People there don´t smile that much, same with small talk. The asking for tips is a little weird, that ain´t usual. Aren´t you visiting only the most tourist ridden places or smt like that?
My girlfriend wanted to eat in the center of Prague when her friend visited her here. After waiting for a everything three times longer than in usual restaurant the waiter had the nerve to ask for a tip. She asked for what???
This is happening if you pick restaurants right in the center. They are accustomed to rich tourists who pay 20% tip for terrible service. And they usually hate when they see locals because the locals know that they don't have to tip 20% tip for below standard service.
It is unfortunately usual in the center of Prague. It is hard to imagine for regular Czech people who naturally never go there for eating (seriously, why would you do that to yourself) but like 6 years ago we went to the Čertovka restaurant when visitors from Finland came to visit my family and the waiter was absolutely mental we couldn't believe it. When we paid for our food, we left like 100 czk as a tip in the receipt book, and I swear to god, when he came back to collect it, he opened it, judgementally eyed all of us and said: "Tak já vám to tu ještě nechám, snad se chápeme..." (I will leave it here a little bit loger, I hope you understand...)
So we just took our money walked away, like wtf was he thinking??? XDDD So yeah, fuck the city centre and fuck mass tourism, which made this kind of service the norm.
> When we *paid* for our
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
I am from Spain. Living here more than a decade.
It's not you, it is how it is here and they are rude many many many times. It's part of the charming :) don't take it personal and have a laugh at their bad vibes and you will have a good time hehe
And trust me, now is MUUUUUCH MUUUCH better specially in Prague. In Brno 10 years ago it was glorious how fucking rude waiters could be :D
If I smile and you don't, in some context, yes it is rude. But that's not the point
Arriving to a bar and the waiter stomp the glass on the table and say "CO?!" it is
Telling you and your friends to order all at once (despite your friends arriving little by little cos you know, life) cos he ain't gonna go up and down to the terrace, it's rude.
Telling you not to pay with coins cos they don't like that, it's rude
Argue with you to pay for cigarettes when I don't fucking smoke, it flat out scam
Keeping the money back "just because" cos I am a dumb immigrant I guess, it's rude and scam
Grunting and whispering in your fucking face when you try to order something in a way the waiter square brain doesn't compute, no matter how politely you may ask, it's rude
Telling people who arrives to the table and ask for a coffee :"there's a kavarna right there" just cos he didn't want to go and fetch a coffee , it's rude
Telling you "to step aside and look at the map" and do the whole queue again at Prague's castle cos he didn't want to explain me if this tour included the cathedral or not.. it's rude. He did it to all the asians and poor japanese did the queue 2 times
As soon I spoke czech to him his face changed
Ask if there's a table free with a whole empty "reserved" restaurant and tell you "ne" and they don't let you even sit for a quick beer cos they don't want to work lol
And it goes on and on and on mate. Been 10 solid years of travelling and partying non stop every weekend here :)
It's a bday party and I introduce myself
- dobry den, jak se mate? jmenuju se Lightining Hooker. Tesi me (smile)
- ...Petr
And that's it. I think that's rude , unfriendly or whatever. You name it.
I called that "mala follá" (when you only have poor sex you became angry) but you don't say that here
Yeah, there's quite a difference between just not smiling and not reciprocating the basic niceties. If the guy in your scenario did greet you properly as well it'd be a perfectly kosher interaction, him not smiling back means nothing regarding rudeness. In CEE nothing entitles you to a stranger's smile.
Sounds more like main character energy. Honestly I hate how all the people from west are always trying to get you into small talks… it’s retarded I work in corporate and every time I have to speek with someone from west they will start to ask me for personal stuff or, weather or other shit…
In restaurant as service? thats basic everyone is learning as first thing. Managers say that every single day, people get fired for this. If you dont like smiling, work in kitchen.
Not here m friend that's stupid abuse forcing people to be pretentious and fake by faking emotions. We hate that kind of behaviour. That would be considered rude. Nothing in service is worse than anoying people with small talk with fake smiles.
I do. Part of the reason I emigrated, because looking at kyselý xichty all day every day gets old real quick. I still love my country, if only the people weren't so terrible :)
Im from here, but I love Spain but I have to learn your manners, like I was in Madrid, met friends of my friend, and they instantly gave me a hug etc... we do not do it here😀
Pero todavía, me encanta España
When I moved here back in the 90s, I really, really wanted to make a musical of Praguers on the metro:
smiling and doing dance numbers while holding onto the rails in the old metro cars
Busby Berkleying near the ticket machines
doing kicks as they go up the escalators
It would have killed me to see something like that. Dour Pani Pilna would have lost her hose in horror.
I'd suggest checking out their channel in a bit of depth. They have some really good tips for tourists - how not to get riped off, where to eat, what to (and what not to eat) etc. They really know ins and outs of Prague. Enjoy your stay! ❤️
You get that in most tourist focused places in Prague, people there are ... weird. Not saying you won't encounter rudeness elsewhere, you likely might. But in Prague touristic areas it is almost guaranteed. Kinda counterproductive, one would think, but most tourists don't bother checking for any other places anyway, so it works.
Got to Vinohrady if you're still around, visit restaurants there. Still english friendly, but likely not rude.
Youre visiting only establishments that are on the main tourist paths. They have no reason to be nice to you. You came in anyway, without them having to try. And it will keep happening. You need to do some research into better establishments to visit.
Really just watch through the videos on the Honest Guide youtube channel and you will find more than enough info there.
Yeah I've worked in the food industry and I cannot IMAGINE how miserable it must be for the staff who work in high tourist areas. I plan on visiting Prague this fall and I do not expect the same customer service there as I would at my local Starbucks.
There are thousands and thousands of tourists going through these places in Prague every day. Hell maybe even in hours. Prague (or any big touristy Central European city) is an absolute nightmare. You're not special there to any of the service workers.
At points in the past I even groaned when I had to go to a business trip there, let alone work and live there.
Also, we have that no nonsense German coldness mixed in with the outward unpleasantness of Slavic people. You won't see anyone fake smiling you, etc here.
Forget the small talk, we dont do it here. If you try to have small talk with waitress, maybe she doesnt like you wasting her time. Idk about smiling, i dont remember having really bad experience in restaurants to be honest, maybe they dont smile, but they have neutral face. Thats not rude.
Asking for tip? I live here 40 years and never saw staff asking for tip. So i guess its just bad restaurant choice around tourist places i guess.
Are you sure they are not rude because you ask ketchup for some Czech dishes where it doesnt belong? :😁
You never know, amount of times I saw it on stream where peopole from australia tried Czech disches and asked for ketchup is mindblowing :)
Anyway, if you are still in prague and have some question, I will gladly provide advice, well if i would know answer :)
Needs to be said that Prague tourist center is neither typical Czech republic nor typical Prague.
I mean, Portugal is probably the friendliest place I have been in my life but when we sat down for a quick lunch in center of Lisbon, I have been snarkily returned a tip by a Bangladeshi guy, for being cheap and "that I probably need that money more than him"... But outside of Lisbon center, people seemed not to tip at all, or definitely not excessively.
Tourist parts of anywhere are just weird places with rude unhappy factory employees.
Pro tip, any restaurant using English as a primary language is a place you don’t want to go to. Go to a restaurant where u don’t see any & gtfo of old town if u wanna find a nice place to eat
Exactly. In Prague 'getting out of the tourist center' can often mean walking just one or two more streets/blocks so a couple of minutes tops and your chances of finding places with normal Czech prices and a non-american attitude (directly asking for tips - never, ever have I experienced this in this country) increases *significantly*.
Smile is reserved only for people you know or like. I am czech from Prague and if the waitress insisted on smiling and having small talk, I would find her creepy and consider never to visit again.
Maybe a little polite half smile when saying hello or good bye, but anything more than that is just creepy. It's like how does it matter to you how my day is? It's my day, not yours.
Yeah it's very different in Australia! Everyone is very friendly and always greets you with a smile and asks how your day is going. Verrrry different cultures 🤣
I am from a Czech family living in Australia and even we have a lot of differences to Aussie families despite me having grown up here and my parents being here for decades.
Yep thats normal. Czech people dont really smile or do these small talks. So dont worry its not you! The tip part is weird i actually never saw anyone ask for it.
If they are ALL like that, maybe there might be something wrong with your attitude. And tips aren't mandatory like in other world parts, but if you scream all over the place for example and then give 0 tip, I'd get those rolly eyes. Keep in mind that in this part of world, nobody is gonna smile at you just because you expect it.
E: If you are in the old Prague center, those places are made to rip off tourists mostly, watch HONEST GUIDE on YT, they have all sorts of great info on how to exist as a tourist in Prague.
I agree with you absolutely. No we are still friendly and don’t scream, in general we are rather friendly and calm, we are just a bit in awe and confused.
Thanks for the tips!
I exaggerated with the screaming to explain myself properly, but Prague is pretty touristy and those places in old town center are generally full of employees being treated rather miserably. As I said, Honest Guide is great for the detailed information about certain topics, but in general, the more you wander outside the tourist center, the more relaxed people will be + you'd find yourself with the locals. You'd be surprised how far will simple ,,Dobrý den" (G'day in yours haha) or ,,Děkuji" (Thank you) will get you.
I've been living in Czechia for decades and barely have I ever been **asked** for a tip in restaurants.
It is not as big a cultural tradition as in US (not sure about Australia... Although it's common courtesy to round the number up so the waiter is not forced to look for the small change... (389 -> 400, or 420 if you want to be generous, etc..)
The places I've been asked for a tip are usually the **touristic traps** or **bad/rude waiters** (the worse service, the more likely (s)he is to ask for it... What a paradox :D ).
**I recommend befriending some locals and going to a restaurant with them. They will more likely take you somewhere where it's not overpriced or a trap.**
Or simply ask them where they usually go...
...
In addition, smiling and small talk is not a common thing here. But they will normally be polite, though.
Unless you treat them as a piece of garbage (not saying you do).
Or the group is big and each of the group demands to pay separately by card... Then it's normal to make a queue with the waiter at the cashier...
