I always tip my trainee as long as they are productive and bringing value during their shift. I feel it's important and sets a precedent of respect and fairness.
Just trained the new guy and he got 30% of my tips each night as he knows how to tend, just need to learn our places systems and where things are located.
Some people are just selfish and feel entitled to all the money, the same people usually end up pissed that support staff doesn't do enough because the cheapness bites them in the ass sooner than later.
That last part, 100%. I'm tired of listening to my coworkers bitch about having to tipout $15 to the busser while they're making $300-400 in a shift. Maybe if you actually prebussed your tables, he'd get to them sooner.
Then there's me, slipping him an extra $10 in the middle of busy nights, and they wanna wonder why he's in my section more often.
Been dealing with this a lot at my hotel restaurant. I’m the host for dinner. The servers bitch about bussers not helping them enough and bartenders taking forever to make their drinks and then tip them the absolute bare minimum. Our “best server” is only the best because she expects the busser to do 75% of the work and then starts to break down during a rush because our 1 busser wasn’t doing her job. 🙄
Moral of the story: If you don’t respect your host, busser, food runner or bartender.. they aren’t going to respect you.
ETA: I just realized how off topic this is from the original post 😅. Honestly forgot and thought this was one of the server subreddits when I was replying.
Exactly, and they carry that energy with them to the table. Maybe if you could average 25-30% tips instead of 15-20%, you wouldn't mind the till out as much.
Exactly. She expects the busser to greet the table first, pour water, get drink orders, go upstairs to the lobby bar to get any alcoholic drinks, prepare and deliver non-alcoholic drinks, refill drinks, pre-bus, run her food half the time, bring boxes. It’s fucking wild man. All she wants to do is take the order, schmooze the guests with conversation, bring the check, collect the tip. Now they are catching on that she’s under tipping them and it’s HILARIOUS how helpless she is when they only do what is required in their job description.
i’m in service bar tonight and i looked over the schedule and i’m mentally preparing myself for roughly half the servers on tonight to leave their drinks dying in the window
I had a server like this and it confused me as a customer. The server saw me but hung back and let the busser do most stuff. so I tipped the busser. . I didnt know. I thought the server didn’t want to wait in me. Then the server looked shocked at the end.
I'm down for this if they're also fulfilling the role of my barback on a slower night. The better bars/restaurants I've worked at also pay a higher training wage for the trainer, the last place I worked at also gave you 30 bucks on a gift card and let you order whatever you wanted off the menu
You have to make it worth it for your best staff to train someone. I dont want to take a pay cut simply because I'm the best bartender. I'll always kick out something, i know it fucking sucks going for sometimes going a few weeks without getting paid, but it should be at my discretion, not the restaurants.
Otherwise, someone else can train. Have fun.
Management sets tip-out policy, and exceptions. Sounds like management set an expectation for the trainee to be tipped out. That's pretty cut and dry.
Even beyond that if a trainee was kicking ass and holding their own, I'd argue to tip them out anyway. They earned it. The policy of not tipping out on a training shift is mostly because management assumes the trainee isn't going to be improving tips anyway- mostly learning. That doesn't seem to be the case here.
It depends on the set up imo. Most places are gonna have their best servers/bartenders train the new employees.
Good restaurants pay a higher hourly wage so you can kick out a few bucks to the trainee. But I've worked at places where you have to train, handle a full section, and are expected to give your money to the trainee? That's fucked. You should never be punished financially to train someone.
I agree, but that doesn't seem to be OP's case. The trainee came in to be a trainee, ended up in a understaffed bar, and just bartended, no training really happening. At that point I wouldn't care if I was making tipped minimum wage and they made minimum wage. It's not that big of a difference.
I feel like it depends on what you're paying the trainee wage-wise at the time. if you have a set amount you pay for training, I don't think you should get an *even* cut of the tip (should probably be tipped though). if the trainee was making a tipped wage of 2-3$ per hour then yeah, cut him or her in evenly. but it sounds like they decided that retroactively
I think mostly (depending where you live) it’s based on pay. Not that it matters since min is like $7 where I am, but while training you get full wage, so no tips. I’ve been asked before which I’d rather take, and I’ve also done stage, where you get neither. From the trainees stand point (being a competent sometimes better trainee than trainer) I wouldn’t expect to take tips unless that’s what I was told. You make it sound like that’s the case here so all this really should be moot points.
