Yes, that is one issue with tip sharing which is one reason some places take all tips and then redistribute them. That way you can be taxed for only the tips you get.

On the cash tips. Sure, you can hide some of that income but you can’t hide all of it. The IRS can estimate your cash tips pretty easily. The don’t bother because the amounts are so low that it’s not worth chasing to capture a few hundred bucks in taxes. Frankly, from my perspective it’s better anyone because the…

Agree, there’s much to discuss. At least we can do so civilly

They have raised a lot of money and that really astounds me. I worked for a small startup that eventually got bought out but we never had that kind of money.

I appreciate the concern. We do OK at our place. No one is getting “rich” but we do manage to pay the bills and live a decent (not luxurious) lifestyle. We also live in a very small town so cost of living is a bit lower here. But we are ok with that.

I don’t really know much about this company, however, isn’t this company a small startup? I’d hardly call them a tech monster. I don’t really know how the company is valuated so it’s hard to really say if it’s legit or not. Lot’s of companies are worth millions on paper, until they are not and out of business.

First, with respect to health care, aren’t we trying to make that cheaper for everyone? What if we had a “minimum” for healthcare. No matter what, if you go to the doctor you must pay $100. That’s what you’re doing to my business.

I used the term living wage because that is a term people throw out to justify the increase in the minimum wage. I think the term is very misleading and inaccurate. I don’t agree, however, that capitalism is designed for upward flow of capital. I think it flows downward pretty well too, though I believe it is true…

This is not true in Wa State. We pay the minimum wage regardless of what their intake is in tips. Take the risk to pay them what they are earning? You do realize as the business owner I am taking all the risk. I took the financial risk to create a job for them. I take the risk that the business will fail creating a…

Why should anyone pay more for something than it’s worth? Would you pay double rent, or double your house payment if you have a house?

If you’re unwilling to make any effort to get the skills you need to earn a living then I guess you’re deciding to commit suicide. If you get the skills I’ll pay you. If you don’t then that’s your choice, not mine. It is not my responsibility to take care of you if you won’t take care of yourself (with the noted…

I’m not surprised. There’s a lot of money flowing through bars. And people tend to tip well for drinks.

You seem obsessed with death. How about unskilled workers get some training so they can take care of themselves and won’t die? If you won’t make the effort to get some training why should I make the effort to pay you a living wage?

In the past some have. It varies from state to state depending on what their wage laws are. There have been court cases that have tried to prevent restaurants from taking tips and redistributing them. Most restaurants, if they don’t take the tips outright, suggest that the server share the tips with the kitchen, bar…

I didn’t say that. If you want to talk about exceptions to the rule, fine. We know that some people have to be taken care of because of physical or mental handicaps. That’s not what we’re talking about here. We are talking about able bodied people working in jobs that require little to no skill earning a paycheck. 

You do understand that the wages paid to restaurant workers comes 100% from customers, right? Tipping is not “subsidizing” anyone’s wages. It is a means by which you, the customer, have direct input into your server/bartender wages.

In WA state and some other states you still have to pay minimum before tips. Many of our bar tenders and servers make far above minimum. On a good Saturday night at the bar the bar tender can make $50/hour or more.

Technically this is not legal, at least not at the moment. There are at least 2 cases I am aware of regarding tip pooling. The advice we got from the Restaurant Association is that business owners cannot take tips and redistribute them to employees but employees are free to “share” their tips. We have suggestions for…

Why does anyone “deserve” a living wage? What if they are a really crappy worker? You deserve the right to “earn” a living wage but I do not believe that just because you breath oxygen you deserve a living wage.

That is state dependent. In WA state tips are not included in your minimum wage calculation. You must pay minimum, and tips are on tops of that. Many restaurants do tip sharing, though even that is being tested in the courts right now.