Restaurant tip problem..

sinaydk

I work as a waitress in a restaurant with three other waitresses, three kitchen staff/chefs and a kitchen porter. That does not include our two managers/owners.

When I first arrived at the restaurant I was informed about tips and how they are split between the employees. What I was told is this:

At the end of the night, all tips are collected together and given to the manager.
At the end of the week, the manager then counts the tips and finds the average tip total per night - ie. divides the tip total for the week by seven.
Thus, depending on how many shifts we have worked in the week, we get our tips in cash along with our wages.
So for example: We get 700 euro tips a week, thats 100 average a night, I work five shifts therefore I get 50 euro tips.

A problem has been growing each week in my mind and with my workmates. Every week, I receive exactly 50 euro in tips for my five shifts. One week, I only did four shifts. What did I get: 40 euro exactly.

My manager insists that our tips are split fairly and correctly, but I still cant help thinking that it doesnt seem right. If I work a night with very good tips and my collegue works a very quiet night, we both get ten euro exactly. And if we make twice as many tips one week, the tips stay the same.

None of my colleages are happy with the situation; we feel we are not getting the full tips that we receive from happy customers, but we are not sure what to do about it..

Is anyone being through a similar experience? Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do? Do we have rights as empoyees regarding tips?

Thanks for any help or suggestions!

Con_R

My girslfriend has worked as a waitress in 3 different Dublin restaurants/cafes and they all did it this way. It seems to be the norm. She's even had times where a customer personally hands her a large tip, but she still has to pool it with the rest of them.

I wouldn't imagine you'd have any rights so to speak, the best I could suggest would be to say it to management and see if they can change the system. Then again, I myself have no experience in this field, only my girlfriend.

Edit: Meant to clarify, my girlfriends tips get pooled. With regards to you getting the same amount for each hour, I'd try look into this, sounds like management may be skimming a bit off the tips. Either that, or they're rounding it down to an even number and putting the remainder back in the tip pool.

mydearwatson

I've worked in several restaurants, and while different systems were used for dividing up tips, it was always one of the more "senior" waitresses that was responsible for the tips. In the places I worked, the managers made sure to have absolutely no involvement with tips - and, say if they needed to get change for the till from the tip jar, they would always make a point of asking one of the waitresses to do it for them, rather than doing it themselves.

The systems that were in place in the restaurants I worked in generally involved each waitress keeping a certain percentage of each tip (say 50%.) The remainder was pooled, and divided equally between all waitresses and kitchen staff at the end of each shift. I think that this is a good fair system. And it's one that suits management too, as it'll motivate waitresses to be nicer to customers, to get more tips!

My suggestion would be for all waitresses and other staff to try to come to an agreement on a system you'd all be comfortable. (Bear in mind that the kitchen staff may not want the current system to change, as it may result in less tips for them. Similarly, waitresses who get less tips are probably happier with the current system.)

Anyways, if you can work out something you'd all be happy with, approach management, and tell them that you think it's only fair that the staff get to choose themselves how to deal with the tips. Once you're all in agreement, I don't see how management could refuse your request. Appoint 1-2 long-term staff to be in charge of this.

Con_R wrote: »

Either that, or they're rounding it down to an even number and putting the remainder back in the tip pool.

This is entirely possible. In some places I worked, the amount divided up for each night was "rounded down", and the excess was put into a fund used to pay for the Christmas party, etc.

sinaydk

Thanks for your input guys. I will try and speak to the other workers about it, maybe we can come up with something. I worked in a place years ago where we had eight glasses for the eight workers, and the tips were divided exactly every night. Each person could collect their own tips every night or once a week, whenever they wanted.

I have one other question though; is it the manager or the staff who are in control of tips? Can we insist the system be changed or is the decision left with the manager?