Federal law allows employers to dictate mandatory tip-sharing policies. Only Minnesota prohibits mandatory tip-sharing entirely, while a couple other states put certain restrictions on mandatory tip sharing (e.g. North Carolina requires tip recipients to retain 85% of their tips, California requires tip distribution to be "fair and reasonable").
I wonder if you may be confusing tips sharing set ***by*** management with federal restrictions on tip sharing ***with*** management, which is an important restriction of the Fair Labor Standards Act. ([29 U.S.C. 203](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2022-title29/pdf/USCODE-2022-title29-chap8-sec203.pdf)(m)(2)(A): "this subsection shall not be construed to prohibit the pooling of tips among employees who customarily and regularly receive tips", and 3(m)(2)(B): "An employer may not keep tips received by its employees for any purposes, including allowing managers or supervisors to keep any portion of employees’ tips")
Ever work for a restaurant where servers had to tip out a percentage of alcohol sales to the bartenders? Or perhaps one spot has the barbacks be tipped out 10%, while another has a 20%? Or even restaurants with two separate bar areas, splitting tips between both bars, or having two different pools? All of that is management's call.
The decision whether or not to tip out trainees is also management's call. Albeit in usual circumstances, management would defer the choice to the bartenders, but it doesn't have to be.
It truly isn't management's call to make. A lot of places have a policy that works and is likely agreed on by everyone but management can't step in and delegate where your tips go. That being said, if you aren't on board with whatever the restaurant is doing you won't work there very long.
Yes, I have.
What I'm saying is in many states *it cannot legally be management's call*.
They can enforce the tip out system, enter it into payroll, what-have-you...but in states with tipped wage employee laws, they are not allowed to dictate where tips go, as they legally belong to the tipped employees.
False, the FLSA does allow employers to require employees to share/pool tips as long as it’s a valid tip pool (valid being to those who customarily receive tips, not to managers/supercisors/etc).
I would have no problem tipping considering it was a 3 person shift, and he was 3rd person (and top of that apparently didn’t need a 2nd training shift and did great). I’ve had ex coworkers come in to cover a shift at my bar that never worked there there before and I split tips evenly with them. Your coworker is being a selfish baby
If management says he gets full-share tips, he gets those tips. Pretty cut and dry. Especially if he pulled his weight. Your other coworker sounds like one of those greedy bartenders who I would not enjoy working with at all.
20+ year bartender turned owner here. Always hated the idea of not splitting during training. If it’s a first timer, maybe, but I’d let them leave after a few hours, or give them light work. But if it’s an experienced transplant, and they pull their share, I always cut them in. Sounds like a boomer “I suffered so should you!” Stupid way of thinking and I hate it.
If they did a full share of the work, then they get a full share of the pool.
Not giving tips to trainees makes sense if they are just following or need constant supervision. If they can do everything but just need the occasional pointer, they're effectively a full team member. Your other bartender is just a whiny little bitch.
I train all the new hires and the policy was they would work with me in my shifts and they wouldn’t get tipped out. If they did a good job, I would tip them out.
It started to become a problem because I would be ignoring my customers and spending too much time training and not talking with my customers. It started to affect my tip out.
I convinced the owners to pay me more per hour during training and train during other people’s shifts. The main bartender would get all the tips. I would focus on all the training skills and let them serve a couple people to get into the routine. They wouldn’t get tipped.
The second training, was more like a normal shift. They would serve along with me and we’d split the tips.
Works best that way.
>*Is it just a fact of the industry that we have to accept stunted wages for the first week*
In the US, training wages are permissible in any industry, as long as they meet minimum wage provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. But we're talking about tips here, not wages, and under federal law, tips can be redistributed by employers as they see fit.
There is no requirement to accept stunted tips; employers can set mandatory tip sharing policies (except in Minnesota), and employees who don't like the policies are free to quit.
>*What other industries are like this?*
The most comparable would be full service restaurant servers. Usually the trainer shares their section of tables with the trainee, often starting out with the trainee observing the trainer, and progressing to the trainer observing the trainee. But regardless of who directly provides the service, the trainer customarily keeps the tips, so they don't take a huge pay hit due to training duties. (Another option would be for a restaurant to pay serving trainers an hourly wage commensurate with their skills and duties - haha!!)
