Do waiters/waitresses get their tips?

My son started working at a well-known top end restaurant. He was told that 2% of the tips of all the waiters are held back to pay the support staff (runners, kitchen staff etc.). It now came to light that 2% of his gross turnover gets deducted. Sometimes they lose a few hundred rand per shift and can work an event of about 8 or 9 hours and only make about R300 in tips - which is paid weeks later. It seems like they almost have to 'pay' to work there or that the watiers' tip contributions are used to fund the wage bill. Kitchen staff and chefs are employed full time and earn salaries. Waiters gets shifts and minimum wage.

He also misplaced a credit card slip and had to pay the money in. So, not only did the restaurant get the money for their meal in their bank account and received money from him (2 x meal value to the restaurant) but they also retained the tip portion that was paid on the credit card transaction. They were not even willing to look at the credit card machine printout to see that it was there and refund him. Disgraceful.

If you have a good waiter...pay him or her in cash.
 
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RichardG said:
That's correct. When paying by credit card at Spur, have witnessed the cashier taken the money out cash register, unsure how wimpy works
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I have seen Wimpy take the cash tip from the register and put it into the Waitron's box when paying by card.
 
Four sides to every restaurant story the waiters, the restaurants, the urban legend and then the truth - but I've never heard the truth.

Waiters often prefer cash as they get bigger tips. Reality is the embarrassment of asking for your change when paying your bill in front of friends is enough to guarantee a rounded up tip. Then there is the delay tactic of not returning your change.

I know some restaurants are dishonest, I'm just not convinced from my own experience when I waitered that the dishonesty lies just with the restaurant.
 
saor said:
I've had waitrons ask me to please pay the tip cash if possible, as they don't always seem to get the tip when paid as part of a card transaction.
Not sure how true it is, suppose it depends entirely on the person managing their accounts.
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I never pay cash but make it a point to ask if they get it - answer is always in affirmative so far. If I pay cash, surely only waitron would get it and it seems unfair to me (what about chef and other staff - don't they deserve anything) so always tip on card transaction from me.
 
I learned last week that Cubana in Cedar Square deducts "uniform cost" from staff if you tip via credit card.
 
saor said:
I've had waitrons ask me to please pay the tip cash if possible, as they don't always seem to get the tip when paid as part of a card transaction.
Not sure how true it is, suppose it depends entirely on the person managing their accounts.
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Some cases they skip paying tax, if they receive their tip in cash.
 
access said:
its different at different restaurants.

when they cash up, your waiter number has the total amount you owe, you hand in your cc slips as cash and keep the remaining hard cash that's left.

other places like to pool the tips, hate this. so slackers also get tips, they say "its to help the slow sections".

some restaurants tell you they keep the CC tips and pay you the end of the month, this is where it starts getting dodgy, had to make a note of every CC slip throughout the month just to make sure, then they also like to mix this with a CC slip tip pool, seen many many BS amounts come of this.

sometimes the waitron owes the restaurant money, and it gets easily deducted if its on a slip, so they ask for cash, or its the per month CC tip and they need cash sooner.

waitrons usually leave very quick if you start messing with their tip money.
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This seems the norm in most places although I have heard that some restaurants do dodgy stuff like "tax" staff for card tips. Also have been asked for cash tips before to avoid pooling of tips.

Over the years I've learnt the power of tipping well, so for places I intend on visiting often I go big on tips and in hard cash in the waitrons hand thanking them. Have a few places where if they see me walking up I get a table immediately with a beer chilled and waiting...
 
What irritates me when, for example, we order at Nandos (1km away) and the delivery fee of R15.00 all goes to the owner for the fuel. At least split the delivery with the driver as many people won't tip him as t hey already paying the R15.00
 
Because of how every chain treats this differently, I always pay the tip directly, in cash. I even go so far as to give it to them separately (I find appreciation-levels go up when it's done this way), and sometimes I don't indicate my tip on the invoice/slip. This also applies if I'm paying by card.
 
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