Before Hiring a Bar Manager, Read This

Your bar may serve the craftiest craft cocktails and boast an astounding variety of draft and bottled beers. Your wine selection might be the best in the city. But if you don’t have an excellent bar manager to oversee your beverage operations — that’s a gap you need to address asap.

A great bar manager ensures you’re properly stocked with beer, liquor, wine and other bar essentials — but they do a whole lot more than inventory. Like any restaurant management positioning, bar managers wear a lot of hats. From overseeing staff to interfacing with customers to implementing processes and policies, their work can have a direct impact on your bottom line.

That means finding the right person for the job is critical. Here are the typical bar manager duties and responsibilities, plus some tips for running an efficient, effective recruiting process.

Bar manager duties and responsibilities

Bar manager responsibilities vary from restaurant to restaurant but here are the typical duties associated with this role:

Managing bar operations: This refers to the daily operations needed to run the bar effectively, from overseeing opening and closing duties, to managing the bar’s cash flow, to ensuring excellent customer service.

Ordering inventory: Keeping track of beverages and supplies that need to be ordered based on what’s been sold, along with negotiating contracts with suppliers are all part of the job.

Hiring, training, and overseeing staff: Not only do bar managers need to manage the bar staff, but they also help with hiring and training.

Marketing: A good bar manager leverages the bar’s offerings to support your marketing efforts. For example, they may come up with specials or happy hour events that draw new customers, or they may use marketing channels, like social media, to promote the bar’s unique menu.

Building rapport with your customers: Remember on Cheers when Norm would walk through the door and everyone would yell, “Norm!”? Your bar managers have the power to create that friendly, welcoming environment that leads to a loyal customer base. Good bar managers, and in turn, the bartenders under them, not only keep drinks filled; they strike up conversation, remember familiar faces, and ensure everyone has a positive experience.

How to write a bar manager job description

When you’re writing your bar manager job description, be perfectly clear about your expectations for the position — as well as what your candidates can expect.

Detail the day-to-day duties and responsibilities of your bar manager. What does a typical shift look like? What kind of team will they be managing? Are there specific growth goals or measures of success they should be working toward?
Be specific about the skills and experience level you’re looking for. Are you okay with someone younger who’s just starting out? Or do you need a candidate who has years of experience under their belt?
Research what other local bars and restaurants include in their job descriptions. How can you make your description more competitive? Are there certain perks to the job or technology you’re using that can help you stand out?
Tell them about yourself (or rather, your restaurant). What’s the atmosphere like? What kind of clientele do you serve?
Is there room for career growth in this position? If so, get specific about that.
(For more inspiration: Glassdoor and Indeed offer great examples of what to include in your bar manager job description. ZipRecruiter also offers a great template to work from.)

Bar manager recruitment tips

Once you’ve got your job description finalized, leverage multiple channels to get the word out. Post the description on your website and social media pages, and if you’ve got budget, consider running a few ads on those platforms or sponsoring your posts to increase visibility.

Take advantage of online job forums or networking groups where you can share the position. Also be sure to create in-store signage, and let your team and any local industry networks know that you’re hiring — as those referral sources can often connect you to qualified candidates.

Once you’ve identified and contacted several candidates who look great on paper, set up an in-person or virtual interview. Assess your interviewees for these attributes:

Experience and skill level: Bar managers have a lot of responsibilities and competing priorities. They must be a master multitasker, able to confidently and strategically delegate responsibilities while handling their own administrative duties, all with a bar full of patrons. The more experience they have, the smaller the learning curve there will be. But keep in mind: a more experienced manager may require a higher salary.

Culture fit: Aside from their experience and capabilities, you’ll want to hire someone who’s reliable, professional, easy to work with, and who has the necessary soft skills to manage people and interface with customers. You’ll also want to consider your restaurant culture and the people you serve. Someone who’s a great fit for a trendy dive bar may not be the right fit for a bar at a fine-dining restaurant.

