I have a question related to this subject. Is it legal for the coworker that is supposed to be "training" me to take all the tips that I make???
Thanks
James Richard - 12 years ago
I am NOT in the industry.
Tips are understood to be from the customer to the server.
If I new that my tip was not going to the server, but to the owner,
I wouldn't bother to leave any tip at all.
I'm already paying the owner for my meal, why would I tip that?
The tip I pay is for the server, and NOT the owner.
Ask CRA and they assume that servers are getting tips.
Does CRA assume that owners are getting tips.
I'm sure that owners claim losses as business expenses,
but do they claim tips as a business income?
Tips are for servers... and ONLY servers.
pete Campbell - 12 years ago
Servers should keep ALL their tips, the resteraunts make a good profit on the food & especially the wine. How the staff want to split the tips with co-workers is upto them! That said, tipping & the % should always be at the discretion of the customer, based on the level of service.
Bronwyn Elko - 12 years ago
FYI, the waitress in the story (my daughter), worked for Patina Group in LA for 7 years, at Kendall's at the opera house. In all those years, she never walked out without a penny after her shift. As well, when she tipped out bussers it was because they actually cleared the tables. At Black & Blue she cleared her own tables, because the restaurant employed only two bussers for her shift. Nonetheless she had to tip them out. Most interesting of all: At a meeting with vice-president to resolve this dispute, when it was brought up that judges and lawyers who ate at their restaurant would not take kindly to their tipping practices, he replied contemptously, They won't care. Emad, the owner and his ilk, think they can break employment standards law with impunity. That attitude says it all.
Tim Pearson - 12 years ago
If I ever found out a restaraunt wasnt giving the tips (ALL) to the workers I would boycott it , and post it on the net.
Waiters and waitresses make a low wage and the gready managers and owners are ripping them off anyway by relying on tips to subsidize there low wages.
John Smith - 12 years ago
Not tipping in Ontario anymore.
Lyna - 12 years ago
Servers in Quebec are automatically taxed 8% Provincial Income Tax on the amount of each customer's bill. If the customer chooses not to leave a tip, then the server will be out that 8% to defray the taxes on it. They will end up being taxed an additional 8% on their hourly rate. They receive an hourly rate of $8.25. I think that they deserve to be tipped if they've given good service. Quebec found a way to tax servers on the tips they made that many wouldn't honestly declare. It also helped to make the restaurateurs more accountable to the government and the staff.
Many students choose to work as servers or bartenders to help put themselves through university because of the added tips and the flexible hours for some. Two of my daughters did and they worked hard to earn every penny. They both shared their tips on a percentage basis with the kitchen and bar staff, which was fair. The odd day or evening, when some European tourists wouldn't leave a tip, as it's generally included on the bill in their respective countries, their servers would end up with negative cash earnings for their shift. It's hard to earn a living wage when that happens.
It's our policy to leave at least 10% to cover the tax and an additional 5% to 10% according to the type of service we received. If one goes out to eat then one should be able to leave a tip.
King Tut - 12 years ago
next time I go to a restaurant, I will ask if the owner keeps any of th tips - if the do then I will tell them this is wrong and take my business elsewhere.
Jen604 - 12 years ago
No, I do not think servers should be legally entitled to their tips.
I do not believe servers deserve tips - I believe they earn them. Servers get paid an hourly wage to do just that - serve. I am already paying their wage by eating at the restaurant. I think it's getting out of hand in the industry that servers and wait staff believe they should always be tipped, and I will not eat at a restaurant where the gratuity is automatically added onto the bill. I decide if the service was worth additional money, and how much.
Dave - 12 years ago
I worked in the industry for 7 years. Everybody always got a portion. I started out as a busperson, ended as a head bartender. Yes, as HB I made more than some, but we all chipped in a % of our take to pass down to others. So with a staff of 5-8 people, at the end of a good night, a busser could get 5-10 bucks per server and barstaff. Bingo 25-80 bucks. Cooks usually got a little more. As for the keeping of staff wages for breakage, those servers should take their boss to court. Do you think any server gets to keep any overages!? No. So hands off the tips and wages. FYI a server where I worked did just that and won every penny back. As far as owners and managers go, they all get perks and gimmies from reps. Besides, ever checked into how much a basic drink costs to pour? The money is in the booze! (and pop). I know that there are cheaters and cheap tippers in the industry. Staff know (or should know) how to deal with them. Lastly, and I know how many arguments there will be on this one, tips should be tax free! That is a gift to show thanks for good service, not a wage. It helps people in an under paid industry pull their heads out of the water and enjoy life!
customer2 - 12 years ago
Tips...without reservation should be shared with all the staff...including line- cooks and support staff.
Servers are not the end-all by any stretch.
In the big picture they are but part of an assembly line.
The restauranteur bears the weight of all responsibilities...enormous beyond measure.
He is responsible for the well being of his staff and patrons satisfaction...and somehow the wages
in this industry are unfortunately not very remunerative at any level...even for ownership.
The server does not own a monopoly in the generosity of a customer.
I'm sure the dishwasher...bus-person and prep-person would trade with them...in a heartbeat.
AND it would take three weeks to master the art of serving the clientele!
I'm not sure the servers would be inclined to chop onions.. Swab the floors...gut the fish...or scrape the dirty dishes.
Take off the blinders and look at the big picture.
It's not only about you.. EH?
SORRY...!
kathleen Fraser - 12 years ago
I have always beleived that if you give excellent service you are rewarded for it. I think the way tipping has gone with some businesses adding it to your bill or some dividing it up among the employees is wrong. I think tipping has lost it's original meaning. On the other hand the people in the back (cooks, dishwashers etc.) don't get a chance to collect tips for their hard work. There needs to be a fair & proper balance. Handing over all your tips for a staff function I feel is wrong.
