by Chantal Panozzo

1. It’s expensive.  Prepare to spend CHF 16-30 for a lunch entrée and CHF 25-40 for a dinner entrée.

2. You usually will not be seated. To look less like a deer in headlights, walk into a restaurant like you own the place and sit wherever you want.

3. Most places are still not smoke-free. If you hate smoke, eat in cantons like Geneva, where smoking is now banned in restaurants.

4. You might have to share a table. Don’t be surprised if someone asks if the seat next to you is “frei.” (And it is “frei”. Unless someone is really sitting there.)

5. Someone might see you eating and wish you “En Guete.” This means “Bon Appetit.” You can just answer, “Danke.” Or if the person that said it to you is also eating, return the favor by saying “En Guete.” The Swiss are kind of obsessed about their “En Guetes”, even if you’re a complete stranger. I’ve even had it said to me when eating a sandwich on a mountain trail.

6. You might have to pay for bread. If you are brought a basket of sliced bread, no worries. But if there’s a basket with rolls in it on the table, don’t be surprised if you are charged later by the number of rolls you have eaten.

7. There are no free refills. If you ask for another Coke or another coffee, you will be paying for another. And the average cost for a drink is about CHF 5.

8. Tipping is not necessary. There’s a reason the prices are high to begin with—tips and tax are already included. The local custom is to round up to the nearest Franc. Other tips are nice gestures, but not essential.

Any other dining tips you could give an expat or tourist in Switzerland?

For more on expat life, visit my Swiss expat blog One Big Yodel. Or check out other great expat blogs about life in Switzerland like Swisstory, From A to Z, Peterthals in Zurich, or TwoFools in Zurich.

Tags: dining, eating, expat, geneva, Switzerland, tourist, Zurich

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Sharing my table is definitely not something I would have expected before reading this!

Yeah, it’s a strange thing to get used to–at least for Americans like me.

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