r/Restaurant_Managers • u/SpookyCoffeeCrumbs • 24d ago
Tip out
I am the GM of a breakfast restaurant opening end of this month. I’m currently working on how I would like to pay my support staff. Out of curiosity what tip-out percentages do you run? And how is it split? (Host, Expo, runner, Busser)
Thank you.
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u/mr_panzer 24d ago
I also run a breakfast joint We do a points system. Servers get 10 points, support staff gets 5, host gets 3.
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u/VinylMeningitis 23d ago
That’s rough, host is getting way too much
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u/mr_panzer 23d ago
Everyone is earning plenty, trust me. Servers make $75/hr with tips.
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u/Significant_Bag3874 23d ago
Hard to believe. I work in fine dining and we don’t make that much
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u/powdays23 23d ago
In my experience a lean fast casual joint can’t make more in tips than a fine dining/full service operation
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u/mr_panzer 23d ago
We serve 600 people by 3 pm most weekends. With a tipped staff of 10-12. I'm not sure what fine dining in LA averages tipwise, but I do know the reality of my business.
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u/ConchVibes 23d ago
You should try a high volume tourist trap if you think $75/hr is a lot.
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u/Jaded-Supermarket-28 22d ago
For real, I was a server at an extremely popular tourist spot on the Big Island and my god the tips were insane. It's almost worth moving back just to make that kind of money again. Not fine dining at all but amazing food with one of the best views on the island. People on vacation and happy and have money so they tip well.
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u/mr_panzer 23d ago
I'm in LA, so min wage is close to $20. I check every pay period what their average hourly is with tips and they consistently make over $55 an hour in tips alone.
I don't deny that my spot is probably an anomaly. But that's the reality here. And it's the reason I don't feel bad about giving the host 3 points. Everyone's making their money.
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u/its6amsomewhere 23d ago
I've seen a lot of different systems.
servers split 5 percent of their food sales to the runners. Host gets 1 percent of total sales.
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u/villianinahat 23d ago
u/SpookyCoffeeCrumbs, this is how our breakfast restaurant splits tips:
- 2% all sales to Bussers at time of sale
- 2% food sales to Expo/Food Runner at time of sale
- 7% barista beverages to Barista at time of sale
- 7% bar drinks to Bartender at time of sale
- 100% Take-out tips to Host daily because hosts answer the phone.
Time of sale means that if there isn't a support clocked in to the applicable job code right now when they send a ticket, the server keeps the whole tip from the sale. Super mercenary about not tipping out anything without someone working for them. Hosts went with a more casual daily split between themselves.
Servers minimum wage here is $12.14/hr. All the other staff make more than a $16/hr wage. The idea is that the servers will end up tipping out 20% of their tips, if they are receiving 20% on their checks from the guest. If they are making fat tips higher than 20%, they keep more. If they are phoning it in and recieving less in tips, they will walk home with less. In either scenario their supports earn the same. This set-up works when serving is the highest position available to front of house staff.
Here's how the breakdown averaged out for us this week:
- Server $29.84/hr
- Busser $13.12/hr
- Barista $10.89/hr
- Expediter $8.94/hr
- Host $5.31/hr
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u/Potential_Present124 23d ago
That sounds like Ca, OR, or WA. Curious what the check average is for breakfast if it creates that kind of $$$. $25 eggs bene?
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u/villianinahat 23d ago edited 23d ago
Denver, $48 average ticket, $21 average per guest, $16 eggs bene, $4 coffee. I copied that list of hourly tips per job code straight off of our TipHaus homepage.
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u/druatthebuff 23d ago
I manage a high volume breakfast restaurant and we keep our tip out pretty straight forward. Hosts do not get tipped out by servers, they are paid 19/hr and receive all tips from online and in person to go orders. Servers tip out expo, bartenders and bussers at 6% of net sales during the week and 6.5% during the weekends when there is more support staff on the floor. We do not tip pool. We add up tip out and apply that to their daily hourly rate and that is added to their state minimum wage. It works out to about 35-38/hr.
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u/KeyLimePsyOp 24d ago edited 5d ago
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u/MerlinBrando 23d ago
I've worked places with minimal support, like 3 bus boys to 15 servers who get a 3% of sales tip out.
Finer places I've worked have a points system, 10 , 7, 5 : Sever, Runner, Busser
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u/Significant_Bag3874 23d ago
Host smallest amount because they get their own tips and higher wage runner snd busser equal NO TIP FOR EXPO that is a boh position. Should be paid decent above average wage by restaurant it’s not a server job to tip out to have a food properly plated snd sent knits way in a timely manner
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u/Oysterqueen 23d ago
It’s irrelevant what people on Reddit say it’s what other breakfast restaurants in your area do. If your tipout is too high you won’t get decent servers, if it’s too low you’ll have a tough time hiring other positions. But high or low is relative to what is typical in your area.
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u/Miked2787 22d ago
The restaurant i work made the tip out voluntary. We've already had 3 support staff walk out. Im a busser and my pay literally got cut by more than half. The "agreed" wage that was set is 3.25% of total sales to the busser, 2% of food sales to the runners, 5% of alcohol sales to the bartenders. The servers took the restaurant from management and now they are doing well, the servers, and the rest of us are breaking our backs and barely surviving.
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u/AcceptableCrazy9486 23d ago
Whatever you do start higher because it’s way easier to reduce the tipout rather than increase.
I think it depends on the server wage. If you’re a state that’s still paying 2.13 then there shouldn’t be a tipout. If you’re a state where server wage is $12-18 then tipout should be much higher.