Ability to stay cool under pressure: But many bars move at a fast clip with high customer turnover. You want someone who can handle long shifts, who can think on their feet and who can stay calm under pressure — whether they’re dealing with inventory snafus, drama among team members, or customers who have been over-served.

Passion and creativity: Generally speaking, a bar manager position isn’t a summer job; it’s a career — or at least, part of a hospitality-focused career path. Seek out a bar manager who has a clear passion for the industry and knack for the job.

If you’re looking for the right interview questions to ask, here are 102 to choose from.

Average bar manager salaries

According to Payscale.com, here are the average bar manager salaries (including tips, bonuses, and overtime pay).

An entry-level person with less than one year of experience can bring home around $40,521 a year.
A bar manager with one to four years of experience can make around $41,926 annually.
Someone with five to nine years of bar manager experience can expect to make around $44,234 a year.
Someone with 10-19 years of experience can earn around $42,427 a year.
With 20 or more years, the average bar manager salary is around $48,205 annually.

Of course, there are other factors that play into a bar manager’s salary, including the size of the restaurant, the type of bar, the city/location and annual revenues. For instance, the average bar manager salary in New York City is around $65,000 while in Greenville, North Carolina it’s around $45,000, according to Zippia.com.

A successful bar operation is more than having a top-tier drink menu or a great vibe. Hiring the right bar manager will ensure that everything’s running smoothly at the bar and behind the scenes. So don’t underestimate the impact of a good (or a poor) bar manager: ultimately, they’ll determine the kind of experience your customers have at your bar — and whether they choose to come back.

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Product and Company News, Technology and Software

Kickfin Partners with Union POS to Automate Tip Distribution for High-Volume Bars and Restaurants

Kickfin is excited to share the latest addition to our integration marketplace. Read on for all the details around our partnership with Union POS. (If you’re a current Union POS customer and you’d like to learn more about how Kickfin automates tip pooling and payouts, schedule a live demo here.)

AUSTIN, Texas (August 13, 2025)—Kickfin, the leading tip management software, today announced the launch of its integration with Union, the purpose-built POS and engagement platform powering the nation’s busiest bars, nightclubs and restaurants.

Thousands of operators use Kickfin to eliminate tedious tip calculations and remove cash from the tip distribution process so managers can move faster, track everything, and ensure accuracy and compliance.

By activating the Kickfin-Union integration, we eliminated clunky spreadsheet formulas and fully automated our tip pooling process. After going live, we reduced our time to close out by an average of 30 minutes after every shift.

The Kickfin-Union integration gives Union’s customers the power to auto-calculate tip pools in a matter of clicks and send payouts directly to employees’ bank of choice—no cash or pay cards required.

“By integrating with Kickfin, we’re giving operators the power to choose best-in-class tools that work seamlessly with their Union POS and data,” said Alex Broeker, the CEO and founder of Union. “This direct integration brings automated tip management to our operators while unlocking new opportunities for operational efficiency, employee satisfaction and simplified compliance.”

KPG Hospitality, which operates experiential bars and unique concepts throughout Texas and Tennessee, was among the first operators to activate the Kickfin-Union POS integration.

“Our venues run at a very fast pace. When you consider the time it takes managers to manually calculate tip amounts every day, after every shift, across every location, it’s a lot of unnecessary admin hours,” said Troy Cramer, the managing partner at KPG. “By activating the Kickfin-Union integration, we eliminated clunky spreadsheet formulas and fully automated our tip pooling process. After going live, we reduced our time to close out by an average of 30 minutes after every shift.”Key Features of the Union + Kickfin Integration:

Automated Tip Pool Calculations: Calculate complex tip pools in seconds, saving managers hours of administrative work while ensuring accuracy and transparency.
Instant Cashless Payouts: Pay out tips directly to employees’ bank of choice instantly, eliminating the need for cash handling and bank runs.
Simplified Compliance: Maintain a digital record of every payout, making tip reporting and tax compliance straightforward.
Enhanced Tracking: Easily track tips by pay period with comprehensive reporting capabilities.
Streamlined Operations: Implement complex tip policies with just a few clicks through an extremely easy-to-use interface.

