What is Tip Share?

Tip share is when tips get divided among more than just the person who earned them directly. Instead of a server keeping everything a table left them, a portion gets shared with other staff who helped make that table's experience happen, like bussers, food runners, bartenders, or hosts.

This is quite different from full tip pooling, where all tips get combined and split evenly or by points. Tip share is usually more targeted; a server tips out a set percentage to specific support roles based on their sales that shift. So a server might give 3% of their food sales to the busser and 2% to the bartender, and keep the rest.

Get the percentages wrong, and you'll either have support staff underpaid for the work they're doing, or servers feeling like they're giving away money they earned. It helps to talk to your team when building the structure, rather than just handing down a policy.

You'll also want to check your state's labor laws before finalizing anything, since rules around who can legally be included in tip sharing and how it has to be tracked and paid out vary depending on where you're located.