Evaluating the Culture of Gratuity or Tips Giving in the Hospitality Establishment in Fako Division, South West Region - Cameroon

The tourism and hospitality establishments or industry is built on showmanship and flattery, when you arrive at a hotel, people spring into motion to make your life easier namely: the door attendant helps you with your bags, the bellhop takes them to the room, housekeepers clean and refill your room and the concierge knows where to get the best steak in town etc. With all this extra work it therefore warrants extra pay and knowing how to tip isn't just good manners, it can help ensure quality service throughout your stay. Although tipping is a multibillion-dollar industry, it isn't a globally consistent phenomenon as in some countries, tipping is illegal. However in some countries especially in the United States of America, people are so accustomed to leaving a tip for good service and uncertain about protocol that we end up leaving our servers money anyway. In Fako Division in particular and Cameroon in general, people are not so accustomed to or do not have the culture of leaving a tip for good service. However, tipping is up to the customer and sometimes the service is worth a tip, but other times it is not if you have a bad restaurant experience, however, many people especially those in the food service industry feel quite strongly that refusing to tip is not the best way to respond. Dining is all about customer experience and we leave the choice of tipping to the customer and no customer should feel pressured to provide a tip or accept an optional service charge. 

 Keywords: Tips, gratuity, tipping.