“Our integration with Union, a leading POS system built specifically to support the busiest venues in the industry, makes perfect sense,” said Kickfin co-CEO Brian Hassan. “Together, we’re creating a solution that saves time, reduces errors, and delivers a better experience for both operators and their staff.”

Available immediately through both Union and Kickfin, venues can integrate their systems and begin leveraging these capabilities today. To learn how this partnership can transform your tip management operations, schedule a demo at GetUnion.com or kickfin.com/demo.

About Union
Union powers a first-of-its-kind venue operating system purpose-built for the nation’s busiest bars and restaurants. More than a point-of-sale, Union connects 1,500+ establishments with 5M+ consumers and leading brands through real-time consumption data. The platform drives operational efficiency, enables frictionless mobile ordering, and facilitates brand-patron interactions that enhance venue loyalty. With $2B+ in annual transactions, Union creates a virtuous cycle where venues improve customer experiences, brands gain direct consumer engagement, and patrons enjoy personalized rewarding hospitality—transforming high-volume operations into next-gen guest experiences. To learn more about Union, visit http://www.getunion.com

About Kickfin
Kickfin is a leading digital tip management platform that automates tip pool calculations and delivers cashless tip payments directly to employees’ bank accounts. Designed to eliminate the administrative burden of tip management, Kickfin helps restaurants, bars, and hospitality venues save time, reduce errors, and improve employee satisfaction. With features like instant payments, digital record-keeping, and simplified compliance, Kickfin is transforming the way venues handle tip distribution in today’s increasingly cashless economy.

Industry Trends, Restaurant Management

Kickfin vs. TipHaus: Which Tip Management Software is Best for You?

If you’re in the market for tip management software, you might find yourself comparing Kickfin and TipHaus.

Kickfin is the largest provider of instant tip payouts on the market and has processed more than $2 billion in employee payments for all kinds of restaurants, from “mom-and-pops” to national franchises — and everything in between.

Kickfin and TipHaus are both designed to digitize tip distribution for restaurants. However, there are some significant differences between the two platforms that you’ll want to consider before making a decision.

Kickfin and TipHaus: Compare at a Glance

Why Do Operators Choose Kickfin Over TipHaus?

Kickfin Offers Better Pricing

Kickfin’s direct-to-bank transaction fees are more competitive than the transaction fees TipHaus quotes their customers.

This is primarily due to the fact that Kickfin is the largest provider of instant payouts in the country (validated by Visa and MasterCard data), with more than $2 billion in employee payments and multiple payment processor relationships.

Employees Prefer Kickfin

Kickfin was built to make life easier not just for operators, but also for their employees.

No app downloads: Kickfin only requires a one-time, 30-second enrollment for employees. (No app downloads or extra phone storage needed!) Payment history and reporting data can be viewed as needed simply by logging into their browser.
No paycards required: Kickfin also doesn’t require pay cards, while TipHaus offers “HausMoney” as a primary payout option for employees. HausMoney is essentially a pay card that employees’ tips are loaded onto. Funds aren’t available to use until the following day. HausMoney may be free for operators, but many employees don’t want to be forced to use a pay card due to the hassles of transferring funds to their own bank accounts, as well as the transaction fees and wait times they may incur. They’d prefer their earnings streamed to their accounts instantly, after every shift—which is how most Kickfin customers choose to pay out their employees.

Zero Prefunding* With Instant Payouts

With Kickfin, customers can send instant, direct-to-bank payouts with zero prefunding required.* While TipHaus does offer zero prefund, employee payouts must be sent to a TipHaus paycard (HausMoney). In other words, if you want to use a zero prefund option with TipHaus, you won’t be able to offer instant, direct-to-bank payouts to your employees.

Option to Manually Input Tip Data

With TipHaus, a POS integration is required, and all tip payment data is generated by the software’s tip calculator.

Kickfin was designed for ultimate flexibility. While many customers use Kickfin’s POS integration to auto-calculate tip amounts, some restaurants don’t need automated tip calculations and prefer to use Kickfin unintegrated. That isn’t an option with TipHaus.

