Tips
Splitting tips without the end-of-night argument
Tips used to be simple: cash in the apron, done. Now most of it arrives by card, lands in the restaurant’s account and has to be handed back out by someone. The moment that someone is you, every split you make is a decision people will remember.
What people actually fight about
Somebody counts the envelope at the bar. The kitchen is told “around forty”. Nobody in the kitchen saw the number, and next week the dishwasher asks why it was less than last time.
- The kitchen gets “something”, decided on the night by whoever counts.
- Card tips disappear into the till total and come back weeks later, or never.
- Someone who worked a double gets the same as someone who did two hours.
- Nobody can see how the share was calculated, so everyone assumes the worst.
The usual ways to split
- Equal sharesEveryone on the shift gets the same. Simple and fair when people work similar hours, unfair when they do not.
- By hours workedEach person’s share follows the hours they were actually on. The most common choice once card tips dominate, and it only works with honest time records.
- By role weightRoles get points, for example floor 1.0, bar 0.8, kitchen 0.5. Good when you want to recognise different jobs without arguing every night.
- A fixed share for the kitchenFor example 20 % to the kitchen, the rest to the floor. Easy to explain. Agree on it once, not per shift.
No method is right for everyone. What matters is that the team agrees on it before the money is there, that it is written down, and that anyone can check their own number afterwards.
Check your local rules
Who owns a tip, whether it is taxed and whether the employer may pool it depends on the country. In many European countries tips belong to the staff, and an employer who keeps them is in trouble. Ask your accountant before you set up a pool, and write down what you agreed.
Splitting by hours is only as fair as the hours you recorded. Time trackingWhere IBMK fits in
The IBMK tips add-on does the arithmetic and keeps the paper trail, per shift.
- A pool per serviceLunch and dinner each get their own total, entered once at the end of the shift.
- Your split methodEqual, by hours or by role weight. Hours come straight from the time clock, nobody retypes them.
- Corrections stay visibleA manual change to someone’s share is recorded with who made it and when.
- Released when you say soNothing counts until a manager releases the shift, and the numbers stay there for later questions.
What it does not do: IBMK does not move money or pay anyone. It works out and documents the split; paying it out and the tax side stay with you and your payroll.
Questions we hear a lot
What is the fairest way to split tips in a restaurant?
There is no single answer. Splitting by hours worked is the most common once most tips arrive by card. Whatever you choose, agree it with the team in advance and let everyone check their own share.
Should the kitchen get part of the tips?
Many restaurants do it, often with a fixed percentage or a role weight. Guests tip for the meal, not only the service. Agree on the rule once, write it down, and do not renegotiate it every Friday.
How do we handle card tips?
Record them per shift, the same night, separately from revenue. Then split them with the same rule as cash and pay them out on a fixed schedule.
Want to see it with your own team?
Write to us. A person answers, usually the same day, and we set up your locations and roles together.