In restaurant is the price inclueded in the price of meals and drinks.
5) When you want to have big coffee in Italy, you have to ask for Americano
6) Our VAT (Valued Added Tax) and other taxes (oil/gas, cigarettes or alcohol etc.) are inclueded. The price you see is always the end price.
7) Packaging - yes, the policy here is to pay every single item so you don´t vaste it. Also if you don´t have a bag and ask for plastic bag, you have to pay it (it is in law to make people use their own non-one-time-only bags). Also no one will help you at a shop with packaging - you have to make it yourself.
depends on the pub/restaurant, but tap water is tap water here yes, and we can drink it safely in most countries and yes, you can get that at some pubs
here in Slovenia you can drink as much as you want and for as long as you want, you get the bill when you say you would like to pay, it is impolite to get the bill as soon as you order
It depends on the bar/pub. In some places I pay every single drink separately, in other places they automatically open a tab and I pay just before I go.
One of the things about the European Union is that they set minimum standards, that all it's members have to follow. So if you get water from a tap, you know it is to a particular standard that is set by the EU, if the water from the tap does not meet the standards there will be a sign that tells you that it is not safe to drink. It used to be that restaurants would not give you tap water, because they want to sell you bottled water, so they will have a policy of no tap water, even if you offer to pay.
Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon have 0 sales tax. But it changes all over the US, that is why in adverts they never put the actual price you have to pay, as companies would have to make different adverts for each state.
In the UK we tend not to tip, we will if we are really happy with the food and service, but that is rare. If I get a bill and a tip is included I'll ask for it to be taken off the bill, as it is my choice to give a tip or not.
In Germany the tax is already included in the price so you don't have to calculate in your head what the final price is.
Well except when it comes to deposits for bottles or cans.
Btw. Happy Hour also very much a thing here - we also use the English word.
Tap water in Europe is generally very safe for consumption. I'm from Norway, and we export our tap water (you've probably heard of Voss water?) Also, in Norway, if you ask for water at a restaurant, they'll give you tap water generally for free.
As for tipping, that is actually considered quite rude in Norway, unless you're at a really nice restaurant where you're paying a lot anyway. Many restaurants don't even allow their customers to tip. If I saw someone tipping at a restaurant, I would think "Jeez, you don't need to advertise that you're well off..." I've never tipped in my life, ever. Why? Because our businesses pay their employees a livable wage (if they don't...they just go on a strike)
I'm from hong kong, for the restaurant bills, they might give you the receipt but you can always order more, you can end up with 3 or 4 receipts or they'll replace with the new one, they will combine it for you either in the system or when you pay basically
some places do ask you to leave after you finish the meal during rush hours, but they'll let you stay if you keep ordering or tell you in advance how much time you have
in Australia we have a flat 10% added to everything called the GST this means a slightly higher price on all goods and services but means the price stated is always the stated one no other taxes will be applied to said invoice
The pledge of allegiance to the flag and singing the anthem in line was a thing in brazilian schools for us. During the military dictatorship from the 60s to the 80s.
13:30 That's exactly how it's done here (CZ). You take the price you want, add VAT, round the result up to a "nice" number (e.g. 12 Kč w/o VAT -> 14.52 Kč w/ VAT (usually 21 %) -> final price set to 15 Kč), and then take the VAT away to get the "bare" amount (12.4 Kč).
24:20 when you order your drink you pay for it. Tips are optional, the most I tipped was $15, minimum wage is $21Aud ($13.45US) water is free (usually from a refrigerated tap) .