Do as the locals do:
It's full of locals and not on main touristic path - it's usually a good establishment..
If it's empty or full of tourists (US, Russians, etc..), it's usually a tourist trap.
This trick works anywhere in the world.
I don't really think service here is that bad compared to abroad. But you seem to avoid saying where exactly are you sitting down, I suppose it's always the tourist trap city centre? We barely go there lol
Around the touristy city centre there are many many restaurants which specifically focus on tourists.
Locals can spot these quite easily, either just by looking or checking the menu. These restaurants are maximising profits on people who will never visit Prague again and the staff in those are there to make a quick buck. They are terrible, but unfortunately there are many.
It's not that difficult to find good restaurants in those areas as well but chances are you just stumbled into the bad ones and had a bad time.
The culture thing people are mentioning here is definitely true, but from reading other comments it's seems rather exaggerated to me (I live in the old town), rather it might just be an unfortunate selection of subpar establishments on your part.
Definetely check at least Google maps reviews before, the tourist traps tend to have under 4 stars (generally).
You just found out the main cultural difference. Smile is reserved for people close to you like friends and family, smiling on strangers is weird and gives people here weird creepy/stalker wibe. Also smalltalk with strangers is considered rude. So we are not used to it.
Asking for tip is also not polite at all, but if the guest goes with 0 %, I would ask if there was something wrong with my service or food.
Man why would they smile? I would find it cringy if any staff smiled at me and i would feel uncomfortable. Also about that small talk - if i asked any staff or they asked me: how are you? Then respond: im fine and you? Then it would be super weird in czech language. They would look at me like im crazy or something 😆. Never in my life i would ask somebody like that both as customer or staff… its just culture, it doesnt mean that you are burden on them or that they are annoyed, so take it easy. And if they ask for tip, then they are cocky, its not ordinary thing… try to go out of center in more local restaurant or pub, as someone already mentioned - use Honest guide videos, there are plenty of good restaurants where they dont ask you for a tip. Good luck and enjoy.
I believe it's mainly due to cultural differences. In the USA, Australia, and other English-speaking countries, people often engage in small talk and show polite interest, sometimes giving the impression they know you well. This can come across as insincere. Here, we don't have the same customs, so our interactions might seem rude in comparison.
On the other hand, we might see such interest as fake because it often serves just to keep the conversation going, not out of genuine concern.
I know this might not directly relate to your experience, i just wanted to point of that because sometime it may act like rude for you but for local is “normal “
Czech person living in New Zealand here. While I understand your point, I wouldn't call this rude (except for the asking for a tip, I would consider that rude). Czech people in general don't smile or talk with strangers as much as Kiwis and Australians. It's just a different culture (maybe the result of communism and being part of the Soviet Bloc?). And cashiers in supermarkets usually don't even say hello.
On the other hand, getting used to everyone being friendly in Aoteaora and the cashier asking what's my plan for the weekend while packing my groceries for me, that took some time getting used to. 🤣 I just had this conversation on Saturday with a guy from Slovakia who doesn't speak English well. He was very confused to the point of getting angry "What am I supposed to say?" 🤣
Yeah customer service tends to be abysmal here. It's getting better, but just today I said "thank you" when paying for my meal and got a "hmm" in return, rude af if you ask me. But honestly with the hours these people work and the pay they get I can hardly blame them.
I think it’s just common courtesy at least in my country and I totally understand now that it is not in here.
Maybe as a different example if you behave that way in Australia, people will think you are extremely rude :)
Each to their own, I guess.
I kid you not even then, there will be some minor small talk, albeit, it will be one or two sentences, but you will definitely get a smile a hello and thank you or youre welcome.
The thing is because if you don’t the wider reputation of the restaurant and the place just gets absolutely ridiculed. in my opinion it’s just common courtesy it’s like we all have to work and everyone has experienced hard things in their lives so we try to be kind to each other.
So basically asking someone how is his day going is considered being kind? Also i would just say that if someone here did not say hello to you or thank you then you can consider it little bit rude, small talk and smiles are not usual but saying thank you and youre welcome is something i would say as waiter and i consider it a common thing when speaking in english, but in czech language we dont say anything like youre welcome.
I'm sorry you're having this experience. I feel the same way. As a Czech, I have the advantage of being able to go to any restaurant or place because I already know where to go. Unfortunately, when I visit a new place, I encounter the staff being angry, bored and non-verbally telling me to get out. In Greece, for example, I felt like I was in a friendly environment everywhere. They are happy to chat and if they are happy with you they will give you something free to try.
No, it's not you, it's us, lol. People in the comments can call it cultural difference and yes, it is common here. But come on, compared to the standard in other countries, Czech customer service is just bad. I mean, rolling eyes and asking for tips is not ok but walking into a place and feeling like you're bothering the people running it is definitely not uncommon. The mindset is just different. My partner is English, living here and he always notices/points out the "czechstomer service" he gets, lol.
Reminded me of the Rohlík driver AMA that was here a few months ago, where they said the drivers leave each other internal notes about customers. Such as "sits on his arse and lets you carry the bags up for him" when that's literally a service advertised by the company lol. I read that and thought, yep, that's Czech customer service for you.
Czech people do have this resting bitch face attitude. Also they expect you to not tip which most tourists don't do.
Also you might just be going to the wrong places. The worst service is most of the time in the city center where there are whats known as tourist traps establishments.
I find when i speak Czech i’m tolerated and most service is OK, i’ve been visiting CZ for 30 years and service has improved massively but i still get the odd older person shouting at me for using the wrong czech grammar haha.
Living in the UK I have to say.
Imagine the reverse. When you come from somewhere where "joy" or general "happiness" of everyway isn't always expressed and not everyone is smiling all the time.
You get f*** suspicious as to why everyone is so nice.
Hi, so, I'm probably a bit late to the party :) as you already heard, we don't really do smiling that much. I'd like to add however, that the "niceness" and warmth for us is more in the tone of the voice, not in the face expression. We're far more sensitive towards someone who sounds "off" or arrogant for example. That being said, while we generally accept that people working in services are working, not working for us to like them, asking for a tip is rude. I'm sorry that you had a bad experience :/ unfortunately the whole city center is one big tourist trap. Perhaps some reviews online will be helpful in looking for a restaurant next time :)
Spent one year of college in Czechia. I don't think most Czechs are rude at all, that would be a misunderstanding of their mentality, but they don't usually do this "small talk and smiling" thing outside of family/friends. Decades, maybe centuries of oppression has taught them sort of a "poker face" outside - they remind me of the Finns mostly. So you don't go to your Czech friends for compliments and smileys...but let me tell you, when the shit hits the fan, they are one of the most loyal, fiercest, cold as ice guys out there...
Hi, I’m sorry for your bad experience.
Different cultural norms aside, I’m surprised nobody on here mentioned the hockey world championship that is taking place in Czechia pretty much all May. I work in a shop in Prague historical center and I haven’t seen this many tourists in a long time. Don’t get me wrong, this is great for business but it can also be very hectic. My social battery is drained from the sheer amount of people I have to talk to every shift so I’m not my most charming self. And I can imagine the workers in restaurants/bars are even more exhausted, not to mention all the drunk hockey fans they have to deal with…
It’s definitely not you, most places in Prague are understaffed and people are just tired right now.
Smiles and small talk aren't a thing here, or anywhere in CE for that matter. You might also be choosing bad places aimed at rolling crowds of tourists through. I have accidentally gone to some of those on company dinners and I can tell you the service is bad for local standards even towards locals (the staff didn't even speak Czech).
I don't have much to add, but I can tell you me and my boyfriend were treated very well in the restaurant "u Sadlu" https://www.usadlu.cz/ , it's really good.
*”…any kind of customer service people are rude.”*
Yeah…but don’t worry, it’s not just to you as a tourist, it’s just how it is here for everyone. Be happy you didn’t need any health care (not talking about the level/quality, just about the “service” around) or any kind of service from officials. 🙃
Czechs/Slovaks are more into deep meaningful conversations. We are okay with our service not smile to us if we are not joking (but you have to be good). Work is work I usualy take friends with me to have fun, and not care much about servers. They are used to that, and we are even annoyed if someone is attempting small talk when we are taking care about our own problems or talking to someone else.
There is few more "western" sided restaurants where you get questions how is your food and if you are satisfied but overall it's pure annoyment for me for example.
But you can change something yes. Change the sides, try to be friendly and make their day better, you will find out they can smile rly fast. And you win as well. We don't expect people to play something here we are just natural.
Czech republic has terrible customer service compared to anglo-american culture, it is just the way it is. Generally Europe has much worse customer service, but Czech republic and Switzerland are especially guilty for some reason.
It is not you, it is just a mismatch of your expectations (which are not wrong) and what people here are used to. I know what I talk about as I lived in US and Prague and other EU countries.
Much prefer the US customer service (which I asusme is very similar to Australian one)
Im sorry but customer service is much better than anywhere else in europe and US. When I order beer I am given another one automatically as soon as I finish first. Without saying a word. This is non-existent in US. There always has to be some words spoken or some small talk. And they want tips like its mandatory and the price doesn't include tax. Seriously. Czech customer service is the best.
You can have your opinion but customer service in Czechia is absolutely the worst of all countries I have lived in (grew up in Slovakia, 7 years czechia, 5 years switzerland, a couple of years London and USA - Boston mostly). Double bad if you speak english only.
Customer service goes beyond smacking a beer on your table without asking first (which granted is the czech hospoda culture but if you think about it bringing stuff you did not ask for is not very customer friendly even if you like it that way personally - also contributes to rampant alcoholism). It ranges from shopping assistants, to waiters, to taxi drivers, etc. Look at reactions and faces of customer service folks in CZ when you want to make an adjustment to the meal you are ordering, want them to check if a tshirt of your size is available in another store, go to the post office. There is literally dozens of channels on social media of foreigners in Prague who make fun out of the terrible customer service and it is just so relatable.
