Are employers allowed to insist that you put your tips in a communal 'tip jar'?

[SophieKaczynsky]

DD (23) works part time as a waitress at a posh restaurant whilst she's studying. She seems to be very good at the job and often gets £50+ in tips per shift, but is made to put it in the tips jar at work. Once a month or so, everyone gets a cut of the tips, including management, on a pro rata basis for hours too, and DD is lucky if she ends up with £10 in tips per month, which seems a bit unfair.

Can her work do this?

This is how my daughter's work do it and I was told it is the only legal way to do it. It comes in their pay slip and subject to tax. My daughter gets a lot more than £10 a month though - usually £40 a week for 3-4 shifts.

How else would it go to kitchen staff? I doubt it is solely due to her and her alone.

Definitely share tips

Of course tips should be shared

How grabby to suggest otherwise!

My dd is the same position but she gets a lot more than that , it goes in with their wages . Someone gave her £20 the other day and insisted it was just for her , it went in the tips jar

Hairdressers keep all their tips themselves though. Are they grabby?

But a hairdresser is the only person involved in the process, or if someone else does the hairwashing the customer also sees them to tip if they so wish.

In hospitality a lot of the work that contributes to the experience goes on behind the scenes and it’s much more a team effort so it’s unfair if only the person who is visible gets the tips.

She is collecting £50 PER SHIFT yet is only given £10 a month?
I’d be questioning where the rest of it is. There can not be that many people on the payroll for her share to be so little.

Of course it's not ar all the same.... strange thing to say

I disagree with this - the chefs and management will be permanent full time staff on a steady wage, waiting and bar staff are often temporary part time staff, and it’s also those that earn the tips - I don’t tip for a good meal because that’s what I am paying the bill for, I do tip for good service because that can change the whole experience.

Legally any cash handed to her by an individual customer is hers and hers alone. If i get great service from a waitress i will tip her cash at my discretion. I don't tip the washer-upper or the potato peeler as they have not affected the level of service i have received.

If a restaurant doesn't pay their back of house staff enough so that they have to rely on tips to make up a shortfall they should add a service charge onto every bill.

But your daughter can legally keep her own tips.

It is fair to share. Surely some of the tip is because the food was excellent, drinks were good general atmosphere. Is it another waitresses fault she gets the stingy customer while someone else had a very generous tipper? Both may have given amazing service.

But I would also expect her to get more than £10 based upon what you have said.

@Sirzy

But a hairdresser is the only person involved in the process, or if someone else does the hairwashing the customer also sees them to tip if they so wish.

In hospitality a lot of the work that contributes to the experience goes on behind the scenes and it’s much more a team effort so it’s unfair if only the person who is visible gets the tips.

No they're not; there's the receptionist, the managers, the salon owners, the colourists, the juniors that sweep the floor and make sure the salon is clean. Loads going on behind the scenes in a hairdressers too

@Softwonder

Legally any cash handed to her by an individual customer is hers and hers alone. If i get great service from a waitress i will tip her cash at my discretion. I don't tip the washer-upper or the potato peeler as they have not affected the level of service i have received.

If a restaurant doesn't pay their back of house staff enough so that they have to rely on tips to make up a shortfall they should add a service charge onto every bill.

But your daughter can legally keep her own tips.

Thank you soft wonder. I thought this was probably the case.

@applechips I could also argue if a premium restaurant you are paying for good service as part of the menu pricing.

When I tip in a restaurant I expect it to go to all the team, not just the person carrying items to and from the kitchen.
However I do expect it to be shared fairly, and not just added to the profit of the business owner.
Having a great experience is due to the whole team from the kitchen porter through to those people responsible for managing the whole process.

I and she have no problem with the sharing in general, but it seems unfair to only get £10 a month in tips, if that. She does at least 4 shifts per week, sometimes up to 6, so has had some weeks with over £300 in tips.

Someone, somewhere is taking the piss! And its the taking the piss that I take issue with

If she is getting so few tips from the tip jar then I would imagine that other staff are just pocketing their tips and saying nothing. When I was waitressing it used to always happen. Best thing she could do is to pocket some and put the rest in the jar, what ever percent she feels is fair. No way would I be putting large tips in the jar though.

. I don't tip the washer-upper or the potato peeler as they have not affected the level of service i have received
But if they don't do their job, it WOULD affect service.

However, it seems your DD should get more. The management seem to be taking a rather large chunk?

Well that's what I wondered tbh. It wouldn't surprise me if management are taking a large cut of the tips.

I had a waitressing job when I was DD's age and we weren't allowed to keep any tips; management kept them all!

Yes I think it's a bit rubbish too. When people tip for good service, they are generally tipping for the person who served them. I'm not tipping for the chef or the management.

If someone gives such good service they are getting higher tips than the others, then good for them? Not everything has to be equal - tipping is merit based.

That said, it's not uncommon. It's called 'tronc' payment and is much easier to administer. There should be a 'troncmaster' (really) who handles it all and can explain the criteria and how it is split and keep logs.

I'd be suspicious as to where the money was going though as that monthly tip amount is very low. Businesses have to pass on all tips to employees without deductions - it's about to become the law.

Lots of restaurants pool tips like this, it’s the only fair way. I insisted on it when I was a restaurant manager and any staff member who didn’t like it was welcome to go & work elsewhere.

Every member of the team plays a part in delivering the food & service to the guest ; from the Head Chef to the bar staff to the KP. Guest-facing waiting staff are not special cases, they are team members like everyone else.

I used to be a restaurant manager I hate the tip jar system. Our waiting staff paid plate money ( a small set amount per person you served). This went to the kitchen staff & was generally used to buy them a drink at the end of service. Chefs & managers are generally paid much better than wait staff so they shouldn't get a share of the tips made.

@Libertaire

Lots of restaurants pool tips like this, it’s the only fair way. I insisted on it when I was a restaurant manager and any staff member who didn’t like it was welcome to go & work elsewhere.

Every member of the team plays a part in delivering the food & service to the guest ; from the Head Chef to the bar staff to the KP. Guest-facing waiting staff are not special cases, they are team members like everyone else.

What about in cases where the kitchen staff earn more than the waiting staff? If no one is special cases then surely they are not special cases either, and are team members like everyone else?

As a customer, if I give a tip to the waiter, that is a personal gift from me to them. Legally, no one has the right to demand that they give it up. I think legally that would be extortion? But it’s an industry with many dodgy traditions.

If I wanted to tip the management/ chef, I’d do so. I don’t. They’re usually in MUCH higher pay and have job security, and I haven’t met them.

@Soupseason

I used to be a restaurant manager I hate the tip jar system. Our waiting staff paid plate money ( a small set amount per person you served). This went to the kitchen staff & was generally used to buy them a drink at the end of service. Chefs & managers are generally paid much better than wait staff so they shouldn't get a share of the tips made.

It's interesting that chefs, a predominantly male job, are paid more than waiting staff, which is often a role held by females. Not surprising, though, sadly.