La propina is the Spanish tip: a few voluntary coins left on a saucer, on top of a wage the waiter already earns by contract. Marti Buckley explains how much to leave at the bar and at a restaurant table, and why ten percent is the absolute ceiling. The word comes from a Greek toast meaning "I drink before you," and the first propina was the wine left in the cup. The history runs through Madrid in 1933, when waiters won the abolition of the tip, spent months handing coins back to customers, and then went on strike for a real salary. There's also the cash question, which directly affects HOW you should leave the tip: 97 percent of Spaniards usually tip in cash. The episode also goes into the current feeling around the tip: an August 2026 survey, 77 percent said they would eliminate the propina altogether.
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