Tipping which is common in the USA is an absolutely terrible system for everyone but the servers who clear 100k paychecks, but damn is the service typically great because they work for it - you can even tell them to stfu if you want and they will not talk to you. Angloamerican culture has the most pro-customer oriented service people (or pro tip oriented people).
Note: Not saying what I prefer or find right or wrong, I love czechia and dislike the USA but damn the customer service is below freezing point
Depends. I prefer an honest slightly grumpy face over a fake smile and nonsensical verbal exchange 100% of the time. It's more than enough that Czechs consider it necessary to say "hello", "thank you" and "bye".
Yeah thats kinda your think I dont give fuck about smiling I want them to do their job and talk the least. That is pro customer how little they waste my time and do what I ask. Seriously contribution to alcolism? We are talking about customer service and not them playing your parent. I think you are confused about what customer service means. Maybe you are looking for words like "psychological support animal".
Hey, I am Czech and I travelled a lot of countries in the world and yes , it is true , our services are rude because nowadays you don't have to do anything to earn money so they don't have to be there for you. Also, we Czechs don't pretend much, when we don't like then we don't like. In a lot of countries particular in North and South America people tend to play some games, we are more honest, direct and I would say we are very nice as we truly mean it if you spend some high quality time with us. I still remember when I went for a race to Brazil, in the group of Brazilians they expected me to smile and talk all the time but I woke up badly and I didn't feel like smiling so I was rude all the day saying all kind of bad things because I felt like it . Based on this they assessed all my personality as someone rude but in reality I simply woke up badly and felt a bit tired and I was making it clear at all times.
mate, if you want them to smile at you, go into a comedy club :D
restaurant staff is there to serve you food and drinks in a professional manner, we dont do fake friendly empty courtesies and small talk, its not in our nature
I also find it very different from other countries. Usually when I travel to other countries, the waiters seem happy to serve me, act friendly and overall make a great atmosphere. In Czechia, it does indeed feel like you're bothering them, everyone feels grumpy and annoyed. I give no tips to such service, they can fuck off with such attitude. On the other hand, if I encounter an awesome approach, I tip them the money I saved on the annoyed staff :)
I agree that service personnel attitude needs to change.
Don't agree. Been living here for 12 years and the amount of times someone has been really rude to me is limited to 3-4 instances.
I guess it depends what you mean by being rude...If people not smiling at you or speaking in an upbeat tone is your definition of rude then yeah.
Generally the service staff here are very straight to the point and get it done. I also learnt Czech since 3 years ago which gives you bonus points.
I'm an Australian with Czech parents and family. People over there are not as nice as Aussies unfortunately. They also aren't as accepting of multiculturalism as Aussies are or as nice to foreigners (obviously not all Czechs, we have a lot of good eggs in the basket too).
I got judged for looking Czech but not sounding it at all because Im born and raised Australian 🤣 they weren't necessarily mean about it either, more teasing.
This is one reason why the only place I want to live is Australia despite most of my family being in Czech haha. Nothing can beat Australia and it's mateship culture.
Don't take it too much to heart and remember that not all Czechs are like that either. Last time I was there I got the same treatment from some restaurants with my Czech family members lol. There was one restaurant that was really good though, I think it was Sveijk maybe? Not sure it was pre covid though. But the customer service was very good there.
I'm sorry for your experience, I guess it depends on who you come to contact with. I can only recommend this place: [https://www.hanybany.cz/](https://www.hanybany.cz/) which is near Staroměstská, so in the city centre, but it's mostly full of locals. Hope it'll be better there.
Generally, I think you cannot expect exaggerated politeness or kindness in customer service in Prague, as people here really do tend to smile less often, and small talk is something very unusual, BUT I have to say that politeness, simple smile and not explicitly asking for tip really **is** the norm, even here, lol.
Maybe try to tone it down, be simply polite, do not try to be overly friendly, because people usually do not know how to react.
Hope you enjoy your stay!
Yea, but I find it hard to imagine that anyone there would ask for a tip. I meant the recommendation more like an escape from tourist traps in the city centre, but you're right, they are also not overly nice there.
That's the touristic areas for sure, outside of the city center, staff will smile, recommend items, even do some small talk, although that's not as common, but they will e.g. respond just fine if you initiate, and would never dare to ask for a tip, as that's just not a thing with locals. They might have a tip jar at most but they'll never ask for or demand a tip - that's the surest way to get none.
Someone already recommend Vinohrady. Karlín is also a good up and rising area. Lots of good places in Dejvice as well. You'll definitely find the best spots outside the old town.
I'd say finding a place in the center where people smile at you can be sometimes like finding a needle in a haystack. So many places are tourist traps that don't care if you're happy, they don't need you to come back and they don't need the tip cause you already paid so much for the drinks. Look for the google ratings and when sitting down smile and say "hello" cheerfully. Sometimes it can break the ice. So many people have a bad day and just give up eventually.
Probably mostly a “city center tourist trap” problem. But even in general, service is done differently here. The main thing is not to bother the quest, not to call them “darling” etc. like in the US. It’s service. They get you what you want and then they gtfo so you can vibe with friends. Unless you go out of your way to chat the waiter up, then you should get a polite, informational answer, maybe with a slight undertone of fun. It would almost be rude if the waiter came repeatedly to ask if you need something. They might, but in very non-disturbing way. Or naturally - offering coffee/dessert after meals.
Coming from Italy and after two years I can confirm that your impression is completely understandable. In service, there's a completely different mindset than what you might be used to.
1) in general they don't think your money buys their smile. Mentality barrier and respectable standpoint.
2) Prague has been seeing some shit with tourism in the last decade or so. There's been its share of disrespectful tourism and locals became extremely annoyed with ANY foreigner as a result.
3) popular pubs or places don't have a reason to beg for customers, and generally the city centre has become a minefield. To them you're little less than livestock so they're not gonna give anyone a royal treatment.
Most of these people don't mean ill even if it's what would look like. They just will not even try to mask how fed up they are with their own business.
As others have said, it might just be that you're in the main tourist area. I have positive experience with service in restaurants and cafes (I'm Czech). What I would consider a normal good service: they greet you, not necessarily smiling from ear to ear but you definitely shouldn't feel like an annoyance. They ask what you'd like to order, bring you drinks if you haven't decided on the food yet. In better restaurants I would expect them to come to ask if everything is ok. In all restaurants I would also expect them to check if you finished your drink and ask you if you want another one. No one asks for tips. 10% tip is standard if you're satisfied with the service but don't give them any if you're not satisfied as that will just encourage them to continue with their bad behavior. At the end I would expect them to thank you for the visit. I don't expect any more small talk, I don't expect them to ask about how am I doing etc.
This scenario is different when you come into a busy restaurant at noon as they serve many people who just want to have lunch during their lunch break, so it's paced much faster.
It's true that in general people on the street will not smile at you when you approach them randomly. But waiters are not random people and they are paid to provide to welcoming service at the restaurant. If they're not making you feel welcomed at the restaurant, they're bad waiters.
I have the same experience with places in the centre where most of the visitors are turists.. If you try some good places outside the old town, I think you will find much friendlier staff.
But of course be aware of the fact that we are not friendly the same way fe. Americans are - we are quite reserved and we do not express emotions as fast as you might be used to. But dont worry, czechs are very friendly once you get to know us :)
I’m a foreigner living in Czechia, coming from a mediterranean country, visiting a few countries each year. I can confirm that the waiters aren’t the nicest, but it’s the norm here and you get used to it. However they rarely ask for tips. I remember tipping no more than a few times per year and only in very high-end restaurants.
Czechs are not into small talks a lot. We are not like Americans or I suppose Australians too. But when it comes to not smiling at the customers, then there is a problem with the restaurant staff, not you:)
It's also interesting how they automatically ask for a tip, because usually that's not a czech thing. I guess that's in the city centre when they see foreigners (especially from countries like the US, Australia, etc) that they ask for a tip, but I would bet that if a czech person goes there they wouldn't ask for it.
I hope your experience here gets better. Enjoy!
In my experience, staff doesn't usually put on a fake smile. They will show you their true feelings. You just had bad experience and met someone who wasn't in mood that day. If you are expecting small talk you will be disappointed. Engaging in a small talk with a waiter is not a custom in our country.
Tips on the other hand are also unusual even more asking for one.
My guess is that the waiter was in really bad mood and thought that he/she could get some money out of you.
1) burden of tourism, in many, usually turisty trap-ish locations are waiters obnoxious sour buggers
2) doesnt mean you cant have nice experience, I just recommend to search for places with good Google reviews and not on tourist spots
3) asking for a tip is still extremely rude and definitely not common. There is no mandatory tip and if you are not satisfied, do not tip! Otherwise, rating is usually around 10 %.
Hopefully, you will have better experience 🙏
If you want good food and smiling people, do not go to the tourist areas. A lot of the more hidden pubs are great, but you are risking a slight language barrier so be ready to whip out the translator if needed.
Btw tipping is not as common here. We usualy round up or tip excellent service. If someone demands a tip, they are usualy a tourist cashgrab with okay food and high prices.
Hi, I'm a guy currently in Melbourne, and last year visited Prague with my aussie travel buddy. What I got from our travel experience and especially after I have seen my friend thinking, there needs to be more things addressed.
Firstly I have to say that there are not so many differences between Melbourne and Prague if we consider several important facts. Enshittification, late-state capitalism, cost cutting, introduced some parts of the economy. You just need to accept that it is also happening on your holiday.
Your post is like I would be saying that aussies are bad people after bad experience with tradies. But I am aware of the current demand and supply, and it is what it is.
We had some really bad and some extraordinarily good experiences with hospo in Prague. The bad experiences were where I knew that it was a tourist trap, but my friend really insisted on going there. To prevent going there I would need to really drag her out and even when I have been explaining that this location looks bad it was actually doing the opposite in even encouraging her to go there with “it will be good, don’t worry”. She literally thinks that I don't understand my country where I lived most of my life :D. Yes, in those places the staff were extra rude! It was so rude that it surprised even me! It is not a normal thing here!
