A lot of these responses address the issue of pooling tips, you didn't mention it, but whether they are or not, you should be able to see at least what you brought in, if not the ammount of the entire pool. If the manager is activly hiding this information, it sounds fishy to me. Check the Labor Dept rules on tipping are in your state, it's very easy to google. If you still think something is wrong, don't do anything till you call the labor dept. They should be able to tell you right away if this is ok or not. If it's not, and if they believe they have cause to, they can, and will, audit the recipets and check them against payroll records. Tell them you want to remain anonymous. I know of Restaurant that was fined 30K for ignoring break rules (!). If an employee has a question regarding their check, they SHOULD be able to enquire about it with no fear of retribution. I don't know what the law is in your state, but in CA, retribution is about the only thing that you CANNOT be fired for. Remember though, check the rules before you do anything, do not tell your boss what you are doing. If your employer is breaking the law, let the officials responsible for enforcement handle it. Wage theft is a crime.

Hi Ryan. I am hoping that I am not misunderstanding your topic discussion title, Skimming Tips, to mean that the restaurant owner is dipping into (taking a percentage) of your and co-workers tips. That would be blatantly unethical and low. I hope that this is not the case. If your described scenario is in regard to group/staff tip pooling this is certainly a much better description. During my undergrad college years I worked part-time in the food and beverage industry. One employer was a family restaurant where I waited tables. Wait staffers were allowed to keep 100% of tips generated. You reap the reward for excellent, attentive service. Some people actually do have a greater work ethic than others. It was recommended (not required) that we pass 10% of our total tips for the shift to the kitchen staff and table prep staff (10% to each). My personal ethic - I generously shared 20% to each. The immediate benefit was a positive, supportive relationship with my co-workers. My assigned section received priority attention from both kitchen and table bus staff. My other employer was a nightclub where I worked as a bartender assistant. I was the gofer for two bartenders. This particular business' policy was closer to the group pooling arrangement. Wait staff contributed 10% of their tips to the bar staff. Bar staff kept all tips given in the belly-up counter tip jars. I loved this arrangement. The leading bartender's policy from that point was 25% of all tips generated went to me (gofer boy). The two bartenders split the remaining amount 50-50. This was awesome for a part-time college student living in the dormitory. I worked three nights a week. My take home cash (tips), each night, averaged $80 - roughly $240/week. My parting recommendation: If it happens to be a good fit for you, I recommend working in the nightclubs. Cash tips are far higher than anything you will ever receive in a restaurant environment. Hope this helps. Press on and continue reaching your goals.

If it were me I'd ask too see how much tips there was,just went threw this tip mess where I use too work

Hi Ryan! Pooling tips is something a lot of restaurants do. It can help the serving team work for the greater good of helping all customers, not just their own. If you're nervous about it I think there's nothing wrong with asking the manager if you can see the numeric breakdown to see the totals before the tips are broken up amongst servers!