| The "Tip-Out System" is a very important part of | | | | In some of my restaurant service consulting jobs, I |
| restaurant service success for many different | | | | have actually seen where runners made more money |
| reasons. Tips are the basic salary for most restaurant | | | | than the waiters on average. Surely, they worked for it |
| service employees, and must be divided with utmost | | | | running giant food plates up 2 long flights of stairs. And, |
| respect and care. The staff's reputation, morale and | | | | the runner shift was almost as many hours long as the |
| income depend on a proper and fair tip-out system. | | | | waiter shift. It all comes down to responsibilities and |
| There are certain factors that must be taken into | | | | workload distribution. |
| consideration, before deciding on a correct and fair tip- | | | | There are even different types of tip-out systems that |
| out system. The most important concept of the | | | | exist in the restaurant world such as the point system. |
| system is that it must always reflect the work load | | | | For example, if $100 in tips is produced by the waiter, it |
| and responsibilities of each staffer in a delicately | | | | gets spread out in a point system amongst all staffers. |
| balanced manner. | | | | The breakdown might be $50 to the waiter, $30 to the |
| If this concept is strictly adhered to, then one can't go | | | | busser, $15 to the runner, $5 to the bar, and so on. |
| wrong in devising the most efficient tip-out system for | | | | Every restaurant is an enigma, so the tip-out system |
| a restaurant. It must remembered that an improper | | | | must fit the restaurant's personality. |
| system can make or break a dining room service staff | | | | To physically perform the tip-out revenue split, the |
| to the point where employees may deliver poor | | | | waiters can place the tip-out revenue percentages for |
| service or actually quit the job. | | | | the receiving dining room service employees into |
| A standard base system to work from is for the | | | | envelopes. The waiter name, date and particular shift |
| waiter to tip out 15% to the bussers, 10% to the | | | | should be included on the outside of the envelopes. |
| runners, and 5% to the bar. Now, this is only a general | | | | Then, this split for each receiving dining room service |
| guideline as the system needs to be customized | | | | employee can be put back together in separate |
| according to each individual restaurant and tweaked | | | | envelopes with his/her name on the outside of the |
| evenly according to the workload distribution. | | | | envelope to be distributed. The double-check system |
| For example, if the runners are doing some busser | | | | works best here to have 2 trusted people witnessing |
| work (clearing plates, replacing dining wares etc.), then | | | | all of the money envelopes that are opened. |
| another 2.5% can possibly go to the runners while | | | | The restaurant service tip-out system must always be |
| subtracting 2.5% to the bussers. It all depends on the | | | | fair and balanced with very few complaints from the |
| restaurant dining room service system, and on the | | | | staff. In fact, some feedback may actually help for the |
| "desired level of customer service" ---so crucial for | | | | understanding of the situation as the dining room |
| success. | | | | service staff carries many solutions to restaurant |
| One must understand that just because the bussers | | | | problems. Of course, there will not always be 100% |
| are being tipped out less of a percentage, doesn't | | | | agreement amongst each and every employee. |
| necessarily mean they are not making less money | | | | The tip-out system really works out beautifully if done |
| overall than the runners for that shift. It all depends on | | | | correctly using the concepts above. Again, most |
| how many waiters/runners/bussers are working for | | | | importantly, the balance of the restaurant service labor |
| that shift. Less employees available for the tip-out split | | | | and responsibilities must be in proportion to the balance |
| means more revenue for each employee. | | | | of all the employee tip-outs. |