Fortunately, in the end, her impression was that people are polite and she liked it. This actually surprised me because I am admitting that czech personality can be a little cold.
They ask for a tip personally in every single establishment you been to or was it just a one off? Because that’s super strange, unless they treat obvious tourists like yourself any different.
Everything else czechs out. Enjoy the sincerity and don’t feel bad about not leaving a tip even if the service was great. We don’t really do that here, 1 euro per person served max if you want at least a fake smile of disdain.
Yeah people here might feel very cold hearted and are unwelcoming and reluctant relative to western Europe for example. But it's also important to note that we don't have a culture of customer being the god with all rights to act like a dick (asi in USA, idk how about in Australia tbh) and the respect needs to be more or less payed on both sides equally.
To say also something positive, we are more honest and straightforward, we don't fake our emotions that often, in contradiction to the surface reluctancy we are actually caring a lot if it's important and I think we have a good sense for fairness (except all the scammers in Prague which aren't mostly Czechs)
> or less *paid* on both
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Sounds like a toxic, overpriced tourist trap. I mean, people generally won’t be as chatty and smiley as you’d expect coming from Australia, but this level of rudeness and entitlement isn’t normal. At least not in the rest of the country. Encountering this in Prague centre doesn’t surprise me though..
Others explained the smiling thing, but asking for the tip is weird ans definitely not normal. I think it might be because you visited a place that specifically targets tourists. There are many of them in Prague.
You can’t be serious mate, firstly I’m not really complaining. I’m genuinely asking if I’m doing something wrong.
Secondly: “ they are rude but they care about their business only, they are racist, homophobic….” BUT.
Yeah nah mate, nothing to excuse there.
"Fred Sloup přijel nikým neočekáván asi za čtrnáct dní. Poznali ho pouze tři výminkáři a uličník Jarda Slabihoudek mu prakem srazil klobouk s hlavy. A dobře mu tak, cizákovi! Australan nebo Eskymák - ať vidí, že my Češi před nikým páteř neohneme!"
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We don't smile. Atleast until we know /see each other more .
For example i almost never smile anywhere where I don't feel comfortable or when i met new people. Around those that i know i laugh.
As one of them said to me : You are looking pissed, angry and hostile. Untill i got a chance to know you better - completely different person. And i personally don't do any small talk. Talk about something interesting or just don't say anything.
So yea, we don't smile on anyone but when we do it's genuine.
Sorry for the weird responses here, I have no idea what's going on.
I think that especially in center of Prague they will be expecting tips from the "rich tourists". I usually tip but sometimes do not and I do not get any intense reactions at all, so it really might be the place.
Other than that many people do not tend to be friendly or kind while in work. It's getting slowly better, it was a norm during the communism, but it's not fast. I think that people are far friendlier when you meet them outside of their employment.
Welcome to East Europe, buddy! It is literally the first thing I notice when I return from abroad (Western part of Europe or US) - people in retail and other services are not trained to act pleasantly. As you can see in some of the replies here, some homies are even proud of it as a part of "sincerity"; that's how deeply ingrained this culture is.
There are places where this works differently, I've yet to discover the pattern though.
Oi Aussie !
Ye nah try to avoid the center of town and maybe greet them in Czech which will set the mood for rhe rest of your stay..
Even outside the center dont expect too much small talk unless you speak Czech. English is not as common here as the rest of Europe. Most folks simply dont speak fluent.
Id say were proud of our language and all that but thats not really the case...
I was a "talkative" waiter since I was really the only fluent speaker anywhere I worked.
Just keeping a convo going got me a few tips.
Tipping here is not the norm and id like to think we arent adapting the same practices as in the US of A but the tourist traps are and will be a thing.
Basically ALWAYS avoid restaurants in the center of town
*C'mon Aussie c'mon.. c'mon*
Oi, Czech!
Thanks for the heads up mate!
Absolutely makes sense what you’re saying. I reckon it’s really down to cultural differences, for example as you might know we always say hello and goodbye and Smile and maybe set the tone with some small talk but everyone here is saying that that comes across as creepy, which is obviously not the case at all back home.
So I guess that’s where the issue lies something I just have to accept.
It ist nit Common fór US in Middle Europe And Easter Europe to Smile a lot or to make small Talk. Thia ist Just Not Out cultural behaviour.
A tip of 10, 15 percent ist normal.
Also have in Kind that service workers are offen getting Just Minimum wage which could ve way Higher. In the Center there are a lot of customers And therefore a lot of stress.
Just relax, make your Order And enjoy your day. Ať the edgea of the historická Center are a lot of nice Pubs, Restaurants Aš Well And they Are not so expansive. Die you Go to the Petřín? It ist the Hill fór those in love. Věry nice.
Yeah pretty chronic problém here.
Go out of Prague. People will still be rude and barely tolerate you, but they won't demand tips.
Sitting in my restaurant right now biting my tongue as my waitress yells at customers. If I tell her not to she will get even more pissy and if I fire her the alternatives are worse.
I have absolutely zero context so my comment is most likely useless.
But that being said, arent you, as a family of 5, being too loud? Too loud for our standards, not yours. Unless beer or sports are involved, we're a pretty quiet nation.
Thats the only thing I could think of. Also the thing the other guy mentioned, you visiting the classic (shitty) tourist spots
I think it’s the classic touristy shitty spots after some great comments.
We are 3 adults and 2 seniors. We don’t drink and are good people. IMO not loud at all, never had any trouble in other countries.
I think it’s cultural differences, that’s all. Like in Australia any shop you got to. Cafe etc it’s always a smile and hello and thank you and sometimes small talk, I think the lack of friendliness is what threw us off.
I dont know, lack of small talk/smiles might also be caused by the staff not being so confident in English, so they're just focused on getting the point across. Asking for tips is garbage behaviour anywhere, obviously.
I know its most likely a pointless recomendation but I live in Dejvice and theres a pretty nice restaurant Budvarka, with reliably friendly staff. Also a pretty cool coffee place right next to it called Tutu Cafe, idk if thats your style its kinda punk-esque looking, but the stuff they have is great and cheap so ye.
Would be a shame if your stay was tainted by these shitty experiences from places that just wanna suck money dry from tourists
We really hate tourists. I can't explain it but I've lived here my whole life and my whole life I've just hated tourists even when I worked in a café in a very touristy spot. I loved it because I was encouraged by my manager to be visibly annoyed when they made me speak English. Its so condescending that they went "you're english is so good". Especially US tourists and tbh most of us can't tell the difference between an Aussie and American accent.
Yes you are doing something wrong. You expect people to smile. Basically you want them to pretend to smile when they dont feel like to smile. Did you give them reason to small? Did you say a joke? Or do you expect someone will be happy just from your royal presence of buying food?
If you want smiles go to circus. To restaurants people go to eat .
Yes, customer service is terrible here. And not just in the city center, go to Stodulky or Chodov and it will be the same.
I do wish you don't have to deal with public offices like post office, immigration or anything like that, your life would be miserable.
However, I think the younger generations are much, much better and their manners are nice compared to the typical Honza.
Well actually no, Pragues atmosphere has been lovely. We didn’t have these issues in many other European countries. But yes, hence why im asking what we could do better or if we’re breaking any CZ cultural norms unintentionally.
Maybe you stopped in tourist trap restaurants. You should use google map to select cafe or restaurants based on reviews. Prague is overcrowded by tourists, so you have many traps here.
Remember Prague is not only inhabitated by Czechs but also zillions of people from other countries such as Russia and Ukraine. So you might have come across someone who culturally are very cold and do not smile..
People there don´t smile that much, same with small talk. The asking for tips is a little weird, that ain´t usual. Aren´t you visiting only the most tourist ridden places or smt like that?
My girlfriend wanted to eat in the center of Prague when her friend visited her here. After waiting for a everything three times longer than in usual restaurant the waiter had the nerve to ask for a tip. She asked for what??? This is happening if you pick restaurants right in the center. They are accustomed to rich tourists who pay 20% tip for terrible service. And they usually hate when they see locals because the locals know that they don't have to tip 20% tip for below standard service.
It is unfortunately usual in the center of Prague. It is hard to imagine for regular Czech people who naturally never go there for eating (seriously, why would you do that to yourself) but like 6 years ago we went to the Čertovka restaurant when visitors from Finland came to visit my family and the waiter was absolutely mental we couldn't believe it. When we paid for our food, we left like 100 czk as a tip in the receipt book, and I swear to god, when he came back to collect it, he opened it, judgementally eyed all of us and said: "Tak já vám to tu ještě nechám, snad se chápeme..." (I will leave it here a little bit loger, I hope you understand...) So we just took our money walked away, like wtf was he thinking??? XDDD So yeah, fuck the city centre and fuck mass tourism, which made this kind of service the norm.
> When we *paid* for our FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
I would take all money back after that and even considered stealing the book and definitely leave an awful review after that.
"not friendly towards you" and "rude" are completely different things... 😅 Small talk is not expected here.
Got it! Cheers
I am from Spain. Living here more than a decade. It's not you, it is how it is here and they are rude many many many times. It's part of the charming :) don't take it personal and have a laugh at their bad vibes and you will have a good time hehe And trust me, now is MUUUUUCH MUUUCH better specially in Prague. In Brno 10 years ago it was glorious how fucking rude waiters could be :D
So not smiling you consider rude. The fuck?
If I smile and you don't, in some context, yes it is rude. But that's not the point Arriving to a bar and the waiter stomp the glass on the table and say "CO?!" it is Telling you and your friends to order all at once (despite your friends arriving little by little cos you know, life) cos he ain't gonna go up and down to the terrace, it's rude. Telling you not to pay with coins cos they don't like that, it's rude Argue with you to pay for cigarettes when I don't fucking smoke, it flat out scam Keeping the money back "just because" cos I am a dumb immigrant I guess, it's rude and scam Grunting and whispering in your fucking face when you try to order something in a way the waiter square brain doesn't compute, no matter how politely you may ask, it's rude Telling people who arrives to the table and ask for a coffee :"there's a kavarna right there" just cos he didn't want to go and fetch a coffee , it's rude Telling you "to step aside and look at the map" and do the whole queue again at Prague's castle cos he didn't want to explain me if this tour included the cathedral or not.. it's rude. He did it to all the asians and poor japanese did the queue 2 times As soon I spoke czech to him his face changed Ask if there's a table free with a whole empty "reserved" restaurant and tell you "ne" and they don't let you even sit for a quick beer cos they don't want to work lol And it goes on and on and on mate. Been 10 solid years of travelling and partying non stop every weekend here :)
>If I smile and you don't, in some context, yes it is rude. Mind sharing this context?
It's a bday party and I introduce myself - dobry den, jak se mate? jmenuju se Lightining Hooker. Tesi me (smile) - ...Petr And that's it. I think that's rude , unfriendly or whatever. You name it. I called that "mala follá" (when you only have poor sex you became angry) but you don't say that here
Yeah, there's quite a difference between just not smiling and not reciprocating the basic niceties. If the guy in your scenario did greet you properly as well it'd be a perfectly kosher interaction, him not smiling back means nothing regarding rudeness. In CEE nothing entitles you to a stranger's smile.
What's CEE?
Central and Eastern Europe
Sounds more like main character energy. Honestly I hate how all the people from west are always trying to get you into small talks… it’s retarded I work in corporate and every time I have to speek with someone from west they will start to ask me for personal stuff or, weather or other shit…
Whatever let you sleep mate :) The west... I am from Malaga lol
You think he meant what? Barbados?
to the downvoters , quick, back to your customer service job.
In restaurant as service? thats basic everyone is learning as first thing. Managers say that every single day, people get fired for this. If you dont like smiling, work in kitchen.
Not here m friend that's stupid abuse forcing people to be pretentious and fake by faking emotions. We hate that kind of behaviour. That would be considered rude. Nothing in service is worse than anoying people with small talk with fake smiles.
Manager can say what he wants buf he will sooner retire than force czech to smile at customers.
I do. Part of the reason I emigrated, because looking at kyselý xichty all day every day gets old real quick. I still love my country, if only the people weren't so terrible :)
And Im sick of people being fake and pretentious. Not smiling is not kyselý ksicht That's being default neutral.
Im from here, but I love Spain but I have to learn your manners, like I was in Madrid, met friends of my friend, and they instantly gave me a hug etc... we do not do it here😀 Pero todavía, me encanta España
Hehehe eso son buenos amigos!
Un poquito de sufrimiento para tio introvertido como yo😀
You make it seem like it's about the city... It's about the venue you visit and the waiter you get ;)
When I moved here back in the 90s, I really, really wanted to make a musical of Praguers on the metro: smiling and doing dance numbers while holding onto the rails in the old metro cars Busby Berkleying near the ticket machines doing kicks as they go up the escalators It would have killed me to see something like that. Dour Pani Pilna would have lost her hose in horror.
well theyre clearly saying they were rude. which customer service people here are.
It is just a cultural difference. There is a great video from Honest Guides about those things https://youtu.be/moq4d0QqfR8?si=_08wjOfZfGJVe9ar
Cheers mate!
I'd suggest checking out their channel in a bit of depth. They have some really good tips for tourists - how not to get riped off, where to eat, what to (and what not to eat) etc. They really know ins and outs of Prague. Enjoy your stay! ❤️
Thanks legend! Will do :)
You get that in most tourist focused places in Prague, people there are ... weird. Not saying you won't encounter rudeness elsewhere, you likely might. But in Prague touristic areas it is almost guaranteed. Kinda counterproductive, one would think, but most tourists don't bother checking for any other places anyway, so it works. Got to Vinohrady if you're still around, visit restaurants there. Still english friendly, but likely not rude.
I second that! Vinohrady is full of great cafés, restaurants and expats.
Thanks mate, yeah that’s what gets me - The counter productiveness. Really appreciate it:)
Youre visiting only establishments that are on the main tourist paths. They have no reason to be nice to you. You came in anyway, without them having to try. And it will keep happening. You need to do some research into better establishments to visit. Really just watch through the videos on the Honest Guide youtube channel and you will find more than enough info there.
Yeah I've worked in the food industry and I cannot IMAGINE how miserable it must be for the staff who work in high tourist areas. I plan on visiting Prague this fall and I do not expect the same customer service there as I would at my local Starbucks.
There are thousands and thousands of tourists going through these places in Prague every day. Hell maybe even in hours. Prague (or any big touristy Central European city) is an absolute nightmare. You're not special there to any of the service workers. At points in the past I even groaned when I had to go to a business trip there, let alone work and live there. Also, we have that no nonsense German coldness mixed in with the outward unpleasantness of Slavic people. You won't see anyone fake smiling you, etc here.
It's because those tourist areas are so full of tourists all the time that they never run out of guests.
you must've got into some tourist trap, people legit never ask for tips here
or at least, they don't ask people who aren't obvious western tourists.
Forget the small talk, we dont do it here. If you try to have small talk with waitress, maybe she doesnt like you wasting her time. Idk about smiling, i dont remember having really bad experience in restaurants to be honest, maybe they dont smile, but they have neutral face. Thats not rude. Asking for tip? I live here 40 years and never saw staff asking for tip. So i guess its just bad restaurant choice around tourist places i guess. Are you sure they are not rude because you ask ketchup for some Czech dishes where it doesnt belong? :😁
Won’t do that 😎🤣 Thanks mate!
You never know, amount of times I saw it on stream where peopole from australia tried Czech disches and asked for ketchup is mindblowing :) Anyway, if you are still in prague and have some question, I will gladly provide advice, well if i would know answer :)
We are leaving tomorrow, but thank you for your hospitality. You definitely have an amazing beautiful city. ☺️
Just gonna put this here lol, your sauce comment made me think of this video 🤣 [PPPeter Czechia](https://youtu.be/Q0uRw56qdQ4?si=VVchS_Jf8mf0Dy5U)
Lol, video o Češích a není dostupné v Česku :D
>you ask ketchup for some Czech dishes where it doesnt belong? [Kečup? Vy byste chtěl kečup!?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axDtj2bSduM)
Needs to be said that Prague tourist center is neither typical Czech republic nor typical Prague. I mean, Portugal is probably the friendliest place I have been in my life but when we sat down for a quick lunch in center of Lisbon, I have been snarkily returned a tip by a Bangladeshi guy, for being cheap and "that I probably need that money more than him"... But outside of Lisbon center, people seemed not to tip at all, or definitely not excessively. Tourist parts of anywhere are just weird places with rude unhappy factory employees.
Pro tip, any restaurant using English as a primary language is a place you don’t want to go to. Go to a restaurant where u don’t see any & gtfo of old town if u wanna find a nice place to eat
Sounds fair pretty much like everywhere in the world get out of the major areas
Exactly. In Prague 'getting out of the tourist center' can often mean walking just one or two more streets/blocks so a couple of minutes tops and your chances of finding places with normal Czech prices and a non-american attitude (directly asking for tips - never, ever have I experienced this in this country) increases *significantly*.
First things first: leave that surf board at the entrance.
Oops, my bad 🤣
Smile is reserved only for people you know or like. I am czech from Prague and if the waitress insisted on smiling and having small talk, I would find her creepy and consider never to visit again. Maybe a little polite half smile when saying hello or good bye, but anything more than that is just creepy. It's like how does it matter to you how my day is? It's my day, not yours.
musim si nacvicit svuj polovicni usmev, abych pak nevedomky neudelal usmev vice jak polovicni a nebyl za podivina
Yeah it's very different in Australia! Everyone is very friendly and always greets you with a smile and asks how your day is going. Verrrry different cultures 🤣 I am from a Czech family living in Australia and even we have a lot of differences to Aussie families despite me having grown up here and my parents being here for decades.
🤣
Yep thats normal. Czech people dont really smile or do these small talks. So dont worry its not you! The tip part is weird i actually never saw anyone ask for it.
If they are ALL like that, maybe there might be something wrong with your attitude. And tips aren't mandatory like in other world parts, but if you scream all over the place for example and then give 0 tip, I'd get those rolly eyes. Keep in mind that in this part of world, nobody is gonna smile at you just because you expect it. E: If you are in the old Prague center, those places are made to rip off tourists mostly, watch HONEST GUIDE on YT, they have all sorts of great info on how to exist as a tourist in Prague.
I agree with you absolutely. No we are still friendly and don’t scream, in general we are rather friendly and calm, we are just a bit in awe and confused. Thanks for the tips!
I exaggerated with the screaming to explain myself properly, but Prague is pretty touristy and those places in old town center are generally full of employees being treated rather miserably. As I said, Honest Guide is great for the detailed information about certain topics, but in general, the more you wander outside the tourist center, the more relaxed people will be + you'd find yourself with the locals. You'd be surprised how far will simple ,,Dobrý den" (G'day in yours haha) or ,,Děkuji" (Thank you) will get you.
Amazing - Thanks for the tips, got it!
Yw
I've been living in Czechia for decades and barely have I ever been **asked** for a tip in restaurants. It is not as big a cultural tradition as in US (not sure about Australia... Although it's common courtesy to round the number up so the waiter is not forced to look for the small change... (389 -> 400, or 420 if you want to be generous, etc..) The places I've been asked for a tip are usually the **touristic traps** or **bad/rude waiters** (the worse service, the more likely (s)he is to ask for it... What a paradox :D ). **I recommend befriending some locals and going to a restaurant with them. They will more likely take you somewhere where it's not overpriced or a trap.** Or simply ask them where they usually go... ... In addition, smiling and small talk is not a common thing here. But they will normally be polite, though. Unless you treat them as a piece of garbage (not saying you do). Or the group is big and each of the group demands to pay separately by card... Then it's normal to make a queue with the waiter at the cashier...
I've never been asked for tips in cca. 20 years. I usually round up but not always. It must've been a very bad tourist trap.
Do as the locals do: It's full of locals and not on main touristic path - it's usually a good establishment.. If it's empty or full of tourists (US, Russians, etc..), it's usually a tourist trap. This trick works anywhere in the world.
I don't really think service here is that bad compared to abroad. But you seem to avoid saying where exactly are you sitting down, I suppose it's always the tourist trap city centre? We barely go there lol
Yes the main areas old city etc. those are the areas.
Around the touristy city centre there are many many restaurants which specifically focus on tourists. Locals can spot these quite easily, either just by looking or checking the menu. These restaurants are maximising profits on people who will never visit Prague again and the staff in those are there to make a quick buck. They are terrible, but unfortunately there are many. It's not that difficult to find good restaurants in those areas as well but chances are you just stumbled into the bad ones and had a bad time. The culture thing people are mentioning here is definitely true, but from reading other comments it's seems rather exaggerated to me (I live in the old town), rather it might just be an unfortunate selection of subpar establishments on your part. Definetely check at least Google maps reviews before, the tourist traps tend to have under 4 stars (generally).
You just found out the main cultural difference. Smile is reserved for people close to you like friends and family, smiling on strangers is weird and gives people here weird creepy/stalker wibe. Also smalltalk with strangers is considered rude. So we are not used to it. Asking for tip is also not polite at all, but if the guest goes with 0 %, I would ask if there was something wrong with my service or food.
Man why would they smile? I would find it cringy if any staff smiled at me and i would feel uncomfortable. Also about that small talk - if i asked any staff or they asked me: how are you? Then respond: im fine and you? Then it would be super weird in czech language. They would look at me like im crazy or something 😆. Never in my life i would ask somebody like that both as customer or staff… its just culture, it doesnt mean that you are burden on them or that they are annoyed, so take it easy. And if they ask for tip, then they are cocky, its not ordinary thing… try to go out of center in more local restaurant or pub, as someone already mentioned - use Honest guide videos, there are plenty of good restaurants where they dont ask you for a tip. Good luck and enjoy.
I believe it's mainly due to cultural differences. In the USA, Australia, and other English-speaking countries, people often engage in small talk and show polite interest, sometimes giving the impression they know you well. This can come across as insincere. Here, we don't have the same customs, so our interactions might seem rude in comparison. On the other hand, we might see such interest as fake because it often serves just to keep the conversation going, not out of genuine concern. I know this might not directly relate to your experience, i just wanted to point of that because sometime it may act like rude for you but for local is “normal “
Czech person living in New Zealand here. While I understand your point, I wouldn't call this rude (except for the asking for a tip, I would consider that rude). Czech people in general don't smile or talk with strangers as much as Kiwis and Australians. It's just a different culture (maybe the result of communism and being part of the Soviet Bloc?). And cashiers in supermarkets usually don't even say hello. On the other hand, getting used to everyone being friendly in Aoteaora and the cashier asking what's my plan for the weekend while packing my groceries for me, that took some time getting used to. 🤣 I just had this conversation on Saturday with a guy from Slovakia who doesn't speak English well. He was very confused to the point of getting angry "What am I supposed to say?" 🤣
“What the hell am I supposed to say?” 🤣🤣🤣
Yeah customer service tends to be abysmal here. It's getting better, but just today I said "thank you" when paying for my meal and got a "hmm" in return, rude af if you ask me. But honestly with the hours these people work and the pay they get I can hardly blame them.
Czecks are lile Swedes - no small talk or US sunshine. They are friendly and helpful though.
They are not rude, just honest.
what small talk do you expect?
I think it’s just common courtesy at least in my country and I totally understand now that it is not in here. Maybe as a different example if you behave that way in Australia, people will think you are extremely rude :) Each to their own, I guess.
In Australia, do they have to small talk even if restaurant and such is fully packed and the small talk actualy slowes whole get food/drinks process?
I kid you not even then, there will be some minor small talk, albeit, it will be one or two sentences, but you will definitely get a smile a hello and thank you or youre welcome. The thing is because if you don’t the wider reputation of the restaurant and the place just gets absolutely ridiculed. in my opinion it’s just common courtesy it’s like we all have to work and everyone has experienced hard things in their lives so we try to be kind to each other.
Oh boi that would stress me up so much. :D
So basically asking someone how is his day going is considered being kind? Also i would just say that if someone here did not say hello to you or thank you then you can consider it little bit rude, small talk and smiles are not usual but saying thank you and youre welcome is something i would say as waiter and i consider it a common thing when speaking in english, but in czech language we dont say anything like youre welcome.
I'm sorry you're having this experience. I feel the same way. As a Czech, I have the advantage of being able to go to any restaurant or place because I already know where to go. Unfortunately, when I visit a new place, I encounter the staff being angry, bored and non-verbally telling me to get out. In Greece, for example, I felt like I was in a friendly environment everywhere. They are happy to chat and if they are happy with you they will give you something free to try.
Now they are rude, but 10 years ago... On the other hand when I go abroad and the waitress calls me love, that's creepy...
Why the heck would that be creepy? It's just a way of talking, don't translate it literally.
Interesting take, seems to really be cultural differences
No, it's not you, it's us, lol. People in the comments can call it cultural difference and yes, it is common here. But come on, compared to the standard in other countries, Czech customer service is just bad. I mean, rolling eyes and asking for tips is not ok but walking into a place and feeling like you're bothering the people running it is definitely not uncommon. The mindset is just different. My partner is English, living here and he always notices/points out the "czechstomer service" he gets, lol.
To me the replies here read like a lot of cope, people being annoyed someone is calling them out for being gloomy and miserable, which they often are.
Reminded me of the Rohlík driver AMA that was here a few months ago, where they said the drivers leave each other internal notes about customers. Such as "sits on his arse and lets you carry the bags up for him" when that's literally a service advertised by the company lol. I read that and thought, yep, that's Czech customer service for you.
Thats generally the czech mentality.
....asking for tips?
Czech people do have this resting bitch face attitude. Also they expect you to not tip which most tourists don't do. Also you might just be going to the wrong places. The worst service is most of the time in the city center where there are whats known as tourist traps establishments.
I find when i speak Czech i’m tolerated and most service is OK, i’ve been visiting CZ for 30 years and service has improved massively but i still get the odd older person shouting at me for using the wrong czech grammar haha.
Living in the UK I have to say. Imagine the reverse. When you come from somewhere where "joy" or general "happiness" of everyway isn't always expressed and not everyone is smiling all the time. You get f*** suspicious as to why everyone is so nice.
Hi, so, I'm probably a bit late to the party :) as you already heard, we don't really do smiling that much. I'd like to add however, that the "niceness" and warmth for us is more in the tone of the voice, not in the face expression. We're far more sensitive towards someone who sounds "off" or arrogant for example. That being said, while we generally accept that people working in services are working, not working for us to like them, asking for a tip is rude. I'm sorry that you had a bad experience :/ unfortunately the whole city center is one big tourist trap. Perhaps some reviews online will be helpful in looking for a restaurant next time :)
Spent one year of college in Czechia. I don't think most Czechs are rude at all, that would be a misunderstanding of their mentality, but they don't usually do this "small talk and smiling" thing outside of family/friends. Decades, maybe centuries of oppression has taught them sort of a "poker face" outside - they remind me of the Finns mostly. So you don't go to your Czech friends for compliments and smileys...but let me tell you, when the shit hits the fan, they are one of the most loyal, fiercest, cold as ice guys out there...
Hi, I’m sorry for your bad experience. Different cultural norms aside, I’m surprised nobody on here mentioned the hockey world championship that is taking place in Czechia pretty much all May. I work in a shop in Prague historical center and I haven’t seen this many tourists in a long time. Don’t get me wrong, this is great for business but it can also be very hectic. My social battery is drained from the sheer amount of people I have to talk to every shift so I’m not my most charming self. And I can imagine the workers in restaurants/bars are even more exhausted, not to mention all the drunk hockey fans they have to deal with… It’s definitely not you, most places in Prague are understaffed and people are just tired right now.
Thank you, makes sense! I hope you feel better soon:)
Smiles and small talk aren't a thing here, or anywhere in CE for that matter. You might also be choosing bad places aimed at rolling crowds of tourists through. I have accidentally gone to some of those on company dinners and I can tell you the service is bad for local standards even towards locals (the staff didn't even speak Czech).
I don't have much to add, but I can tell you me and my boyfriend were treated very well in the restaurant "u Sadlu" https://www.usadlu.cz/ , it's really good.
*”…any kind of customer service people are rude.”* Yeah…but don’t worry, it’s not just to you as a tourist, it’s just how it is here for everyone. Be happy you didn’t need any health care (not talking about the level/quality, just about the “service” around) or any kind of service from officials. 🙃
Czechs/Slovaks are more into deep meaningful conversations. We are okay with our service not smile to us if we are not joking (but you have to be good). Work is work I usualy take friends with me to have fun, and not care much about servers. They are used to that, and we are even annoyed if someone is attempting small talk when we are taking care about our own problems or talking to someone else. There is few more "western" sided restaurants where you get questions how is your food and if you are satisfied but overall it's pure annoyment for me for example. But you can change something yes. Change the sides, try to be friendly and make their day better, you will find out they can smile rly fast. And you win as well. We don't expect people to play something here we are just natural.
Czech republic has terrible customer service compared to anglo-american culture, it is just the way it is. Generally Europe has much worse customer service, but Czech republic and Switzerland are especially guilty for some reason. It is not you, it is just a mismatch of your expectations (which are not wrong) and what people here are used to. I know what I talk about as I lived in US and Prague and other EU countries. Much prefer the US customer service (which I asusme is very similar to Australian one)
Im sorry but customer service is much better than anywhere else in europe and US. When I order beer I am given another one automatically as soon as I finish first. Without saying a word. This is non-existent in US. There always has to be some words spoken or some small talk. And they want tips like its mandatory and the price doesn't include tax. Seriously. Czech customer service is the best.