I have a question related to this subject. Is it legal for the coworker that is supposed to be "training" me to take all the tips that I make???
Thanks
I am NOT in the industry.
Tips are understood to be from the customer to the server.
If I new that my tip was not going to the server, but to the owner,
I wouldn't bother to leave any tip at all.
I'm already paying the owner for my meal, why would I tip that?
The tip I pay is for the server, and NOT the owner.
Ask CRA and they assume that servers are getting tips.
Does CRA assume that owners are getting tips.
I'm sure that owners claim losses as business expenses,
but do they claim tips as a business income?
Tips are for servers... and ONLY servers.
Servers should keep ALL their tips, the resteraunts make a good profit on the food & especially the wine. How the staff want to split the tips with co-workers is upto them! That said, tipping & the % should always be at the discretion of the customer, based on the level of service.
FYI, the waitress in the story (my daughter), worked for Patina Group in LA for 7 years, at Kendall's at the opera house. In all those years, she never walked out without a penny after her shift. As well, when she tipped out bussers it was because they actually cleared the tables. At Black & Blue she cleared her own tables, because the restaurant employed only two bussers for her shift. Nonetheless she had to tip them out. Most interesting of all: At a meeting with vice-president to resolve this dispute, when it was brought up that judges and lawyers who ate at their restaurant would not take kindly to their tipping practices, he replied contemptously, They won't care. Emad, the owner and his ilk, think they can break employment standards law with impunity. That attitude says it all.
If I ever found out a restaraunt wasnt giving the tips (ALL) to the workers I would boycott it , and post it on the net.
Waiters and waitresses make a low wage and the gready managers and owners are ripping them off anyway by relying on tips to subsidize there low wages.
Not tipping in Ontario anymore.
Servers in Quebec are automatically taxed 8% Provincial Income Tax on the amount of each customer's bill. If the customer chooses not to leave a tip, then the server will be out that 8% to defray the taxes on it. They will end up being taxed an additional 8% on their hourly rate. They receive an hourly rate of $8.25. I think that they deserve to be tipped if they've given good service. Quebec found a way to tax servers on the tips they made that many wouldn't honestly declare. It also helped to make the restaurateurs more accountable to the government and the staff.
Many students choose to work as servers or bartenders to help put themselves through university because of the added tips and the flexible hours for some. Two of my daughters did and they worked hard to earn every penny. They both shared their tips on a percentage basis with the kitchen and bar staff, which was fair. The odd day or evening, when some European tourists wouldn't leave a tip, as it's generally included on the bill in their respective countries, their servers would end up with negative cash earnings for their shift. It's hard to earn a living wage when that happens.
It's our policy to leave at least 10% to cover the tax and an additional 5% to 10% according to the type of service we received. If one goes out to eat then one should be able to leave a tip.
next time I go to a restaurant, I will ask if the owner keeps any of th tips - if the do then I will tell them this is wrong and take my business elsewhere.
No, I do not think servers should be legally entitled to their tips.
I do not believe servers deserve tips - I believe they earn them. Servers get paid an hourly wage to do just that - serve. I am already paying their wage by eating at the restaurant. I think it's getting out of hand in the industry that servers and wait staff believe they should always be tipped, and I will not eat at a restaurant where the gratuity is automatically added onto the bill. I decide if the service was worth additional money, and how much.
I worked in the industry for 7 years. Everybody always got a portion. I started out as a busperson, ended as a head bartender. Yes, as HB I made more than some, but we all chipped in a % of our take to pass down to others. So with a staff of 5-8 people, at the end of a good night, a busser could get 5-10 bucks per server and barstaff. Bingo 25-80 bucks. Cooks usually got a little more. As for the keeping of staff wages for breakage, those servers should take their boss to court. Do you think any server gets to keep any overages!? No. So hands off the tips and wages. FYI a server where I worked did just that and won every penny back. As far as owners and managers go, they all get perks and gimmies from reps. Besides, ever checked into how much a basic drink costs to pour? The money is in the booze! (and pop). I know that there are cheaters and cheap tippers in the industry. Staff know (or should know) how to deal with them. Lastly, and I know how many arguments there will be on this one, tips should be tax free! That is a gift to show thanks for good service, not a wage. It helps people in an under paid industry pull their heads out of the water and enjoy life!
Tips...without reservation should be shared with all the staff...including line- cooks and support staff.
Servers are not the end-all by any stretch.
In the big picture they are but part of an assembly line.
The restauranteur bears the weight of all responsibilities...enormous beyond measure.
He is responsible for the well being of his staff and patrons satisfaction...and somehow the wages
in this industry are unfortunately not very remunerative at any level...even for ownership.
The server does not own a monopoly in the generosity of a customer.
I'm sure the dishwasher...bus-person and prep-person would trade with them...in a heartbeat.
AND it would take three weeks to master the art of serving the clientele!
I'm not sure the servers would be inclined to chop onions.. Swab the floors...gut the fish...or scrape the dirty dishes.
Take off the blinders and look at the big picture.
It's not only about you.. EH?
SORRY...!
I have always beleived that if you give excellent service you are rewarded for it. I think the way tipping has gone with some businesses adding it to your bill or some dividing it up among the employees is wrong. I think tipping has lost it's original meaning. On the other hand the people in the back (cooks, dishwashers etc.) don't get a chance to collect tips for their hard work. There needs to be a fair & proper balance. Handing over all your tips for a staff function I feel is wrong.