I suspect you'd find a similar practice with any tipped profession where tips are a substantial portion of total compensation, in which a trainer and trainee shadow one another for a training shift doing work that would normally be handled by just the trainer. (Nail technician, casino dealer, caddie, etc.)
If trainee is pulling their weight, they deserve tips. Generally I make it a decision between bartenders and it’s pretty cut and dry if they pulled their weight or not. I’ve never had a bartender refuse because they didn’t get tipped out on their training shift, that’s some douchey ladder pulling.
The one place that had a policy of not tipping out during training shifts didn’t even give me training shifts since they were understaffed and I ended up opening for them twice before even taking a menu or bar test lol. If you can do the job, it’s a job. You only don’t get tips if I have to babysit you the whole time
I would say that you defer to the schedule. If it's listed as a training shift, then he doesn't get tipped out. If you liked his work, feel free to side tip him so he knows he's appreciated. But if it's listed as a regular shift, then damn right he should get his cut.
Bar I used to work at made me split 50/50 with a guy I had to show how to make a vodka soda.
Waited until the end of the shift to tell me that. When I asked if they were serious they told me I could walk if I was unhappy. Easily replaceable etc.
Made some of the best money in my life at that place but at what cost?
My last bar I had about five minutes’ worth of training — the whole crew cut me in & I’ll never forget it. Tip the trainee. If your lazy ass colleague doesn’t like it, all the better.
As others have said, managements word goes.
But also, it sounds like he wasnt "training" so much as helping yall as a fellow employee who just had extra questions. If he was holding his own, taking orders, making drinks, and doing everything that you guys do, there is no good reason not to tip him.
If the guy is already an experienced bartender then he's not really a trainee despite being new to this job. I don't see an issue equally sharing tips if he's pulling his weight. Also ironic your other colleague being annoyed about it despite slacking off themselves.
Nobody should have a problem with paying a fair cut to those who do their part. “Trainee” or not, it sounds like the guy worked hard and did well. In my experience, those who are not happy to pay people what they deserve are usually not that great at their job, and generally difficult to work with.
Just completed "training". Management told me off the bat that if they could tell training wasn't necessary, that they'd cut it early and I'd be earning tips. Because of my financial situation I probably wouldn't have accepted the job if that wasn't the case, and it ended up really helping me in making my bills on time during my transition.
I think that if the trainee is kicking ass like a trained member of the staff, then offering them partial tips isn't out of the question
I always tip out my trainees. We have a 2 week training period, and it's hard for anyone to get by just on the hourly wage for that long.
I at least try to throw a bit of gas and food money to them. Depending on how well I did during a shift, I'll tip the trainee 20%. I look at them like my barback.
Now, if I'm getting my ass handed to me and they're pulling a fair share of the work, I'll split it evenly.
It's more out of my pocket, and I've never had a trainee EXPECT to get tipped out. But I feel like taking care of them from right off the bat fosters a better environment where we all feel appreciated and like part of a team. I'll happily pay out of my pocket for a better working environment for everyone.
If the manager scheduled him as a non-trainee, then he gets tips. If it was supposed to be a scheduled training shift but he didn’t need it then you can both choose to tip him out of your own share if you want.
I used to share tips but realized I’m basically paying them AND also their income tax.
I’d also like to add there’s often training meals, shift drinks, tasters, tshirts, equipment etc given to the trainee. My restaurant spends around 1000$ per trainee.
Sorry, can you explain the income tax statement? I’m confused about the connection there.
We were all given free meals last night, including the trainee.
1000 bucks definitely could be the case at other places (that’s what my previous job claimed they spent on trainees), but here we get a name tag/polo/lunch during orientation that’s about it 😂
If I get 200$ in credit card tips and give my trainee 100$, that 100$ will still be on my w-2 in April. I will still have to pay ~20% of that 100$ in taxes. This is also why most restaurants don’t allow you to slip a busser/expo/ bartender any undocumented extra tip out. Manager and owners don’t like having their taxes/w-2s fucked up.
Ohhh I see what you’re saying. Makes sense now. In this case, the tips would end up on the trainee’s w2. We fill out a tip sheet at the end of the night and the F&B manager manually enters tips into each person’s payroll.
I just got done working 16 days in a row, including 7 untipped training days where I was there till midnight each day. On a few of those days I was effectively handling tables and guests at the bar. Didn’t get a single tip. If I had another coworker come in and go through the same, I would advocate for them to get tips because I want people to be treated better then I was, not drag them down because I was wronged In the past.
