Has anyone ever bussed tables in a restaurant?

[Mercy]

My son has been working in a restaurant bussing tables, this is the first time he has had this kind of job. It's a nice seafood restaurant, meals aren't cheap.

He has been complaining that he's hardly making any money. The waiters are suppose to tip the bussers 20% of their tips but he's just got getting that much money each night. He thinks the waiters are ripping him off, and he has no way to know what they are actually getting tipped.

The restaurant seems to cater to an older crowd... maybe they don't tip as much as younger people do. I think he just needs to go somewhere else... but...

[lolabella]

He is supposed to get 20% of their tips?! WOW!!

I've waitressed for 16 years (mostly as a 2nd job) and I currently work at a popular family owned Steakhouse. We tip our bussers 1.5% of our total sales. If my food and beverage total at the night is 1500.00, the bussers get $22.50 of that.

It doesn't seem real fair for the servers at your son's restaurant to tip out on their own tips, because no one has any real way of knowing how much they are tipped. Unfortunately, their are dishonest people in the world and a server could make 200.00 in tips, but only say they made 150.00 and no one would have anyway of knowing.

The honest and fair thing to do is have the manager change the policy that busser tip out is based food and beverage total. That way, there is always a paper trail of how much should be tipped out.

And that's just my opinion.....

[Loree]

he should talk to the manager
his tips should not be based on someone else's tips
his tips should be based on the server's sales, not their tips
that way it is much more accurate
the norm is 1.5% of the server's sales gets split between the bartender, busser, salad girl and hostess
that doesn't sound like alot but if their meals are higher end, it adds up to $$$ quicker than you think

[emc]

I bartended and waited tables for years. We always tipped a percentage of our tips to the bussers. Unfortunately for your son, unless all the waiters tips are charges there is no way for anyone to know if they are tipping him out fairly.

[Tony&Cheri]

I bussed tables once upon a time. We got our tips from the manager not the waiters or waitresses. Of course that was in the dark ages . I would tell your son to first ask the waiter or waitress he is on best terms with what the story is or might be. Then if he gets nowhere, he should then go to the manager, quietly. As for an older crowd, it has always been my belief that they tip better, not les than a young crowd (more money).

-Tony

[roni]

I bussed tables and did kitchen work a long time ago.
No sharing of tips
No tips for me
not much hourly either

But it paid for a real nice Prom date

[Sukidog]

Originally Posted by Loree

he should talk to the manager
his tips should not be based on someone else's tips
his tips should be based on the server's sales, not their tips
that way it is much more accurate
the norm is 1.5% of the server's sales gets split between the bartender, busser, salad girl and hostess
that doesn't sound like alot but if their meals are higher end, it adds up to $$$ quicker than you think

Unforturnatley this would be a shame if you got stiffed on a couple or three of your tables. For whatever reason it can happen and does not only based on poor service to thinking that the other guy got the tip.

[lolabella]

Originally Posted by Sukidog

Unforturnatley this would be a shame if you got stiffed on a couple or three of your tables. For whatever reason it can happen and does not only based on poor service to thinking that the other guy got the tip.

In my 16 years of serving this has happened to me twice. One time...15% of the bill would have been $7.00 and the other time 15% of the bill would have $15.00 (customers came in with a gift certifcate and didn't think the had to tip for some reason ).

In both of these cases, this is the exception and not the rule and they were reported the to manager who did not factor in these bills for my tip out.

[MWC]

Your son is at their mercy. He should get himself a new job, elsewhere, where the policy is more transparent. Or step up to waiting tables!

[Eileencc]

My very first job in high school was bussing tables in a fancy restaurant in town. We busted our butts, got paid minimum wage, and did get a percentage of the waiters' and waitresses' tips. I'd say that it's a fairly common practice for bussers to get a percentage of tips in a fancy restaurant. It wouldn't hurt for your son and the rest of the bussers to get together and discuss with the manager the policy and how their cut is figured.

[Eileencc]

Originally Posted by MWC

Your son is at their mercy. He should get himself a new job, elsewhere, where the policy is more transparent. Or step up to waiting tables!

If the restaurant serves alcohol, he may not be old enough to be a server there yet.

[Mercy]

Originally Posted by MWC

Your son is at their mercy. He should get himself a new job, elsewhere, where the policy is more transparent. Or step up to waiting tables!

That's kind of what I think... Or he should talk to the manager or the other bussers. He's just not the kind of kid to stick up for himself.

As far as waiting tables, Eileen may be right about the alcohol thing, he's 19 not sure if he needs to be 21 to serve.

[krazy4playa]

Originally Posted by lolabella

He is supposed to get 20% of their tips?! WOW!!

I've waitressed for 16 years (mostly as a 2nd job) and I currently work at a popular family owned Steakhouse. We tip our bussers 1.5% of our total sales. If my food and beverage total at the night is 1500.00, the bussers get $22.50 of that.

It doesn't seem real fair for the servers at your son's restaurant to tip out on their own tips, because no one has any real way of knowing how much they are tipped. Unfortunately, their are dishonest people in the world and a server could make 200.00 in tips, but only say they made 150.00 and no one would have anyway of knowing.

The honest and fair thing to do is have the manager change the policy that busser tip out is based food and beverage total. That way, there is always a paper trail of how much should be tipped out.

And that's just my opinion.....

When I waited tables 1.5% of total sales went to the bartender and 1.5% bussers. I don't know any waiter that would agree to give 20%.

[krazy4playa]

Originally Posted by Sukidog

Unforturnatley this would be a shame if you got stiffed on a couple or three of your tables. For whatever reason it can happen and does not only based on poor service to thinking that the other guy got the tip.

It sucks. I've been stiffed and under tipped before. It's usually when the customer has a gift certificate. You tip on the total bill regardless of the gift certificate. And I have to say, this is just my experience, women tend to tip less than men. And gay people tend to tip the best. I'm not trying to step on toes just telling you what I have noticed.

[Buggirl]

Originally Posted by krazy4playa

And I have to say, this is just my experience, women tend to tip less than men. And gay people tend to tip the best. I'm not trying to step on toes just telling you what I have noticed.

And former servers tip the best of all..... I always figured the man/woman tipping bias was due to what gender the server was- i.e. men always tipped me and the others girls better than woman because we were girls and the male servers got big tips from groups of girls (they claimed to)....who knows, though