Tipping

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by agzg

A lot of servers prefer cash because it's easier to tip back (to table bussers, the kitchen, the hostess) and they can do it more quickly.

In which restaurants do servers have to distribute some of their tips to the hostesses and cooks? I’ve always given the bussers some cash at the end of the night, but that’s because they helped clean my tables, providing me with a faster turnover, and in turn, more money.

Is this done often?

ETA: Actually, I just remembered... Outback would have us calculate a whole bunch of stuff at the end of the night when cashing out, and the tip for the bussers was included, and was a specific percentage of our total sales for the night. At the other restaurants I've worked at, it was up to the servers how much they wanted to give. However, hostnesses and cooks were never included.

[agzg]

Originally Posted by ASTalumna06

In which restaurants do servers have to distribute some of their tips to the hostesses and cooks? I’ve always given the bussers some cash at the end of the night, but that’s because they helped clean my tables, providing me with a faster turnover, and in turn, more money.

Is this done often?

ETA: Actually, I just remembered... Outback would have us calculate a whole bunch of stuff at the end of the night when cashing out, and the tip for the bussers was included, and was a specific percentage of our total sales for the night. At the other restaurants I've worked at, it was up to the servers how much they wanted to give. However, hostnesses and cooks were never included.

Depends on the restaurant, really. When I was serving at a teeny outdoor bar and grill we always tipped back to the barbacks and cooks.

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by agzg

Depends on the restaurant, really. When I was serving at a teeny outdoor bar and grill we always tipped back to the barbacks and cooks.

Oh yes, the other person I would tip was the bartender. Again, Outback required a certain percentage… I believe it was !0% of all alcohol sales. At other places, it was up to me.

[agzg]

Originally Posted by Tulip86

The restaurant I work at (an the restaurants I worked at before) doesn't allow servers to keep tips. We have to put all of our tips into a jar, and they add all of it up and everyone receives a bit. 80% is shared between the kitchen, host and take-out staff, and the remaining 20 % is shared between 14 waitresses. In the end I get to keep about 2 % of the tips I receive from customers.

This is actually really terrible. Where I worked, since those folks made minimum wage or above (and I did not), we tipped about 30-40% back (which was split among them, and if they did something really awesome for us, it would be more), then the rest was ours.

Originally Posted by ASTalumna06

Oh yes, the other person I would tip was the bartender. Again, Outback required a certain percentage… I believe it was !0% of all alcohol sales. At other places, it was up to me.

We had a "bartender" but since we didn't serve spirits it was no more than opening a bottle of beer. Typically, the "bartender" was just a server assigned to bar - we all did our turn but did not tip back. I would imagine that if you were in an establishment that served spirits you would need to bartender to make drinks so you would tip back.