Additionally, some Kickfin customers use Kickfin to auto-calculate tip pools, then manually upload other tip data on an as-needed basis. This comes in handy when you need to pay out “extra” staff, like entertainers, security guards, etc.

Easy, Accurate Distribution of Auto-Gratuities and Service Charges

Kickfin tracks Tips and Auto-gratuities separately. As a result, you can report those types of payments to payroll separately and handle them independently for tax purposes.

Why does that matter? In light of the 2025 “No Tax on Tips” legislation, tipped employees no longer have to pay federal income tax on the first $25,000 in tips earned each year. However, they do need to pay taxes on earnings from services fees, autogratuities and other compulsory charges that are not considered tips by the IRS.

(If 100% of your service charges does not go to your employees, Kickfin allows the “house account” to retain a portion of service charges, while the rest is distributed to your team.)

Enhanced Tip Calculation Functionality and Features

Kickfin’s Tip Calculator was designed to be both highly robust—so it can handle the most complex tip pooling policies—while also being incredibly simple and intuitive to use.

A few unique things about Kickfin’s Tip Calculator:

No data sync delays: Tip calculations are immediate and on-demand. With Tiphaus, a data sync process is required which can add extra time to your tip calculation process.
Built-in flexibility: Kickfin releases new Tip Calculator features on a regular basis based on feedback we regularly source from customers. For example, Kickfin now offers check splitting for both individual checks and groups of checks, making it easier to handle large parties and events.
Ease of use: Customers regularly shout out our sleek, high-quality user interface compared to other platforms. Notably, we’ve made it easy for managers to review all details before hitting “submit,” ensuring the accuracy of every payout.

Cash Tip Tracking and Payouts

Many operators choose Kickfin because they don’t have enough cash on hand to pay out credit card tips, and they want to reduce the amount of cash handling in their restaurant altogether.

However, we know cash will probably always be (a small) part of the equation. Kickfin makes it easy for you to handle that with some added functionality:

Tips left in cash: If a diner leaves a pile of cash at your table, it might not get recorded in your POS. However, Kickfin allows you to record it and distribute it through our platform.

Cash payouts: Many operators may want to distribute all of the cash left in their register at the end of a business day to avoid bank runs. Again, that’s easy to do with Kickfin.

Multiple Payment Processors for Guaranteed Deliverability

For many employees, especially those living paycheck to paycheck, it’s critical that they receive their tip earnings and that they’re instantly accessible/ready to use.

TipHaus uses only a single processor. Kickfin uses multiple payment processors to ensure deliverability of payouts should a processor experience a disruption or become insolvent.

Direct POS Integrations

All of Kickfin’s POS integrations are direct API integrations, while TipHaus has been known to utilize third-party software to integrate with some POS systems. The problem with third-party software is that it can be susceptible to more connectivity issues, creating problems with data reliability.

Top-Ranked Customer Support

Kickfin has an award-winning Customer Success team that is exclusively focused on helping our operators get the most value possible out of Kickfin.

Every member of our team is based in the U.S. We provide free, personalized training and onboarding for your whole team, and when questions or issues arise, we can be reached by phone, email, text or chat. We also have a robust library of support documentation and videos that provide step-by-step guidance for every aspect of the platform.

Credibility and Recognition

At the end of the day, Kickfin’s large and fast-growing customer base speaks for itself, as do their rave reviews of the platform.

For multiple years, Kickfin has been the only tip management software that is recognized on both the Inc. 5000 and Deloitte Fast 500 lists. Kickfin has received recognition from peer software review sites like G2 and Capterra for consistently high customer rankings and reviews.

*Zero prefund is available to select customers after a credit review to confirm their fit with the zero prefund program.

Ready to take the next step?

See why thousands of restaurant pros use Kickfin to auto-calculate tip pools and pay out tips in real time, no cash or math required! Get a demo today.

