Vienna labour chamber criticises preset tipping prompts

Vienna’s Labour Chamber has criticised restaurants, cafés and bars for displaying preset tipping suggestions on card payment terminals, ORF reported.

The suggested amounts typically range from 10 to 15 percent and can reach 30 percent, said Gabriele Zgubic, a consumer protection officer at the Vienna Labour Chamber, on the Ö1 programme Help.

“Tipping is voluntary,” Zgubic said, arguing that preset amounts or the absence of a clear option to leave no tip could put psychological pressure on customers. Guests may then leave more than they had originally intended, she said.

Zgubic said the issue was particularly problematic when tipping options were displayed prominently in large, colourful, full-screen formats while the option for no tip was small and inconspicuous. She referred to a German court case brought by a consumer advice centre, which described the design as manipulative because the no-tip option was difficult to see.

Thomas Peschta, head of the gastronomy division at the Vienna Chamber of Commerce, rejected the criticism. He said the function was intended to make card and mobile payments more convenient for customers and said he knew of no case in which guests had been pressured to tip.

Peschta also said customers gave only half as much in tips when paying by card as when paying in cash. In a country that values its tipping culture, he said, this was particularly a problem for restaurant staff.

Zgubic disagreed, saying wages should generally be high enough for workers not to depend on tips. Guests should not be forced to contribute to fair wages, she said.