Should tipping for pints and other drinks be compulsory in Ireland in the same way it is in the United States?

According to a recent survey in Britain, one in three pubs are now asking punters to tip when they buy a drink. 

Should Ireland adopt this practice? Or stick with the business as usual, where the price of a pint is as advertised? 

On Lunchtime Live, Michael Coyne of Coyne's Gastropub in Galway said he felt strongly that tipping should always be “totally voluntary". 

“Some tips, some don't tip, but invariably most people would leave a tip for the staff here,” he explained. 

“But since we've opened, we've always pooled our tips so that all the tips go to the staff and then get divided out then accordingly. 

“I have a lot of college students that work here and the tips they get then help pay with rent or college fees or the purchase of books and so on.” 

Mr Coyne continued that he does not believe that people should be “pressurised” into tipping in any way. 

“I'd always leave a tip anyway, because I know how hard staff work in places like this,” he added. 

“People say that staff, since the wage has gone up, then there shouldn't be a necessity to tip. 

“But I just find that if you're happy with someone's work, that your experience has been good, then I think it's a nice thing to do.”

Also on the programme, Restaurant Association of Ireland CEO Adrian Cummins said he would be surprised if mandatory tipping catches on in Ireland. 

“I can't see that happening in Ireland,” he argued. 

“Now, you also have to throw in the tourists that come into the country, the American tourists or the Canadian tourists, whose tipping is prevalent in their country; you always see a tip before it's even requested, there's a tip provided. 

“But then when you look at mainland Europe, tipping is not prevalent in their country.

“So, you may not get a tip from those tourists.”

Main image: A man carrying pint glasses. Picture by: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie.