The Circuit

The other night, Variety staffers had dinner at Mantel, one of the better restaurants in Cannes' old town district. (The chef, Noel Mantel, is a Alain Ducasse disciple.) The menu didn't say service compris (tip included), so they asked: Was service compris?

No, they were told. And to tip, we'll have to charge your card separately.

As a local told me, "That's absolute crap."

Of course, leaving a only buck or two in the U.S. is like asking a waiter to key your car. But if you've bought a meal in France, you've already paid a 15% tip. Under French law, a 15% tip is built into the price. Menus should read "service compris" (service included); that's a law, too. Throw down a few Euros for an exemplary experience and you're in good standing.

Some restaurants are even more aggressive than Mantel; the local said Caffe Roma, across the street from the Palais, "used to write something ambiguous on the receipt until it got picked up by the restauranteurs assocation and they were forced to change it."

Actually, it wasn't ambiguous: As you can see in the above photo, the receipts used to read "TIPS NO INCLUDED," right above "sce compris." (Note that this link goes to a blog post written during the Cannes Film Festival four years ago. And, to be fair, this blogger points out that tipping in France can seem baffling to locals, too.)

So, to be clear: Tipping isn't a French dining tradition. Unfortunately, at some Cannes restaurants, that's led to another tradition: Ripping off customers who don't know the difference. (Dana Harris)