Tip outs are not mandated by anyone- it's illegal in most states to force a server to share tips. So if that's her choice then that's her choice.
You can't mandate the percentage off the total check, and getting fired for that in certain states (I'm not an attorney nor am I going to attempt to be) is highly illegal.geli wrote:Tip outs are not mandated by anyone- it's illegal in most states to force a server to share tips. So if that's her choice then that's her choice.
If you mean "it's her choice to be employed", then yes, it's her choice. Whether mandatory tip-sharing is legal or not is a whole 'nother question. I know that even at my low-end dining job, if I don't tip my busboy, I'm out of a job (that I like and that helps pay my rent) pretty darn quick.
jpschust wrote:Tip outs are not mandated by anyone- it's illegal in most states to force a server to share tips. So if that's her choice then that's her choice.geli wrote:I asked my friend who works at two restaurants in Chicago that have high-end wine on their menu (and has worked at several others), and she has this to say:
She usually ends up tipping out between 40 and 50 percent of her own tips. She tips her busboy, her food-runner, the bartender, and the host/hostess. Her tip outs are a set percentage of her overall ring, including liquor and wine sales, not a percentage of the actual tips that she received, and they are not optional. The restaurant assumes she receives an average 18% tip overall and calculates the tip-outs accordingly. For example, if someone buys a $300 bottle of wine and they only tip her $10 on it (which happens), she still has to tip out as if she'd received the full 18 percent.
Personally I feel that if you are comfortable enough financially to buy a really expensive bottle of wine, you should take the tip into account. Unfortunately, this has never been a problem I've faced....