About
Humblemaker Coffee Co. of California produces premium organic craft whole bean coffees & coffee beverages.
Location
California
Restaurant type
Coffeeshop/cafe
Service type
Dine-in/QSR
“Kickfin solved our cash problems.”
Chris Smith
Co-founder, Humblemaker Coffee
Meet Chris.
Chris is the co-founder Humblemaker Coffee Co. of California, as well as its #tenforautism initiative.
Humblemaker was already available through Postmates and Grubhub and had plans to sign up with Joe, a mobile coffee app, when the impact of COVID-19 swept through the food and beverage industry.
As Humblemaker pivoted to provide curbside and order-ahead service, it became clear that moving to digital payments, wherever possible, was another smart pivot to make.
Chris wanted to reduce the amount of cash exchanged between customers and employees because of the potential for germs. Plus: as delivery and curbside orders began to pick up, so too did credit card transactions.
As a result — in a matter of days — the Seal Beach storefront began operating entirely through touchless non-cash transactions.
But that created a new problem: with little cash on hand, Humblemaker needed a different way to distribute daily tip outs to their employees.
Why Kickfin?
Chris had to quickly rework his approach to paying employees. Using a bank account was “working okay,” but it still involved bank runs, bank drops and inevitable human error.
Chris says Kickfin has proven to be a lifesaver for restaurant operators like him.
“Ultimately, I don’t want to have any cash. It just creates an accounting nightmare,” he says. “I don’t want to worry about cash missing from the time it comes in to when I’m making a bank drop. I want to log in and just see that it all lines up.”
Humblemaker’s flagship store will likely start accepting cash again at some point in the future, given the preferences of the demographic they serve. But they’ll hold on to Kickfin.
“Even if we start accepting cash again, we’ll run into situations where our ‘tips pay out’ is more than our cash on hand. And Kickfin will always solve that problem for us.”
“With Kickfin, you just don’t have to think about tipping out anymore. It’s a no brainer.”
Chris Smith
Co-founder, Humblemaker Coffee
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- Product and Company News, Technology and Software
Brand new feature, coming in hot!
As part of our latest product release, Kickfin now offers Blended Payouts for even easier, fully automated tip management and reconciliation.
Why Blended Payouts Matter
Now more than ever, restaurant guests use credit cards or digital payment methods instead of cash. For many operators, that means there isn’t enough cash on hand at the end of a shift to pay out tips. But employees still want to receive their payouts immediately after clock-out.
As our customers know, Kickfin solves for those cash shortages by automating and digitizing the payout process — giving you the power to send instant, cashless payouts directly to your employees’ bank of choice, 24/7/365.
The result: minimal cash handling and risk, better accuracy and tracking — and of course, fewer bank runs.
However, digitizing payouts often results in some leftover cash in the drawer. Over time, we’ve heard from customers who prefer to use up that cash to pay out tips, then distribute the remaining tip amounts via Kickfin.
With Blended Payouts, you can do just that — and still account for every penny paid out, quickly and accurately, within the Kickfin platform.
How Blended Payouts Work
As always, all Kickfin customers can still choose to split individual payment amounts between instant payouts and payroll. Once you enable the new Cash Payouts feature, you will now be able to account for any cash tip payments that were also distributed.
Note: This feature lives within Kickfin’s Tip Calculator, which means you must have an active POS integration to use it.
- Once it’s enabled, you’ll see the new “Cash Payouts” button on the Payment Review screen.
- After clicking the button, users will be able to enter the individual cash amounts that were distributed to employees.
- Back on the Review screen, you’ll see instant payout, payroll, and cash payment amounts for each employee. All three payment methods will have their own line items and be accounted for under your Payment Details.
Watch here for a full walkthrough of the new feature.
Ready to enable Blended Payouts?
If you’re a current customer, in touch with our Customer Success team at support@kickfin.com to activate this new feature.
(Not a customer yet? Click here to see Kickfin in action and learn how you can automate tip pooling and payouts!)
- Product and Company News, Technology and Software
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
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
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.
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