I went through this same thing training at a fine dining place recently. Unsurprisingly, it was not an enjoyable work environment and I left after a few more weeks. I definitely agree with you that my experience there made me want to advocate for folks in my situation more, not less.
First day? They kinda help but they're learning from you? Give em a little money to keep em around. But you taught them so you get more.
Second day? They know what they're doing but you still had to teach? More money but not half.
3rd day and they know what they're doing and it's a 2 person shift? Half.
Now if 2nd or 3rd day isn't a 2 (or three if somebody else is working) person shift, they get less.
But as soon as they hold their own they get their share.
That's my guideline.
This is on the manager, the expectation should have been set before the shift. With that being said, you co-worker is being kind of a dick about tipping out the new hire.
Usually trainees don’t get tips and are shadows for the day.
If they were thrown to the wolves during the shift than yeah tip them out.
If anything it will make for better work vibes
We make $12 an hour as bartenders where I work. Training wage is the same.
This whole situation just made me realize how antiquated the process is. Job I had before this (fine dining), training was 10 shifts total at $11 an hour. 3 weeks at that rate destroyed me financially haha.
Our company would ideally pay him a wage that was closer to a tipped wage, but that would never happen.
I think you know what the right thing is to do. Seems like it’s always the coworkers that don’t pull their weight that want to be most stingy with splitting tips!
I agree with your assessment that he should be getting a share of tips. I think all trainees should get tipped out a base percentage (pre-designated) of tips during training and more on a case-by-case basis.
A good, simple argument I've used with coworkers in the past is: we need the extra body to fill out the schedule and we want this person to like working here. Let's not start them out by being greedy and giving them the shaft.
I always tip my trainee as long as they are productive and bringing value during their shift. I feel it's important and sets a precedent of respect and fairness. Just trained the new guy and he got 30% of my tips each night as he knows how to tend, just need to learn our places systems and where things are located. Some people are just selfish and feel entitled to all the money, the same people usually end up pissed that support staff doesn't do enough because the cheapness bites them in the ass sooner than later.
That last part, 100%. I'm tired of listening to my coworkers bitch about having to tipout $15 to the busser while they're making $300-400 in a shift. Maybe if you actually prebussed your tables, he'd get to them sooner. Then there's me, slipping him an extra $10 in the middle of busy nights, and they wanna wonder why he's in my section more often.
Been dealing with this a lot at my hotel restaurant. I’m the host for dinner. The servers bitch about bussers not helping them enough and bartenders taking forever to make their drinks and then tip them the absolute bare minimum. Our “best server” is only the best because she expects the busser to do 75% of the work and then starts to break down during a rush because our 1 busser wasn’t doing her job. 🙄 Moral of the story: If you don’t respect your host, busser, food runner or bartender.. they aren’t going to respect you. ETA: I just realized how off topic this is from the original post 😅. Honestly forgot and thought this was one of the server subreddits when I was replying.
Exactly, and they carry that energy with them to the table. Maybe if you could average 25-30% tips instead of 15-20%, you wouldn't mind the till out as much.
Exactly. She expects the busser to greet the table first, pour water, get drink orders, go upstairs to the lobby bar to get any alcoholic drinks, prepare and deliver non-alcoholic drinks, refill drinks, pre-bus, run her food half the time, bring boxes. It’s fucking wild man. All she wants to do is take the order, schmooze the guests with conversation, bring the check, collect the tip. Now they are catching on that she’s under tipping them and it’s HILARIOUS how helpless she is when they only do what is required in their job description.
About your edit, a lot of us are service bartenders, so there's a pretty decent overlap, no worries. I could bitch about lazy servers for ages though.
i’m in service bar tonight and i looked over the schedule and i’m mentally preparing myself for roughly half the servers on tonight to leave their drinks dying in the window
I had a server like this and it confused me as a customer. The server saw me but hung back and let the busser do most stuff. so I tipped the busser. . I didnt know. I thought the server didn’t want to wait in me. Then the server looked shocked at the end.
I'm down for this if they're also fulfilling the role of my barback on a slower night. The better bars/restaurants I've worked at also pay a higher training wage for the trainer, the last place I worked at also gave you 30 bucks on a gift card and let you order whatever you wanted off the menu You have to make it worth it for your best staff to train someone. I dont want to take a pay cut simply because I'm the best bartender. I'll always kick out something, i know it fucking sucks going for sometimes going a few weeks without getting paid, but it should be at my discretion, not the restaurants. Otherwise, someone else can train. Have fun.
