What effects does tip pooling have on a restaurant's staff and service level?

Question

Trying to weigh the pros and cons of tip pooling. Does anyone work in a restaurant that does this? How does it work? What are your ecperiences in using this system?

Answer 1

i can only think of cons.  it means that you get the same tip as everyone else, no matter what service you give.  i dont think its a good system.

Answer 2

It's good because everybody makes the same amount.

It's poor because good servers don't make as much as they should, and everybody is treated as an equal.

When I worked at a place that did this...the kitchen got like 2percent of the tips, and the servers got a calculated amount of tips based on their hours worked....so say the avg server makes 5 in tips per hour and they worked 12 hours in a week they would get 60 dollars in tips+ their hourly wage.

Answer 3

I do not like this system as some wait staff will not work as hard when in a tip pool. And I don't agree the host/hostess getting tips at all unless they help out with setting up table and clean the tables. But even so, they should be getting small percentage compare to wait staff and bus staff. Don't see nor experience any good out of it. The only good time is a big banquet that the whole staff know the only way to have high percentage of tip is work as a team and work hard. =)

Answer 4

I've worked in restaurants that pool and ones that do not (currently the latter).  And I must say, pooling has it's advantages. Take for example work shifts -- now, some people are going to have lunch shifts, dinner shifts, all day shifts, etc. Clearly, the people with the dinner shift are going to make more just because the menu is more at dinner and people generally tip better at dinner.   Through the tip pool, no matter what shift you work you're still getting good money and there is no grief over certain people getting better shifts or better sections.

On the other hand, it's also nice knowing what you walked home with is all from your own hard work!

Answer 5

Most restaurants do tip pooling like this:

If you are a server, every night you work, you sell a certain amount of food/drinks.  Let's say on a Monday night your total sales for the night are $700.00

The restaurant takes a percentage of those sales for tip pool.  Let's say tip pool percentage is 3%.

So, no matter how much money you made off of your $700.00 sales, you have to give 3% of your tips to the "tip pool" which would be $21.00

All of the "tip pool" given by the servers goes into one pot.  Then, the restaurant divides that money between hosts, bartenders, busboys (every restaurant has different people who get tip pool). It usally goes by how long that person was at work. So, if one host was there 2 hours longer than another then they get more of the tip share.  

This is the way it has worked at every restaurant I have ever worked at and I don't agree with it.  I think the bussers and hosts should be paid minimum wage. I know the arguement is that they help out the servers, but why should the servers have to pay for someone to help them .  They don't pay the cooks tip share and the restaurant wouldn't run if there were no cooks.  I think tipshare is a way for restaurants to run cheap labor costs.

Answer 6

The only pro's of tip pooling are for the servers who are new or have the less senior sections in the restaurant. this allows them to make the same as everybody else.

Not only does tip pooling make guests tip less sometimes because it's not all going to their server but servers tend to not try as hard because they feel that the extra money they earn above others (if they do) is being stolen from them.

servers at restaurants with tip pooling stay significantly less time at their job on average than those who don't tip pool

Answer 7

I work at a very well-renowned fine dining restaurant, and since the servers do not take care of their tables by themselves (the bussers pour the waters, clear each course, etc, and the food runners run each course) our restaurant utilizes a tip pool.  The customer tips the server, and 17% of the tip enters the tip pool, unless the tip was less than 17%, in which case whatever the tip happens to be enters the tip pool.  Generally, however, the tip is at least 20%, and the server is able to pocket whatever exceeds 17%.  This system works out very well in this restaurant because otherwise the food runners and bussers would not make much money since they do not serve their own tables.  At the end of the night, each server and food runner receives 1 portion of the total tip pool and the bussers receive .5  of a portion of the tip pool.  Basically, I think tip pools work well depending on what kind of restaurant it is.

Answer 8

Sounds like socialism! No matter what level of pride you put into the job,,the pays the same. Wouldn't that tend to make the provided service suffer? It removes incentive to perform good and/or outstanding service to the customer! ;-(=