A seasonal job on the Adriatic can bring waiters significantly more than their contracted salary.

Two young seasonal workers, one from Rovinj and the other from Krk, say they earn around 1,000 euros a month from tips. Their experiences and data from the Tax Administration are reported by N1.

Everything goes into a shared pool

In both cafés, tips are not kept individually, but are added up at the end of the shift and divided equally among the workers. Matija from Rovinj says there are usually four of them working a shift, while Jan from Krk adds that earnings depend a lot on the number of guests and the day's turnover.

The biggest tip

Matija received as much as 13 euros from a single guest, while his best daily result was 54 euros, counting cash and cards. Jan says guests most often leave him four or five euros, but his colleague recently received as much as 30 euros from one table.

Germans and Austrians are the most generous

Both seasonal workers single out Germans as the guests who most often leave tips, and Matija also mentions Austrians, especially when they come in larger groups. Domestic guests more often leave small change if they are regulars and satisfied with the service, while Italians, in his experience, rarely tip. Some even asked for the bill amount to be rounded down.

Why are earnings highest right in the middle of summer?

The reason is not just the higher number of tourists. In July and August, cafés and restaurants have more large groups, bills are higher, and POS devices often immediately offer guests a tip of 5, 10, or 15 percent. When you add guests from countries where tipping is more customary, a few euros per bill during a full shift quickly turns into a substantial monthly amount.

22 million euros left in two months

Data from the Tax Administration show that during 2025, almost 13 million bills with tips were issued, with a total value of 52.6 million euros. In July and August alone, approximately 22 million euros were left, or about 42 percent of all tips in the year. This clearly shows why waiters in the middle of the season can earn an amount from „manča” comparable to an extra salary.