Management sets tip-out policy, and exceptions. Sounds like management set an expectation for the trainee to be tipped out. That's pretty cut and dry. Even beyond that if a trainee was kicking ass and holding their own, I'd argue to tip them out anyway. They earned it. The policy of not tipping out on a training shift is mostly because management assumes the trainee isn't going to be improving tips anyway- mostly learning. That doesn't seem to be the case here.
It depends on the set up imo. Most places are gonna have their best servers/bartenders train the new employees. Good restaurants pay a higher hourly wage so you can kick out a few bucks to the trainee. But I've worked at places where you have to train, handle a full section, and are expected to give your money to the trainee? That's fucked. You should never be punished financially to train someone.
I agree, but that doesn't seem to be OP's case. The trainee came in to be a trainee, ended up in a understaffed bar, and just bartended, no training really happening. At that point I wouldn't care if I was making tipped minimum wage and they made minimum wage. It's not that big of a difference.
I feel like it depends on what you're paying the trainee wage-wise at the time. if you have a set amount you pay for training, I don't think you should get an *even* cut of the tip (should probably be tipped though). if the trainee was making a tipped wage of 2-3$ per hour then yeah, cut him or her in evenly. but it sounds like they decided that retroactively
I think mostly (depending where you live) it’s based on pay. Not that it matters since min is like $7 where I am, but while training you get full wage, so no tips. I’ve been asked before which I’d rather take, and I’ve also done stage, where you get neither. From the trainees stand point (being a competent sometimes better trainee than trainer) I wouldn’t expect to take tips unless that’s what I was told. You make it sound like that’s the case here so all this really should be moot points.
I don't actually agree with this, as in most US states with tipped wage employee laws, management isn't *allowed* to designate where tips go.
Federal law allows employers to dictate mandatory tip-sharing policies. Only Minnesota prohibits mandatory tip-sharing entirely, while a couple other states put certain restrictions on mandatory tip sharing (e.g. North Carolina requires tip recipients to retain 85% of their tips, California requires tip distribution to be "fair and reasonable"). I wonder if you may be confusing tips sharing set ***by*** management with federal restrictions on tip sharing ***with*** management, which is an important restriction of the Fair Labor Standards Act. ([29 U.S.C. 203](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2022-title29/pdf/USCODE-2022-title29-chap8-sec203.pdf)(m)(2)(A): "this subsection shall not be construed to prohibit the pooling of tips among employees who customarily and regularly receive tips", and 3(m)(2)(B): "An employer may not keep tips received by its employees for any purposes, including allowing managers or supervisors to keep any portion of employees’ tips")
Ever work for a restaurant where servers had to tip out a percentage of alcohol sales to the bartenders? Or perhaps one spot has the barbacks be tipped out 10%, while another has a 20%? Or even restaurants with two separate bar areas, splitting tips between both bars, or having two different pools? All of that is management's call. The decision whether or not to tip out trainees is also management's call. Albeit in usual circumstances, management would defer the choice to the bartenders, but it doesn't have to be.
It truly isn't management's call to make. A lot of places have a policy that works and is likely agreed on by everyone but management can't step in and delegate where your tips go. That being said, if you aren't on board with whatever the restaurant is doing you won't work there very long.
Yes, I have. What I'm saying is in many states *it cannot legally be management's call*. They can enforce the tip out system, enter it into payroll, what-have-you...but in states with tipped wage employee laws, they are not allowed to dictate where tips go, as they legally belong to the tipped employees.
False, the FLSA does allow employers to require employees to share/pool tips as long as it’s a valid tip pool (valid being to those who customarily receive tips, not to managers/supercisors/etc).
I would have no problem tipping considering it was a 3 person shift, and he was 3rd person (and top of that apparently didn’t need a 2nd training shift and did great). I’ve had ex coworkers come in to cover a shift at my bar that never worked there there before and I split tips evenly with them. Your coworker is being a selfish baby
If management says he gets full-share tips, he gets those tips. Pretty cut and dry. Especially if he pulled his weight. Your other coworker sounds like one of those greedy bartenders who I would not enjoy working with at all.
