Waiters: Do you share your tips?

As a former waiter, I know how hard you work for your tips.  If your employer requires you to share your tips with employees who do not have direct customer interaction, they may be violating the wage laws. 

If you have to pay for walked tabs, breakage, uniforms or your employer makes other deductions from your wages, they may be violating the wage laws.

I have helped thousands of waiters, bartenders, and servers  collect the money they are owed for these types of wage violations.  I would be honored to assist you.

Check out my video center for more information.  Also, I have been interviewed by several news stations, newspapers, and magazines on these types of wage cases.  Check out the section "In the News" for more information. Watch video featuring Attorney Bob Debes on News 8 Austin regarding tip sharing class action.

In short, the federal minimum wage is currently $7.25/hr.   Despite this, federal law allows employers to pay servers as little as $2.13 per hour so long as certain conditions apply.  First, the employer must notify its servers that it will take a 'tip credit' against its minimum wage obligations.  Second, the server must regularly receive at least $30 per month in tips.  Finally, the server must be allowed to keep all of his or her tips - except those which are shared with other 'tipped employees.' The tips plus wages combined must add up to at least the $7.25 per hour.

If you are required to share your tips with kitchen workers (i.e. kitchen chefs, cooks, salad preps, line guys, dishwashers, pastry chefs, etc.), managers, or other employees who do not have direct customer interaction, your employer is likely violating the wage laws.

See also www.877tippool.com 

To find out if your employer's tip pool policies violate the law, fill out our Tip Pool Violation Form for a free evaluation.

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The Houston tip pool violations attorney of the Debes Law Firm represent clients nationwide. Regionally we serve the uptown, downtown and Galleria areas of Houston, Texas, the cities of Austin, Bellaire, Bryan, College Station, Corpus Christi, El Campo, Horton, Galveston, Port Arthur, Sugar Land, Texas City, and West University, as well as residents of Brazoria County, Fort Bend County, and Harris County.