Industry Trends, Restaurant Management

FAQ: What the “No Tax on Tips” Act Means for Restaurant Operators and Your Restaurant Team

We’ve been talking about “No Tax on Tips” for months, and now it’s a reality. But what exactly does that mean for restaurant operators and their tipped employees?

Signed into law on July 4, 2025, as part of the broader “One Big Beautiful Bill” tax package, the new policy eliminates federal income tax on tipped earnings (up to a cap…along with some other caveats…) for qualifying workers.

While No Tax on Tips garnered widespread support from hospitality employees and employers alike, there’s still a lot of confusion about how it works, who qualifies, and what it means for your restaurant team.

Our FAQ breaks it all down: the fine print, the benefits, the limits—and how you can make sure your team is positioned to take full advantage.

What does “No Tax on Tips” actually mean for my team?

The No Tax on Tips Act has created a new federal income tax deduction — up to $25,000 of “qualified tips” per year for employees in traditionally tipped occupations.

Tipped employees can deduct up to $25,000 in tips from their federal taxable income. (For added context, based on Kickfin customer data, the average tipped employee earns $125 per shift and works 15 shifts per month. That totals $22,500 in annual tip earnings.)
The deduction starts to phase out at $150,000 in annual income.
The deduction is currently restricted to those who earn $160,000 or less in 2025, but that’s expected to change in coming years to account for inflation.
These earnings are assessed based on employees’ income as of December 31, 2024.

Two other important items to note:

Deduction, not exclusion: This is a deduction, not an exclusion. That means all tips still need to be reported; the deduction will be claimed when your employees file their taxes. The deduction is on top of the standard deduction ($16,000 for individuals, $32,000 for married couples filing jointly).
Other taxes still apply: This bill is all about federal income taxes, so Social Security and Medicare taxes still apply. Also, keep in mind that this is a federal tax deduction. States will individually decide whether or not to align with the change.

Which types of tips are eligible?

The bill applies to cash tips—but it’s technically a little broader than that. According to the Senate Finance Committee, “cash tips” includes:

Physical cash tips
Credit card tips
Tips shared through pooled or tip-sharing arrangements

Other types of charges and fees that restaurant customers pay are not eligible for the dedication.

Mandatory service charges
Surcharges
Automatic gratuities

Essentially, any earnings from compulsory charges are not considered tips. Even if a restaurant passes those funds on to employees, they’re not eligible for the deduction. Do employees have to report their tips to get the deduction?

Short answer: Yes. And aside from being legally required to fully report their tip earnings, it actually behooves them to do so.

It’s no secret that many tipped employees don’t fully report their tip earnings. There are a variety of reasons for this: general confusion about tip reporting, poor tracking, and of course, a desire to avoid taxes.

Credit card tips are automatically tracked in most POS systems, so those are typically accounted for. Cash tips, on the other hand, are often underreported.

Again, because this new bill is a deduction, not an exclusion, employees must report their tip earnings to qualify.

Not only will this (legally) allow employees to reduce their tax burden; reporting their full income can really come in handy with things like loan applications, unemployment benefits, and Social Security earnings.

Is this all good news for employees?

Again, for the most part in the hospitality and service industry, there’s a lot of support for this legislation.

It will put money back in the pockets of many tipped employees—which can make a meaningful difference, especially for those who live paycheck to paycheck.

But some in the industry have voiced concerns:

Lowest-earning tipped workers won’t see much benefit. Many of the lowest-earning tipped workers wouldn’t benefit much, or at all.because they’re not paying a significant amount in federal taxes to begin with.
Some workers excluded: Not all hospitality employees are tipped employees – if you’re not operating a tip pool for example, a lot of your BOH employees aren’t going to see any benefit here.
Service/surcharges/auto-gratuity: Compulsory charges are not considered tips, so even if all of those funds are going to the employees, they will still be taxed. Again, that means BOH workers who aren’t tipped but who benefit from service charges won’t get a tax break.

What do restaurant operators need to do?

While there’s no major compliance burden on employers (yet), the smartest operators are thinking ahead—especially when it comes to digitizing tip management.