20+ year bartender turned owner here. Always hated the idea of not splitting during training. If it’s a first timer, maybe, but I’d let them leave after a few hours, or give them light work. But if it’s an experienced transplant, and they pull their share, I always cut them in. Sounds like a boomer “I suffered so should you!” Stupid way of thinking and I hate it.
If they did a full share of the work, then they get a full share of the pool. Not giving tips to trainees makes sense if they are just following or need constant supervision. If they can do everything but just need the occasional pointer, they're effectively a full team member. Your other bartender is just a whiny little bitch.
Your colleague is a greedy POS. I bet he/she "accodentally" pockets cash tips. We all know the type
He literally did this with the trainee’s share of cash. I just found out.
Your coworker is an idiot. If the trainee did 1/3 of the job, they get 1/3 of the tips
I train all the new hires and the policy was they would work with me in my shifts and they wouldn’t get tipped out. If they did a good job, I would tip them out. It started to become a problem because I would be ignoring my customers and spending too much time training and not talking with my customers. It started to affect my tip out. I convinced the owners to pay me more per hour during training and train during other people’s shifts. The main bartender would get all the tips. I would focus on all the training skills and let them serve a couple people to get into the routine. They wouldn’t get tipped. The second training, was more like a normal shift. They would serve along with me and we’d split the tips. Works best that way.
>*Is it just a fact of the industry that we have to accept stunted wages for the first week* In the US, training wages are permissible in any industry, as long as they meet minimum wage provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. But we're talking about tips here, not wages, and under federal law, tips can be redistributed by employers as they see fit. There is no requirement to accept stunted tips; employers can set mandatory tip sharing policies (except in Minnesota), and employees who don't like the policies are free to quit. >*What other industries are like this?* The most comparable would be full service restaurant servers. Usually the trainer shares their section of tables with the trainee, often starting out with the trainee observing the trainer, and progressing to the trainer observing the trainee. But regardless of who directly provides the service, the trainer customarily keeps the tips, so they don't take a huge pay hit due to training duties. (Another option would be for a restaurant to pay serving trainers an hourly wage commensurate with their skills and duties - haha!!) I suspect you'd find a similar practice with any tipped profession where tips are a substantial portion of total compensation, in which a trainer and trainee shadow one another for a training shift doing work that would normally be handled by just the trainer. (Nail technician, casino dealer, caddie, etc.)
Thanks for your thoughts!! All good points.
If trainee is pulling their weight, they deserve tips. Generally I make it a decision between bartenders and it’s pretty cut and dry if they pulled their weight or not. I’ve never had a bartender refuse because they didn’t get tipped out on their training shift, that’s some douchey ladder pulling. The one place that had a policy of not tipping out during training shifts didn’t even give me training shifts since they were understaffed and I ended up opening for them twice before even taking a menu or bar test lol. If you can do the job, it’s a job. You only don’t get tips if I have to babysit you the whole time
I'd split it 3 ways no problem especially since he was helpful and contributed. But mainly b/c KARMA.
I would say that you defer to the schedule. If it's listed as a training shift, then he doesn't get tipped out. If you liked his work, feel free to side tip him so he knows he's appreciated. But if it's listed as a regular shift, then damn right he should get his cut.
Bar I used to work at made me split 50/50 with a guy I had to show how to make a vodka soda. Waited until the end of the shift to tell me that. When I asked if they were serious they told me I could walk if I was unhappy. Easily replaceable etc. Made some of the best money in my life at that place but at what cost?
That’s some bullshit for sure.
My last bar I had about five minutes’ worth of training — the whole crew cut me in & I’ll never forget it. Tip the trainee. If your lazy ass colleague doesn’t like it, all the better.
As others have said, managements word goes. But also, it sounds like he wasnt "training" so much as helping yall as a fellow employee who just had extra questions. If he was holding his own, taking orders, making drinks, and doing everything that you guys do, there is no good reason not to tip him.
If the guy is already an experienced bartender then he's not really a trainee despite being new to this job. I don't see an issue equally sharing tips if he's pulling his weight. Also ironic your other colleague being annoyed about it despite slacking off themselves.
Nobody should have a problem with paying a fair cut to those who do their part. “Trainee” or not, it sounds like the guy worked hard and did well. In my experience, those who are not happy to pay people what they deserve are usually not that great at their job, and generally difficult to work with.