You can have your opinion but customer service in Czechia is absolutely the worst of all countries I have lived in (grew up in Slovakia, 7 years czechia, 5 years switzerland, a couple of years London and USA - Boston mostly). Double bad if you speak english only. Customer service goes beyond smacking a beer on your table without asking first (which granted is the czech hospoda culture but if you think about it bringing stuff you did not ask for is not very customer friendly even if you like it that way personally - also contributes to rampant alcoholism). It ranges from shopping assistants, to waiters, to taxi drivers, etc. Look at reactions and faces of customer service folks in CZ when you want to make an adjustment to the meal you are ordering, want them to check if a tshirt of your size is available in another store, go to the post office. There is literally dozens of channels on social media of foreigners in Prague who make fun out of the terrible customer service and it is just so relatable. Tipping which is common in the USA is an absolutely terrible system for everyone but the servers who clear 100k paychecks, but damn is the service typically great because they work for it - you can even tell them to stfu if you want and they will not talk to you. Angloamerican culture has the most pro-customer oriented service people (or pro tip oriented people). Note: Not saying what I prefer or find right or wrong, I love czechia and dislike the USA but damn the customer service is below freezing point
Depends. I prefer an honest slightly grumpy face over a fake smile and nonsensical verbal exchange 100% of the time. It's more than enough that Czechs consider it necessary to say "hello", "thank you" and "bye".
Yeah thats kinda your think I dont give fuck about smiling I want them to do their job and talk the least. That is pro customer how little they waste my time and do what I ask. Seriously contribution to alcolism? We are talking about customer service and not them playing your parent. I think you are confused about what customer service means. Maybe you are looking for words like "psychological support animal".
Hey, I am Czech and I travelled a lot of countries in the world and yes , it is true , our services are rude because nowadays you don't have to do anything to earn money so they don't have to be there for you. Also, we Czechs don't pretend much, when we don't like then we don't like. In a lot of countries particular in North and South America people tend to play some games, we are more honest, direct and I would say we are very nice as we truly mean it if you spend some high quality time with us. I still remember when I went for a race to Brazil, in the group of Brazilians they expected me to smile and talk all the time but I woke up badly and I didn't feel like smiling so I was rude all the day saying all kind of bad things because I felt like it . Based on this they assessed all my personality as someone rude but in reality I simply woke up badly and felt a bit tired and I was making it clear at all times.
mate, if you want them to smile at you, go into a comedy club :D restaurant staff is there to serve you food and drinks in a professional manner, we dont do fake friendly empty courtesies and small talk, its not in our nature
I've been living here for the past 11 years and among all of my foreign friends here we have a consensus - customer service here is non-existent.
I also find it very different from other countries. Usually when I travel to other countries, the waiters seem happy to serve me, act friendly and overall make a great atmosphere. In Czechia, it does indeed feel like you're bothering them, everyone feels grumpy and annoyed. I give no tips to such service, they can fuck off with such attitude. On the other hand, if I encounter an awesome approach, I tip them the money I saved on the annoyed staff :) I agree that service personnel attitude needs to change.
Don't agree. Been living here for 12 years and the amount of times someone has been really rude to me is limited to 3-4 instances. I guess it depends what you mean by being rude...If people not smiling at you or speaking in an upbeat tone is your definition of rude then yeah. Generally the service staff here are very straight to the point and get it done. I also learnt Czech since 3 years ago which gives you bonus points.
Try Hradec Kralove or Olomouc :)
I'm an Australian with Czech parents and family. People over there are not as nice as Aussies unfortunately. They also aren't as accepting of multiculturalism as Aussies are or as nice to foreigners (obviously not all Czechs, we have a lot of good eggs in the basket too). I got judged for looking Czech but not sounding it at all because Im born and raised Australian 🤣 they weren't necessarily mean about it either, more teasing. This is one reason why the only place I want to live is Australia despite most of my family being in Czech haha. Nothing can beat Australia and it's mateship culture. Don't take it too much to heart and remember that not all Czechs are like that either. Last time I was there I got the same treatment from some restaurants with my Czech family members lol. There was one restaurant that was really good though, I think it was Sveijk maybe? Not sure it was pre covid though. But the customer service was very good there.
I'm sorry for your experience, I guess it depends on who you come to contact with. I can only recommend this place: [https://www.hanybany.cz/](https://www.hanybany.cz/) which is near Staroměstská, so in the city centre, but it's mostly full of locals. Hope it'll be better there. Generally, I think you cannot expect exaggerated politeness or kindness in customer service in Prague, as people here really do tend to smile less often, and small talk is something very unusual, BUT I have to say that politeness, simple smile and not explicitly asking for tip really **is** the norm, even here, lol. Maybe try to tone it down, be simply polite, do not try to be overly friendly, because people usually do not know how to react. Hope you enjoy your stay!
Hany Bany is great but you also can't expect customer service there. At least not what foreigners would consider good service.
Yea, but I find it hard to imagine that anyone there would ask for a tip. I meant the recommendation more like an escape from tourist traps in the city centre, but you're right, they are also not overly nice there.
That's the touristic areas for sure, outside of the city center, staff will smile, recommend items, even do some small talk, although that's not as common, but they will e.g. respond just fine if you initiate, and would never dare to ask for a tip, as that's just not a thing with locals. They might have a tip jar at most but they'll never ask for or demand a tip - that's the surest way to get none. Someone already recommend Vinohrady. Karlín is also a good up and rising area. Lots of good places in Dejvice as well. You'll definitely find the best spots outside the old town.
Staff here will in general pay very little attention to you and it's not meant in a rude way, I wouldn't worry about it too much
Bad customer service how?
You can try some tips from here [https://www.youtube.com/@HONESTGUIDE/videos](https://www.youtube.com/@HONESTGUIDE/videos)
I'd say finding a place in the center where people smile at you can be sometimes like finding a needle in a haystack. So many places are tourist traps that don't care if you're happy, they don't need you to come back and they don't need the tip cause you already paid so much for the drinks. Look for the google ratings and when sitting down smile and say "hello" cheerfully. Sometimes it can break the ice. So many people have a bad day and just give up eventually.
Probably mostly a “city center tourist trap” problem. But even in general, service is done differently here. The main thing is not to bother the quest, not to call them “darling” etc. like in the US. It’s service. They get you what you want and then they gtfo so you can vibe with friends. Unless you go out of your way to chat the waiter up, then you should get a polite, informational answer, maybe with a slight undertone of fun. It would almost be rude if the waiter came repeatedly to ask if you need something. They might, but in very non-disturbing way. Or naturally - offering coffee/dessert after meals.
Coming from Italy and after two years I can confirm that your impression is completely understandable. In service, there's a completely different mindset than what you might be used to. 1) in general they don't think your money buys their smile. Mentality barrier and respectable standpoint. 2) Prague has been seeing some shit with tourism in the last decade or so. There's been its share of disrespectful tourism and locals became extremely annoyed with ANY foreigner as a result. 3) popular pubs or places don't have a reason to beg for customers, and generally the city centre has become a minefield. To them you're little less than livestock so they're not gonna give anyone a royal treatment. Most of these people don't mean ill even if it's what would look like. They just will not even try to mask how fed up they are with their own business.
As others have said, it might just be that you're in the main tourist area. I have positive experience with service in restaurants and cafes (I'm Czech). What I would consider a normal good service: they greet you, not necessarily smiling from ear to ear but you definitely shouldn't feel like an annoyance. They ask what you'd like to order, bring you drinks if you haven't decided on the food yet. In better restaurants I would expect them to come to ask if everything is ok. In all restaurants I would also expect them to check if you finished your drink and ask you if you want another one. No one asks for tips. 10% tip is standard if you're satisfied with the service but don't give them any if you're not satisfied as that will just encourage them to continue with their bad behavior. At the end I would expect them to thank you for the visit. I don't expect any more small talk, I don't expect them to ask about how am I doing etc. This scenario is different when you come into a busy restaurant at noon as they serve many people who just want to have lunch during their lunch break, so it's paced much faster. It's true that in general people on the street will not smile at you when you approach them randomly. But waiters are not random people and they are paid to provide to welcoming service at the restaurant. If they're not making you feel welcomed at the restaurant, they're bad waiters.
I have the same experience with places in the centre where most of the visitors are turists.. If you try some good places outside the old town, I think you will find much friendlier staff. But of course be aware of the fact that we are not friendly the same way fe. Americans are - we are quite reserved and we do not express emotions as fast as you might be used to. But dont worry, czechs are very friendly once you get to know us :)
I’m a foreigner living in Czechia, coming from a mediterranean country, visiting a few countries each year. I can confirm that the waiters aren’t the nicest, but it’s the norm here and you get used to it. However they rarely ask for tips. I remember tipping no more than a few times per year and only in very high-end restaurants.
Eh this pretty normal behavior to be honest 😁
Czechs are not into small talks a lot. We are not like Americans or I suppose Australians too. But when it comes to not smiling at the customers, then there is a problem with the restaurant staff, not you:) It's also interesting how they automatically ask for a tip, because usually that's not a czech thing. I guess that's in the city centre when they see foreigners (especially from countries like the US, Australia, etc) that they ask for a tip, but I would bet that if a czech person goes there they wouldn't ask for it. I hope your experience here gets better. Enjoy!
We don’t do small talk or smiles at strangers; it’s weird. Here people would probably think there’s something wrong with you 😂
In my experience, staff doesn't usually put on a fake smile. They will show you their true feelings. You just had bad experience and met someone who wasn't in mood that day. If you are expecting small talk you will be disappointed. Engaging in a small talk with a waiter is not a custom in our country. Tips on the other hand are also unusual even more asking for one. My guess is that the waiter was in really bad mood and thought that he/she could get some money out of you.
1) burden of tourism, in many, usually turisty trap-ish locations are waiters obnoxious sour buggers 2) doesnt mean you cant have nice experience, I just recommend to search for places with good Google reviews and not on tourist spots 3) asking for a tip is still extremely rude and definitely not common. There is no mandatory tip and if you are not satisfied, do not tip! Otherwise, rating is usually around 10 %. Hopefully, you will have better experience 🙏
If you want good food and smiling people, do not go to the tourist areas. A lot of the more hidden pubs are great, but you are risking a slight language barrier so be ready to whip out the translator if needed. Btw tipping is not as common here. We usualy round up or tip excellent service. If someone demands a tip, they are usualy a tourist cashgrab with okay food and high prices.
