Restaurants may pay tipped employees below minimum wage as long as the tips earned make up the difference to meet minimum wage. Even if the establishment is paying the employees minimum wage or higher, if the employee is claiming any of the tips the employer has no rights to touch the tips.
If the tips are unclaimed by the employees, I'm assuming the employer probably isn't claiming the tips as income either. So everything about it is just messed up & kinda unethical. Those employees are busting their butts to make your business money. If their hard work is noticeable & a customer wants to tips them, it should go to them. Simple as that.
Now lets just hope the poor kid who said something doesn't lose their job, that would be even more messed up.
|