A
few years ago, a musician wrote an article regarding the effect the size and
shape of a tip jar has on one's tipped income. It was his contention after
years of firsthand observation that a large, glass brandy snifter prompted
people to tip more. He went on to say that if bartenders used snifters and
ensured that the tip jars were highly visible to guests that they would make
more gratuities.
Prominently
displaying the tip jar behind the bar is a good move. Although difficult to
quantify, it stands to reason that putting a tip jar where guests can easily
see it does likely serve as a gentle reminder. It also stands to reason that a
glass tip jar is better than one that is opaque. Bartenders prefer a glass container
because it seems to remind people that other guests are tipping, so perhaps
they should as well.
Tip
jars are typically considered the sole domain of the bartending staff. While
mostly true, management does have a vested interest in where it's kept behind
the bar.
Case
in point, I had a client in Dallas who operated a high volume sports bar who
suspended the bar's tip jar from the ceiling by a rope and pulley. The
bartenders could easily dunk money in and usually did so with style and flair.
They couldn't, however, withdraw the money until after the bar had closed and
the cash drawer had been removed. It turns out that operator had been burned
one too many times by bartenders who used the tip jar as a repository for
stolen funds.
The
tip jars at most bars are kept next to the cash register or point of sale
(P.O.S.). That's a classic mistake. It's far too easy for bartenders to divert
stolen funds from the cash drawer into the tip jar, a practice that is
complicated and made riskier by moving the tip jars well away from the cash
drawer.
Furthermore,
if the bartenders are stealing from the business and using the cash drawer for
stolen funds, they can easily retrieve the money from the register under the
pretense of making change out of the tip jar. For example, a bartender could
take 10, one-dollar bills out of the tip jar, deposit the money into the
register, but instead of taking out a ten dollar bill in exchange, remove a
twenty (10 dollars of which are stolen funds) and put it in the tip jar.
I
make it a matter of policy and procedure that all tip jar transactions are
strictly "one way", meaning that the money that goes into the tip jar doesn't
come out until after the cash drawer is removed.
Certainly
tips are a bartender's livelihood and as such should be considered sacrosanct
and off-limits to management. But where the tip jar is located and how it is
properly used is a legitimate management concern. The farther away from the
cash drawer the better.
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