Tip Pooling

[dplmt]

I am working on a project for school that has to do with tip pooling at restaurants/bars and why it is done. Does anyone in the business have input they can give me regarding tip pooling, the pros the cons. Thanks!

[mrbigshotno.1]

Tip pooling is primaraly done so there is kind of an equality among servers when the house is extremely busy and everyone is busting their butts. This allows a server who may not be as busy being able to help with another servers table who may be swamped. In other words a "team effort". Unfortunatly this doesn't always work as you will have slackers who won't hold up their end. You almost never see "pooling" in high end joints as many diners make reservations with their favorite waiter who has taken care of them for years. I worked many years ago (as a cook) in a place and almost witnessed a huge fight because the boss of the front of the house wanted to give the busboys 10% of the "pool" because we were so busy and set a sales record for that night, very ugly.

[corneygirl]

I work in a bar and we pool tips. It is a small place and we also have a very small food menu, but no dedicated cook. Everyone working tends bar, waits tables and cooks. There is usually one or two bartenders and one floor person. But, if the floor person is taking an order for a large group, and a different party is waiting for drinks a bartender goes over to the table and takes the order. We all make burgers. It works well as long as everyone carries their own wait, and people who don't usually don't last very long.

[ChristinaMason]

Pooling tips is esp. important in restaurants where there is no hostess. If patrons seat themselves or are seated by servers, there's a huge potential for business to be spread out unfairly amongst servers. It can also be good in situations where the hostess tends to play favorites and seats tables "unfairly." Pooling is necessary in situations where everyone pitches in---when there's not a busser or food runner, for example, and it's really all-hands-on-deck required to provide good service, turn tables, etc. Lastly, at times when business is slow or comes in spurts, pooling ensures all the servers walk with something.

I once received a $100 tip on a $100 order. We were pooling, and yes, I split it. I thought it was the right thing to do. Pooling can actually build comraderie among servers if it's done fairly.

At one of the places I worked, the tips for the shift were totaled up, then divided by the total number of hours in the shift (e.g., dinner & bar ran from 4:30PM to 2:30AM). That was the hourly rate. Each person was paid that rate for every hour they worked (some came in at 4:30 and got off at 10PM, others came at 8:00 and left at 2:30AM). This system worked well.