The disappearing 20% TIP! (3700 votes for tip integrity)

[NewJeffCT]

41. Yes, it's because a lot of the chain restaurants

and many other restaurants will pay hosts, bussers and kitchen staff low/minimum wages and expect it to be made up by the servers tipping out to the other staff.

Where I worked many years ago, the restaurant had a dozen servers on the floor and two more in the bar on the busier nights (Friday/Saturday) for 14 total, and fewer on weekdays and on other nights. At the end of their shift, each server would tip out $1 or more to the hosts, the bussers and kitchen staff. (I think the kitchen staff would get $2 per server, but it was 13-14 years ago, so my memory is hazy...). So, if there were two hosts and two bussers working that night, each host would divide up the $14 of tip out money ($1 from each of 14 servers), each busser would divide up $14 and the kitchen staff would divide up $28. If things ran smoothly up front (hosts), or tables were cleaned quickly (bussers) and food came out quickly and properly prepared, a server might tip out an extra dollar or two - or, if one individual above did outstanding work or did a favor for a server, the server might tip them individually as well.

So, the servers end up each tipping out $4-$6 per shift. On a Friday or Saturday night, most of the servers were taking home a minimum of $70-$80 in tips, with the servers who "closed" the restaurant sometimes taking home twice that. (Bussing tables was actually my favorite restaurant job - as you didn't have the stress of dealing directly with customers like hosts, servers and managers. But, if you cleared tables quickly and properly, the servers really appreciated it.)

Not saying it's right, but it's just how it's done. The managers didn't make a ton of money there, either.