Just out of habit, I often find myself tipping 10% to 20% on top of the restaurant bill. The exception is when I am flagrantly dissed. Am I nuts? I know tipping it not expected here, but do you tip? If so, how much do you tip? What is normal?

It's up to you and pretty flexible. I tip if the meal and service have been good and usually round it up to the next 5 or 10 Francs.

Stark contrast to the other side of the pond where we got a harsh lesson in what happens if you don't tip 15% of your already high bill on a surly waiter and sh1te food.

I tend to round it up when I am out. If we have coffees and the bill is 5.20 I will leave 6chf. If I eat out and the bill is say 70chf I will leave 75chf or if the service was very good 80chf.

Typically between 8-10%. In CH its not common, but where I come from not tipping is considered quite rude, so I always do it when I'm happy with the service.

I used to tip around 10%, until my girlfriend (who's swiss) told me I was over tipping. If it's a really good meal then I'll leave 10% otherwise I'll round up to the nearest 5 - 10 francs.

In a bar I'll generally round up to the nearest franc for single drinks, or roundup to the nearest 5 francs if I've run a tab that night.

That said, I'm also curious to see what others here do with regards tipping.

I partly took my lead from listening to locals paying their bills on neighbouring tables and the level at which they tipped and seeing how my husband settled the restaurant bill.

I also learned that everyone pays for their own drink/meal and splitting the bill equally among your group isn't done here.

When I'm out with other Anglo expats I tend to tip 10-15% without thinking terribly much about it; when I'm with my work colleagues or fellow students, I tend to round up without thinking terribly much about it. Alone it might go either way... depends how well-integrated I feel that day.

Same goes for answering the telephone, forming orderly queues, and lots of other little details in life. I'm stuck between two cultures that prescribe different behaviors - which one wins out is a reflection of how I'm feeling, where I am, and who I'm with.

Ha! I do the same thing.

But tell me, do you think it might be a kind of cultural rebellion or denial?

Five to 10 percent if the service and food have been good.
Nearest CHF roundup if it has been just drinks. If the service has been surly or indifferent, then I'd be indifferent too (as in zero tips).

Wait. Does anyone know the average fixed income of waiting staff in CH? If it's reasonably high, that's probably why tipping is not the norm - it's been worked into your bill and accounts for the high eating-/drinking-out prices.

Wishful thinking, more like it! When I'm homesick I like to go out and pretend I'm an American tourist. Leaving ridiculously large tips (for CH) is definitely part of that experience... along with rubbernecking at church steeples and stopping in my tracks to gawp every time I hear bells.

The amount of tip you leave is inversely proportional to the length of time you can stand seeing the waiter/waitress make getting every note or coin of your change from their purse seem extremely awkward.
Saying "that's OK / isch guet" somewhere before the point of unbearable pain brings relief to all.

You're making fun of me, aren't you?

I'm not, cross my heart! Do you do that too? PM me next time you get homesick and we'll go out together. Just think, if there's two of us we can point and exclaim and gawp!

(Seriously, I think it actually does help - probably because it reminds me of all the reasons I was enchanted with Switzerland when I first came here. I need that sometimes.)

The problem is, I need something new to gawk about, and I think I've seen most of it.

When I'm really homesick, I'll get an American buddy and go around town talking loud, laughing loud, and saying things in English as if nobody else understood us. I mean, I know they understand, but I do it anyway.

Next time I hang out with my homesick American friend, SherryVisione, we'll give you a holler. We'll go somewhere and tip some grumpy waittress Big Time in protest!

It depends on the food, and service for me aswell, if they have been very good i give a big tip, and if it was crap, i want them to tip me for being there

Should a young lady serve me to my satisfaction, then I like to ensure that she, too, should leave my table fully satisfied. And, indeed, it is a rare waitress that refuses a tip of the magnitude that I can offer her.

Should I be served by a gentleman waiter, on the other hand...

oh you wait, should one of those gentleman waiter suddenly feel an urge to serve you to your satisfaction ...

Run DB run run run, or stay depending on your pleasure

No salacious double entendre, here, of course. You are a gentleman after all, Mr Dougal, n'est-ce pas.

I don't think there are any set rules for tipping in Switzerland, I tip well because I worked in the business and these days it's not well paid. I like to leave a tip for good service and I tip when someone has tried their best but couldn't deliver because of other factors....such as an impossible amount of tables or a slow kitchen.

I don't tip supercilious twats who yawn when you ask a pertinent question, answer sullenly or roll their eyes.

25 years ago I made an excellent living working as a qualified and enthusiastic waitress. The system was a minimum wage and a percentage of your takings, for me it was like having your own business without any of the risks.

I can honestly say that I earned more 15 to 20 years ago than many workers earn today.

A friend of mine works an average 44 hour week for a wage of 3,500. This is a bit more than others earn. She also has obligatory deductions for meals whether she takes them or not.

Go figure how much a tip can make a difference.