Here’s why that matters:

Accurate reporting: Employees need clear, auditable records to claim the deduction
Transparency: With platforms like Kickfin, employees can log in to view their full payment history—no guesswork required
Tip pooling: If you want your BOH team to benefit, you’ll need to operate a formal, compliant tip pool.
Efficiency: Automating tip pools (and ensuring accuracy), managing payouts, and syncing with payroll is easier than ever.

Is it time to hit the reset button?

If you’re already using a digital tip management platform like Kickfin, you’re a step ahead—your team will be well positioned to take full advantage if and when the law goes into effect.

If not: This new policy is a great reason to refresh your tip management approach, including digitizing your distribution process, re-evaluating your tip pool policy, and improving payment tracking for your team. And good news—Kickfin can help with all of that. Let’s talk.

Restaurant Management

Tales from Reddit: (Brutally) Honest Opinions on Tip Pooling

Have you ever wondered how your employees really feel about your tip pool?

While you can (and should!) source feedback from your own team, Reddit is always a great place to get brutally honest opinions on…well, just about anything.

So we did some digging in a few lively Subreddits (r/TalesFromYourServer and r/KitchenConfidential, among others) to understand how real workers feel about their own restaurant’s tip pooling policy.

Of course, no two tip policies are alike, but these Reddit tales may offer some helpful useful insights as you evaluate your own tip policy — and help you avoid common pitfalls.

Tip Pooling Tales from Reddit

Not surprisingly, there are strong feelings about tip pooling from servers and other restaurant employees on Reddit. The conversations often centered around these high-level themes:

Does tip pooling really foster teamwork?
Do top performers take the biggest hit?
Can tip pooling help with income consistency?
Is it fair to include back-of-house?

Read on for a deeper dive!

1. Tip pooling and teamwork

Many Redditors noted that tip pooling can help to create a collaborative, team-first culture where everyone wins.

Of course, that comes with some caveats from the Reddit crowd:

“I own a fine dining restaurant with tip pooling. … servers help each other out and care what’s going on in others sections … the servers REALLY care about training their coworkers right.”

“It’s the best system in the world if you work with a team where everybody is competent and pulls their weight.”

“We do tip pool… Less drama, more teamwork… efficient when you work with people that are hardworking and pull their own weight.”

“It forces a stronger team mentality…No system is perfect and the strongest servers definitely take a hit most days, but it’s the positive environment that makes up for it usually.”

“I think it helps encourage the senior staff to invest in the newbies. Obviously, if the newbies efforts or attitude aren’t cutting it, time to go.”

The takeaway: If you have the right people, then your tip pool becomes a motivator for your employees to have each other’s backs, to participate in training the newbies, and to be accountable to each other. As the last Redditor here noted, it also means you have to be willing to weed out your weakest links.

2. Does tip pooling penalize top performers?

On the flipside, some commenters highlight how employees — particularly top performers — feel the system redistributes their hard-earned earnings to less productive coworkers, which can erode motivation to upsell, promptly turn tables, or cultivate regulars.

“You lose the need to hustle…tip‑pools have taken away my ability to control how much money I walk with … which made me less willing to hustle.”

“‘Lazy people…hold up the tables so they work less than others but make the same money.’”

“I was pulling $400‑$600 by myself and then … only saw $150‑200 of it which really sucks.”

“Personally not a fan of tip pooling. I typically have the highest tip percentage and I’d rather keep that for me.”

The takeaway: When the link between effort and reward is weakened, the drive to earn more through performance can dwindle. Again, as always, the goal is to have a team of top performers across the board — but in reality, you’ll always have a range of talent.

If you’re using a tip management system like Kickfin, you can track your employees’ tip payouts over time and see how payouts actually stack up across your team. You can always tweak your tip pooling policy to ensure your performers are getting rewarded for their extra-hard work. Or consider offering shift-based performance bonuses outside of the pool, based on things like guest feedback or upselling performance. This keeps the pool intact but allows standout employees to earn more.