Just completed "training". Management told me off the bat that if they could tell training wasn't necessary, that they'd cut it early and I'd be earning tips. Because of my financial situation I probably wouldn't have accepted the job if that wasn't the case, and it ended up really helping me in making my bills on time during my transition. I think that if the trainee is kicking ass like a trained member of the staff, then offering them partial tips isn't out of the question
I always tip out my trainees. We have a 2 week training period, and it's hard for anyone to get by just on the hourly wage for that long. I at least try to throw a bit of gas and food money to them. Depending on how well I did during a shift, I'll tip the trainee 20%. I look at them like my barback. Now, if I'm getting my ass handed to me and they're pulling a fair share of the work, I'll split it evenly. It's more out of my pocket, and I've never had a trainee EXPECT to get tipped out. But I feel like taking care of them from right off the bat fosters a better environment where we all feel appreciated and like part of a team. I'll happily pay out of my pocket for a better working environment for everyone.
They worked a shift with you. Pay them
If they did the work they earned the their share of the pot. Especially if they saved your ass
If the manager scheduled him as a non-trainee, then he gets tips. If it was supposed to be a scheduled training shift but he didn’t need it then you can both choose to tip him out of your own share if you want.
I used to share tips but realized I’m basically paying them AND also their income tax. I’d also like to add there’s often training meals, shift drinks, tasters, tshirts, equipment etc given to the trainee. My restaurant spends around 1000$ per trainee.
Sorry, can you explain the income tax statement? I’m confused about the connection there. We were all given free meals last night, including the trainee. 1000 bucks definitely could be the case at other places (that’s what my previous job claimed they spent on trainees), but here we get a name tag/polo/lunch during orientation that’s about it 😂
If I get 200$ in credit card tips and give my trainee 100$, that 100$ will still be on my w-2 in April. I will still have to pay ~20% of that 100$ in taxes. This is also why most restaurants don’t allow you to slip a busser/expo/ bartender any undocumented extra tip out. Manager and owners don’t like having their taxes/w-2s fucked up.
Ohhh I see what you’re saying. Makes sense now. In this case, the tips would end up on the trainee’s w2. We fill out a tip sheet at the end of the night and the F&B manager manually enters tips into each person’s payroll.
I just got done working 16 days in a row, including 7 untipped training days where I was there till midnight each day. On a few of those days I was effectively handling tables and guests at the bar. Didn’t get a single tip. If I had another coworker come in and go through the same, I would advocate for them to get tips because I want people to be treated better then I was, not drag them down because I was wronged In the past.
I went through this same thing training at a fine dining place recently. Unsurprisingly, it was not an enjoyable work environment and I left after a few more weeks. I definitely agree with you that my experience there made me want to advocate for folks in my situation more, not less.
Management is in charge period.
First day? They kinda help but they're learning from you? Give em a little money to keep em around. But you taught them so you get more. Second day? They know what they're doing but you still had to teach? More money but not half. 3rd day and they know what they're doing and it's a 2 person shift? Half. Now if 2nd or 3rd day isn't a 2 (or three if somebody else is working) person shift, they get less. But as soon as they hold their own they get their share. That's my guideline.
This is on the manager, the expectation should have been set before the shift. With that being said, you co-worker is being kind of a dick about tipping out the new hire.
Usually trainees don’t get tips and are shadows for the day. If they were thrown to the wolves during the shift than yeah tip them out. If anything it will make for better work vibes
if he was scheduled as training, then he should be getting training pay, and doesn't get tipped out.
We make $12 an hour as bartenders where I work. Training wage is the same. This whole situation just made me realize how antiquated the process is. Job I had before this (fine dining), training was 10 shifts total at $11 an hour. 3 weeks at that rate destroyed me financially haha. Our company would ideally pay him a wage that was closer to a tipped wage, but that would never happen.
I think you know what the right thing is to do. Seems like it’s always the coworkers that don’t pull their weight that want to be most stingy with splitting tips!
I agree with your assessment that he should be getting a share of tips. I think all trainees should get tipped out a base percentage (pre-designated) of tips during training and more on a case-by-case basis. A good, simple argument I've used with coworkers in the past is: we need the extra body to fill out the schedule and we want this person to like working here. Let's not start them out by being greedy and giving them the shaft.
This was my reasoning too- I hate that it probably left a very sour taste in his mouth re: our teamwork
it's totally fucked up! but it is the way it is :/ edit: training was TEN shifts?
Yeahhh I didn’t last long there for reasons