Restaurant Service charge (employee)

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Pablo74

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Hello,
Let me air my situation at work to you all and hopefully i will get some badly needed information back.
I have been working in a Restaurant/bar for 6 years now, 2 years ago the building was sold and was leased out to a local man. He asked me to stay on and so i did and 2 years down the road i am still there.
Since before i started in this restaurant all the dinner and bar tips were put into a pot and counted out at the end of the night. They were devided into 4 quarters with the 2 waitress and i getting a 1/4 each and the kitchen getting that last quater which is devided up between 3.
There was never a problem with this and it has carried on till today........... The boss called a meeting between the restaurant staff, he went through a few bit and pieces about cleaning improvements etc etc and the last thing he said was that " FROM TONIGHT ON EACH PERSON WORKING GETS AN EQUAL SHARE OF THE NIGHTLY TIPS". This would mean that the floor staff weekly income would be down 25 %. We told him that he could not do this and it was not fair but he shrugged it off and said "it's final".
Where do we stand ? It is a huge amount of money to be losing out on.
To be honest , 3 of the 4 full time floor staff have said that they are going to hand in their notices at the weekend.
It is just not fair.
I would love to hear some replies and some help on where we stand would be great ?
Has he the right to make us share all out tips ?
thank you
Pablo74
 
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The new system sounds fairer to me. BTW I hope you are paying your PAYE and PRSI on these tips and your employer is also deducting Employers PRSI from them.
 
It sounds like a custom and practice has been incorporated into your contract of employment which would mean that it can only be changed by agreement not unilaterally. You should consult with an employment lawyer.
 
It sounds fairer, this country is not like the US where waiting staff are dependant on their tips for their livelihood, our wages are higher than what their waiting staff get paid.
In the new system, everyone who works gets an equal share of gratuity which seems to be a much more fair distribution.

What caused the change? Did the kitchen staff complain that they were being treated unfairly?
 
Yes I'd second that Truthseeker. Then from Manager to Pearl Diver there is equal incentive ........ not just the front staff. Believe me, washing dishes in a busy kitchen is no joke. Here I talk from the experience of youth.;)
 
The waiting staff probably have the largest impact on the size of the tip. A brilliantly cooked meal served by rude or grumpy waiting staff will probably result in a smaller tip than a well cooked meal with excellent waiting staff.
 
I used to work in a restaurant and there was constant grumbling about the tips. I think the boss should have discussed it with you first but he probably didn't as he knew exactly what you would say ('no'). By all means move to a different job, but tips cannot be depended on in any job so it is something you could come up against again. Bear in mind also that some of the tips are almost certainly not making it into the 'pot' - tips left on a table may not be fully passed on to the communal pot and the so kitchen staff will never get a full share.
 
Seagull said:
The waiting staff probably have the largest impact on the size of the tip. A brilliantly cooked meal served by rude or grumpy waiting staff will probably result in a smaller tip than a well cooked meal with excellent waiting staff.
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i disagree with this - if the food is cooked extremely well and served in a timely manner then I couldnt care less about the grumpiness of the waiting staff.
I wouldnt tip a lovely waiting person if the food was awful.
 
Its the restaurant staff who have worked there for years and who have built up custom and maintained it in this restaurant. The boss rarely works the floor as he know we are well capable.
We know where to put locals, what tables people like to sit on and we try not to turn anyone away when the restaurant is busy. We pride ourselves on good service and gaining tips was a great incentive to go that extra yard in making our customers happy.
It has left a bitter taste in our mouths after this as we now feel like we are not appreciated and feel like dropping down a few levels in our customer service.
I don't understand how he can tell us what to do with our tips ?
Pablo74
 
LOL - this brings me back to my waitressing days - the tips were always a bone of contention. As someone who worked on the floor I believed only the waiting staff should get tips. We did get away with only the waiting staff getting the tips and we did very well out of it too. Most of the time we'd make more in tips than in wages - I could live quite comfortably when a student from waitressing just Fri and Sat nights.

I still think if you want a share of the tips then you should be working on the floor dealing directly with the customers. After all, it's the floor staff that have to deal with unhappy customers whether it's about food, delays or service so this is the reward. I'd stand my ground Pablo, or just leave and work somewhere with a system you'd prefer.
 
But Pablo - dont you think its a team effort? The kitchen staff must also pull their weight? Why do you think they are 'your' tips - are the tips not left in appreciation of the whole experience? Which includes the work of the kitchen staff?

Why do you think the kitchen staff should not get their fair share also?
Do they not work just as hard - just in a different environment?
 
I do and i am as fair as them, but they have been employed there for quite a while now and when being employed they were told that they would get a share of the tips over their wages. They agreed to that when starting off work.
As for the owner he is rocking the boat which will effect his business and why ?....... because the kitchen staff want more money. It makes no difference to him but do you not think he is putting his business in jeopardy ?

Thanks for lending me your ear Truth-seeker,
Pablo
 
Pablo74 said:
I presume the 2 chef's do but the 2 eastern europeans that do the wash up don't.
The boss works in the kitchen aswell.
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does it matter what nationality they are? I always consider that people on a minimum hourly rate like waiting staff and wash up need the tips but those on salaries like chefs and managers don't.
 
sandrat said:
I always consider that people on a minimum hourly rate like waiting staff and wash up need the tips but those on salaries like chefs and managers don't.
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This is something that bugs me - waiting staff may be on minimum hourly rates, but somehow people feel obliged to tip them to "top up" their pay.

However, how often would you tip the youngster scanning your groceries through a till, or send a few bob in the post to the voice on the other end of the phone line in a call centre, or the general office worker who processes a query or hands you the document you were looking for, or any number of other minimum wage jobs?

Just because someone is handing you a plate or glass as part of their paid employment, rather than say, a file, or your shopping bags, I don't see the reasoning behind handing them extra money.

If the service is good, no matter what the actual service is, a little gratuity is nice, but the only ones who seem eligible for tips are those working in the frontline of restaurants.

If tips are a part of the working environment, I would think the new proposal to split tips evenly is pretty fair - it's an incentive for the kitchen staff to ensure they are performing well too.
 
I know when i was working in a restaurant I was on below minimum wage (they gave us our lunch) and when working in retail and offices I was always a bit above minimum wage. In restaurant work (hospitality trade) the rights to breaks etc are a bit up in the air plus you are expected to work crazy hours like finish at 12 and be in a 6 for breakfast etc. Used to kill me that people don't leave tips for breakfast or lunch but just dinner so depending on your shift you might not get tips at all. In my current job i have had people try to give me tips for helping them with research etc but I have always refused (as I should!) I am well paid now for what I do.
 
It doesn't matter if the change is fairer or not; the employer cannot change term and conditions of employment without agreement. It sounds like the guys in the kitchen want a pay increase and this is how they are getting it. If three of the front of house staff are going to leave because of this action then the boss is an idiot who doesn’t know how to manage his people.
 
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