So I started a job at a new restaurant today. I have experience of a few years now doing server and bartender work, and busting my butt doing kitchen and janitorial work even though it was never included as my official duties.
I am supposed to be working as a bartender at this job. They have me serving the whole floor in front of the bar and running food, taking orders, meanwhile taking care of the people at the bar simultaneously.
Today I worked well. I have a good work ethic and always put in a great amount of effort into any work I do. Even the workers said I was doing great for a trainee (just a sprinkle of b r a g).
But what caught me off guard was at the end of the night when the manager who trained me and worked the shift with me pocketed all the cash tips.
I asked her about tips, and it's standard in restaurants to pay the trainees minimum wage w/o credit tips or just 10% a la busser rate, but cash tips are at least split to compensate. This is something that's been done in every previous restaurant I've worked at. She said no tips at all are given to the trainees and it's something they all had to go through with the company.
But I think it's very strange. I've never experienced this. Is this normal? Did I just end up at a strange place of work?
There was a lot I noticed at this place that made me think it was just a poorly run restaurant (“we're a family here;” the cleanliness, oh my god the cleanliness!!!; no tip payout to the ones who help us out which may just be my personal opinion; keeping me much longer than originally scheduled and refusing to let me go, especially after I made clear I was extremely unwell and in pain in the middle of my shift), but the incident with my manager and the tips was my biggest shock. Have you guys experienced this?
TL;DR my manager/trainer/coworker pocketed all the cash tips with the reasoning as “trainees don't take any tips and we all go through this.” I've worked few years, around 4 years, as a server and bartender. I'm used to being paid minimum wage for training with no credit tips but cash tips split, or 10% tipped out. This is strange to me. I noticed a few things off about the place too. So I'm just curious if anyone has experienced this? I don't think this is normal but it may just be my experience.