When my son worked at Shake Shack they got the tips. They were split between all the employees on shift.

He also said they couldn't see whether a customer added a tip or not.

It is like the corporations asking you donate when you check out at grocery stores and other places. I don't want to be asked to feed the hungry at Walmart so they can use in an advertisement they raised millions for charity.

What's worse, IMO, is that thy claim a charitable deduction for the donation.

It is such a scam. I no longer tip if I am standing up to order and walk away. I use Starbuck physical gift cards because you can't tip with them so they don't ask you for a tip when you use them.

It is like the corporations asking you donate when you check out at grocery stores and other places. I don't want to be asked to feed the hungry at Walmart so they can use in an advertisement they raised millions for charity. They could take not as much profit and make food more affordable if they want to feed the hungry.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Asking because my kid had a summer job (which she quit) at a mom-and-pop food place and the owner pretty much admitted to her that electronic tips are used to cover business expenses. I've since asked a counter worker at another independent food place if she received the electronic tips and she shook her head no. How common is this? Should I be tipping exclusively in cash?

It's decided by the customer.
Most customers are Aholes and will tip on credit and debit cards rather than giving cash now. Especially younger customers under 50s.
Those customers get the extra spit service quite often.

Nonsense and delusion.
Customers don't choose whether the top goes to the restaurant. People don't carry cash around just to tip servers $4. Most people are almost always digital payment now. Servers have no ideas how someone is paying before the food is served, so there is no opportunity for the "spit service".

Get a life.

Anonymous wrote:I carry around a lot of single dollar bills now and will put cash in a tip jar if there is one, I stopped tipping electronically (for counter service).

Always hand it to the worker, and not put it in a tip jar. Tip jars are often communally shared, and also often counted by the business and garnished.

Anonymous wrote:Asking because my kid had a summer job (which she quit) at a mom-and-pop food place and the owner pretty much admitted to her that electronic tips are used to cover business expenses. I've since asked a counter worker at another independent food place if she received the electronic tips and she shook her head no. How common is this? Should I be tipping exclusively in cash?

It's decided by the customer.
Most customers are Aholes and will tip on credit and debit cards rather than giving cash now. Especially younger customers under 50s.
Those customers get the extra spit service quite often.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You had better be making at least minimum wage if the business owner is keeping the tips.

The owner should NEVER be keeping the tips. It's completely dishonest.

And "tipping out" sounds bonkers too. The only person I could see tipping out to is the bartender because she'd get the tips if people went directly to her. But the easy solution is to pay the bartender at a place like this over minimum wage. And bartenders who like tips can go work in a bar instead.

Anonymous wrote:I carry around a lot of single dollar bills now and will put cash in a tip jar if there is one, I stopped tipping electronically (for counter service).

Me too. Also at cash tips at restaurants. After DD at her summer job at an ice cream place told me the owner kept the electronic tips and the employees only got to count out and divide the tip jar.

Anonymous wrote:I carry around a lot of single dollar bills now and will put cash in a tip jar if there is one, I stopped tipping electronically (for counter service).

I think I might start doing this. $40 for two meals at 5 guys yesterday and they want $8 tip?? At sweetest frog I notice none of the people in front of me tipped. I still feel guilty so I do, and always tip 10-15% for take out.

I carry around a lot of single dollar bills now and will put cash in a tip jar if there is one, I stopped tipping electronically (for counter service).

Anonymous wrote:That's awful. These business owners should be reported for wage theft.

I "volunteer" by working concessions at sporting events, concerts, etc. through my kid's soccer club and the tips are applied to my kid's soccer fees. On a good night I make about $30 an hour doing this, so at a busy place it's not an insignificant amount.

+1 I would absolutely report them to the police. May result in nothing legally, but shame the heck out of the business

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You had better be making at least minimum wage if the business owner is keeping the tips.

The owner should NEVER be keeping the tips. It's completely dishonest.

If you are a tipped employee, then I would agree. It would also be illegal.

I too have decided to try my level best NOT to tip. This new post pandemic culture shift is for birds.

I can’t believe I’m writing this as a person who had plenty of minimum wage gigs that never even qualified (late 80s, early 90s) for tips.

Anonymous wrote:You had better be making at least minimum wage if the business owner is keeping the tips.

The owner should NEVER be keeping the tips. It's completely dishonest.

My son works at a café and does not get the electronic tips