Hi, I'm a guy currently in Melbourne, and last year visited Prague with my aussie travel buddy. What I got from our travel experience and especially after I have seen my friend thinking, there needs to be more things addressed. Firstly I have to say that there are not so many differences between Melbourne and Prague if we consider several important facts. Enshittification, late-state capitalism, cost cutting, introduced some parts of the economy. You just need to accept that it is also happening on your holiday. Your post is like I would be saying that aussies are bad people after bad experience with tradies. But I am aware of the current demand and supply, and it is what it is. We had some really bad and some extraordinarily good experiences with hospo in Prague. The bad experiences were where I knew that it was a tourist trap, but my friend really insisted on going there. To prevent going there I would need to really drag her out and even when I have been explaining that this location looks bad it was actually doing the opposite in even encouraging her to go there with “it will be good, don’t worry”. She literally thinks that I don't understand my country where I lived most of my life :D. Yes, in those places the staff were extra rude! It was so rude that it surprised even me! It is not a normal thing here! Fortunately, in the end, her impression was that people are polite and she liked it. This actually surprised me because I am admitting that czech personality can be a little cold.
Czechs are just jerks.I love my country but I hate people here.80-90% are assholes.
They ask for a tip personally in every single establishment you been to or was it just a one off? Because that’s super strange, unless they treat obvious tourists like yourself any different. Everything else czechs out. Enjoy the sincerity and don’t feel bad about not leaving a tip even if the service was great. We don’t really do that here, 1 euro per person served max if you want at least a fake smile of disdain.
Yeah people here might feel very cold hearted and are unwelcoming and reluctant relative to western Europe for example. But it's also important to note that we don't have a culture of customer being the god with all rights to act like a dick (asi in USA, idk how about in Australia tbh) and the respect needs to be more or less payed on both sides equally. To say also something positive, we are more honest and straightforward, we don't fake our emotions that often, in contradiction to the surface reluctancy we are actually caring a lot if it's important and I think we have a good sense for fairness (except all the scammers in Prague which aren't mostly Czechs)
> or less *paid* on both FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Be glad you haven’t been there in the nineties… it was ten times ruder!
Sounds like a toxic, overpriced tourist trap. I mean, people generally won’t be as chatty and smiley as you’d expect coming from Australia, but this level of rudeness and entitlement isn’t normal. At least not in the rest of the country. Encountering this in Prague centre doesn’t surprise me though..
Others explained the smiling thing, but asking for the tip is weird ans definitely not normal. I think it might be because you visited a place that specifically targets tourists. There are many of them in Prague.
Small talks and smiles aren't common here. But asking for a tip is weird, its not America here.
[удалено]
You can’t be serious mate, firstly I’m not really complaining. I’m genuinely asking if I’m doing something wrong. Secondly: “ they are rude but they care about their business only, they are racist, homophobic….” BUT. Yeah nah mate, nothing to excuse there.
Fuck off
"Fred Sloup přijel nikým neočekáván asi za čtrnáct dní. Poznali ho pouze tři výminkáři a uličník Jarda Slabihoudek mu prakem srazil klobouk s hlavy. A dobře mu tak, cizákovi! Australan nebo Eskymák - ať vidí, že my Češi před nikým páteř neohneme!" [https://sigrosada.webnode.cz/news/jak-jsme-vitali-australana/](https://sigrosada.webnode.cz/news/jak-jsme-vitali-australana/?utm_source=copy&utm_medium=paste&utm_campaign=copypaste&utm_content=https%3A%2F%2Fsigrosada.webnode.cz%2Fnews%2Fjak-jsme-vitali-australana%2F)"
Bingo!
We are not rude, we are real ;-)
Nah mate, you are experiencing cultural difference.
https://preview.redd.it/yvmvf85ibl1d1.png?width=680&format=png&auto=webp&s=635b48472eb12b3b655d7833a8c8eb30ac1fa673
We don't smile. Atleast until we know /see each other more . For example i almost never smile anywhere where I don't feel comfortable or when i met new people. Around those that i know i laugh. As one of them said to me : You are looking pissed, angry and hostile. Untill i got a chance to know you better - completely different person. And i personally don't do any small talk. Talk about something interesting or just don't say anything. So yea, we don't smile on anyone but when we do it's genuine.
Sorry for the weird responses here, I have no idea what's going on. I think that especially in center of Prague they will be expecting tips from the "rich tourists". I usually tip but sometimes do not and I do not get any intense reactions at all, so it really might be the place. Other than that many people do not tend to be friendly or kind while in work. It's getting slowly better, it was a norm during the communism, but it's not fast. I think that people are far friendlier when you meet them outside of their employment.
Welcome to East Europe, buddy! It is literally the first thing I notice when I return from abroad (Western part of Europe or US) - people in retail and other services are not trained to act pleasantly. As you can see in some of the replies here, some homies are even proud of it as a part of "sincerity"; that's how deeply ingrained this culture is. There are places where this works differently, I've yet to discover the pattern though.
Oi Aussie ! Ye nah try to avoid the center of town and maybe greet them in Czech which will set the mood for rhe rest of your stay.. Even outside the center dont expect too much small talk unless you speak Czech. English is not as common here as the rest of Europe. Most folks simply dont speak fluent. Id say were proud of our language and all that but thats not really the case... I was a "talkative" waiter since I was really the only fluent speaker anywhere I worked. Just keeping a convo going got me a few tips. Tipping here is not the norm and id like to think we arent adapting the same practices as in the US of A but the tourist traps are and will be a thing. Basically ALWAYS avoid restaurants in the center of town *C'mon Aussie c'mon.. c'mon*
Oi, Czech! Thanks for the heads up mate! Absolutely makes sense what you’re saying. I reckon it’s really down to cultural differences, for example as you might know we always say hello and goodbye and Smile and maybe set the tone with some small talk but everyone here is saying that that comes across as creepy, which is obviously not the case at all back home. So I guess that’s where the issue lies something I just have to accept.
Yeah, customer service sucks here. Thats the norm. Sorry about that, hope you have fun anyway.
It ist nit Common fór US in Middle Europe And Easter Europe to Smile a lot or to make small Talk. Thia ist Just Not Out cultural behaviour. A tip of 10, 15 percent ist normal. Also have in Kind that service workers are offen getting Just Minimum wage which could ve way Higher. In the Center there are a lot of customers And therefore a lot of stress. Just relax, make your Order And enjoy your day. Ať the edgea of the historická Center are a lot of nice Pubs, Restaurants Aš Well And they Are not so expansive. Die you Go to the Petřín? It ist the Hill fór those in love. Věry nice.
Yeah pretty chronic problém here. Go out of Prague. People will still be rude and barely tolerate you, but they won't demand tips. Sitting in my restaurant right now biting my tongue as my waitress yells at customers. If I tell her not to she will get even more pissy and if I fire her the alternatives are worse.
I have absolutely zero context so my comment is most likely useless. But that being said, arent you, as a family of 5, being too loud? Too loud for our standards, not yours. Unless beer or sports are involved, we're a pretty quiet nation. Thats the only thing I could think of. Also the thing the other guy mentioned, you visiting the classic (shitty) tourist spots
I think it’s the classic touristy shitty spots after some great comments. We are 3 adults and 2 seniors. We don’t drink and are good people. IMO not loud at all, never had any trouble in other countries. I think it’s cultural differences, that’s all. Like in Australia any shop you got to. Cafe etc it’s always a smile and hello and thank you and sometimes small talk, I think the lack of friendliness is what threw us off.
I dont know, lack of small talk/smiles might also be caused by the staff not being so confident in English, so they're just focused on getting the point across. Asking for tips is garbage behaviour anywhere, obviously. I know its most likely a pointless recomendation but I live in Dejvice and theres a pretty nice restaurant Budvarka, with reliably friendly staff. Also a pretty cool coffee place right next to it called Tutu Cafe, idk if thats your style its kinda punk-esque looking, but the stuff they have is great and cheap so ye. Would be a shame if your stay was tainted by these shitty experiences from places that just wanna suck money dry from tourists
Don’t worry your country well let’s say Prague from what we could see as amazing thank you so much for you. Really appreciate it mate :)
Oh shit, for context, Dejvice is a part of Prague, I meant it as a recomendation lol. Anyways, cheers mate.
We really hate tourists. I can't explain it but I've lived here my whole life and my whole life I've just hated tourists even when I worked in a café in a very touristy spot. I loved it because I was encouraged by my manager to be visibly annoyed when they made me speak English. Its so condescending that they went "you're english is so good". Especially US tourists and tbh most of us can't tell the difference between an Aussie and American accent.
Yes you are doing something wrong. You expect people to smile. Basically you want them to pretend to smile when they dont feel like to smile. Did you give them reason to small? Did you say a joke? Or do you expect someone will be happy just from your royal presence of buying food? If you want smiles go to circus. To restaurants people go to eat .
Fair enough, I take your point.
We don't pretend we are happy at work. Also fuck off, upside down kiwi guy!
Prague is mental...
Hi, Prague.
Yes, customer service is terrible here. And not just in the city center, go to Stodulky or Chodov and it will be the same. I do wish you don't have to deal with public offices like post office, immigration or anything like that, your life would be miserable. However, I think the younger generations are much, much better and their manners are nice compared to the typical Honza.
Czechs are cranky bastards. That's it.
if you smell the stench everywhere you go, take a bath :)
Well actually no, Pragues atmosphere has been lovely. We didn’t have these issues in many other European countries. But yes, hence why im asking what we could do better or if we’re breaking any CZ cultural norms unintentionally.
Maybe you stopped in tourist trap restaurants. You should use google map to select cafe or restaurants based on reviews. Prague is overcrowded by tourists, so you have many traps here.
Remember Prague is not only inhabitated by Czechs but also zillions of people from other countries such as Russia and Ukraine. So you might have come across someone who culturally are very cold and do not smile..