3. The case for income consistency

When tips make up the majority of your take-home pay — as is the case for many restaurant workers — you may not know what to expect from one shift to the next. That can make managing finances hard, especially for workers who are living paycheck to paycheck.

Tipping is supposed to reward high quality service, so theoretically, tipped employees wield a fair amount of control over what they earn. And tip-pool detractors argue that tip pooling takes away that control.

But in reality, it’s not so black and white. For example, some sections are busier than others; the employee working the patio on a warm summer evening might be set up to earn more than the server working the back corner next to the restroom. The bartender working the night shift is going to earn more than his coworker who’s there for lunch.

And unfortunately, research shows that customer bias and discrimination can impact tip earnings.

As some Redditors pointed out, tip pooling can help reduce this income variability.

“Pooling tips offsets any issues with tables that don’t leave a tip…Overall, this system has increased the quality of service…”

The income might decrease a little bit on busier days but it does usually increase on slower days. And the income is more consistent.”

The takeaway: Of course, it’s not fair to always work the busiest section of the bar, only to split tips evenly with bartenders who work in a much more laid-back section. If you’re pooling tips to help with income variability, it’s wise to find additional ways to control for other variables. For example:

Strategically rotate busy and slow sections among your different servers.
When scheduling, make sure the same people aren’t always opening and closing — and as much as possible, rotate your employees through high- and low-volume shifts.
Offer easy section or shift trades for employees.

4. Should Back-of-House Be Included in Tip Pools?

In addition to the general pooling benefits (collaboration, culture) — there are some valid reasons to include BOH in your tip pool:

Guest experience: When tipping, guests take into consideration things like quality of food and speed of service — which BOH staff heavily contribute to.
Guest expectations: Guests may assume that their tips are getting distributed to everyone — not just servers. (And taking it a step further: clearly communicating that to your guests could generate higher tip volumes.)
Retention: With rising labor shortages, offering tip sharing can help attract and retain skilled BOH workers who might otherwise leave for better-paying jobs.

(Keep in mind: There are some legal restrictions when it comes to including BOH in your pool — e.g., if you’re taking the tip credit, you generally can’t include BOH. Find more details on tip pooling laws and compliance here.)

So what do real-life servers say about including BOH?

“Many places in new orleans had made the switch after quarantine. It’s a God send to the back of house, for most cooks it can be life changing. The FOH is a revolving door now though, why split tips with the kitchen when you can make 600 a night at the bar down the street.”

“I am not upset, I’m getting paid decent and I know how hard it is to smile and be nice all the time and interact with the dreaded public. They are welcome to the extra money and the headache.”

The takeaway: First and foremost, ensure you can legally include back-of-house workers in your tip pool. If you feel it’s right for your restaurant, a few ways to make it work well for everyone:

Get buy-in from FOH and BOH: Clearly communicate how and why the structure works. Share real numbers and example breakdowns, and emphasize shared success — tips reflect everyone’s effort (not just what happens tableside).
Start small: If FOH is resistant, make the tip-out percentage minimal and see how it goes before increasing
Use a weighted distribution model: To fairly divide the tip pool, assign different weights or percentages to each role based on their contribution.

📝 Final Thoughts

Reddit feedback makes it clear…that there’s a lot of gray area when it comes to employee perspectives on tip pooling.

Ultimately, restaurant workers seem to agree that well-executed, shift-based pools under strong management can foster unity and a dependable livelihood.

But in mixed teams or mismanaged setups, performers lose motivation, and the culture quickly deteriorates — which ultimately affects morale and retention. And unfortunately, all of that can spill over into the guest experience.

If you’re pooling tips, one of the most important things you should do (aside from ensuring your tip pool is compliant!) is track everything. Having a digital paper trail not only ensures accuracy and prevents tip disputes — but it also gives you the hard data you need to truly evaluate your tip policy.

Has Reddit swayed your opinion on tip pools? Or made you rethink your current tip policy? With Kickfin’s tip pooling software, you can easily customize and automate your tip pooling policy — then track every payment, all in one place. Schedule a demo today!