When it comes to shoes, as in many professions, servers spend many many hours on their feet. One big difference however, is that at a busy restaurant, a server may not get a break. Not one chance to sit and take a load off. Waiters, waitresses and bartenders often have to keep running to meet the needs and expectations of their tables.

In addition to the shear length of time on their feet, the surfaces of the flooring can range greatly and be often tough to navigate, surfaces such as wet tile, hard wood, wharfs, and carpet. It is imperative that a server has a good quality, pair of slip resistant work shoes.

Prolonged use of the wrong shoes can lead to foot and back problems such as, stress fractures, tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, and acute and chronic osteoarthritis. This can be debilitating, and lead to time away from work and worse, permanent and recurring damage to the body.

While shopping for good quality shoes, keep in mind the following tips:

• Look for a light weight pair of shoes. You may be walking literally thousands of steps on any given shift. Each step you take can add up. The lighter the shoe, the less lifting you will be doing.

• Be sure to get slip resistant shoes, aside from wet areas, kitchen floors can have grease and oil on them. You may not always fall to the ground, but even something as simple as a twisted ankle can cause forced time away from work.

• A great fit, the right size and propped arch support. Shoes that are to big can slip, rub and chafe causing painfully sores and abrasions. Shoes that are to small can cause toe pain and overall achy feet.

When you have made the proper selection of shoe, the comfort and proper arch support should be built in, so you won’t feel compelled to purchase insoles or other slip in foot support.

Most online shoe retailers such as Shoes for Crews or zappos.com have very good return policies so that you don’t have to be stuck with a pair of work shoes that just aren’t right. There have been great strides (no pun intended) in the service shoe industry as well. Slip resistant shoes no longer need to look like something for a retirement home. Service and hospitality shoes now have great current styles available for men and women from conservative fine dining dress shoes to ultra-casual tennis shoe styles.

If you are on your feet for long tireless shifts, do yourself a favor and get a pair of good, high quality comfortable slip resistant work shoes. Your body will thank you and with that smile on your face longer, you’re destined to improve your tips!

Special Deal from Shoes for Crews:

112th Congress: 2011-2012, Sponsored March 16th, 2011

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide that tips shall not be subject to income or employment taxes.

Dr. Ron Paul has been a proponent of tax free tips for a long time.

Paul introduced the Tax Free Tips Act of 2011 in March. The measure would end all income tax, Social Security withholding and other federal levees on any tips earned by salaried workers.

Paul said in 2009, when he introduced a similar bill (H.R. 3664) “Unlike regular wages, a service-sector employee usually has no guarantee of, or legal right to, a tip”.

“Instead, the amount of a tip usually depends on how well an employee satisfies a client. Since the amount of taxes one pays increases along with the size of tip, taxing tips punishes workers for doing a superior job.”

From CampaignForLiberty.org:
“America’s hardworking waiters and waitresses deserve this most basic protection of their wages. Often times they are paid low hourly wages and expected to earn the rest of their income from tips. The problem is that tips aren’t always a guaranteed, steady income and depending on various factors can fluctuate wildly. The IRS makes an estimate of how much service-sector workers will make in tips, and taxes them on it even if the taxpayer did not actually earn as much as the IRS’ estimate!

Many waiters are simply young people trying to put themselves through school or single parents working multiple jobs to try and pay their bills while raising a family. Taxing their hard-earned tips is a disservice to service-sector workers across the country.”

A gratuity should be just that. A gift for a job well done. There is no reason that the government needs to be a part of that thankful exchange. Tip20! Supports Ron Paul.

Related to: http://www.tip20.com/tax-free-tips-act/18

Full text of the bill:

H.R.1139 — Tax Free Tips Act of 2011 (Introduced in House – IH)

HR 1139 IH

112th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 1139

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide that tips shall not be subject to income or employment taxes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

March 16, 2011

Mr. PAUL introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

———————————————————

A BILL

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide that tips shall not be subject to income or employment taxes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

(a) Short Title- This Act may be cited as the `Tax Free Tips Act of 2011′.

(b) Amendment of 1986 Code- Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provision, the reference shall be considered to be made to a section or other provision of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

SEC. 2. TIPS NOT SUBJECT TO INCOME OR EMPLOYMENT TAXES.

(a) In General- Section 102 (relating to gifts and inheritances) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:

`(d) Tips- For purposes of subsection (a), tips shall be treated as property transferred by gift.’.

(b) Exclusion From Social Security Taxes-

(1) SOCIAL SECURITY TAXES-

(A) Paragraph (12) of section 3121(a) is amended to read as follows:

`(12) tips;’.

(B) Section 3121 is amended by striking subsection (q) (relating to tips included for both employee and employer taxes).

(C) Subsection (a) of section 3102 is amended by striking `; and an employer who is furnished by an employee a written statement of tips (received in a calendar month) pursuant to section 6053(a) to which paragraph (12)(B) of section 3121(a) is applicable may deduct an amount equivalent to such tax with respect to such tips from any wages of the employee (exclusive of tips) under his control, even though at the time such statement is furnished the total amount of the tips included in statements furnished to the employer as having been received by the employee in such calendar month in the course of his employment by such employer is less than $20′.

(D) Section 3102 is amended by striking subsection (c) (relating to special rule for tips).

(E) Subsection (a) of section 3202 is amended by striking the second sentence.

(2) TIER 1 RAILROAD RETIREMENT-

(A) Section 3202 is amended by striking subsection (c).

(B) Paragraph (3) of section 3231(e) is amended to read as follows:

`(3) Solely for purposes of the taxes imposed by section 3201 and other provisions of this chapter insofar as they relate to such taxes, the term `compensation’ shall not include tips.’.

(C) Section 3231 is amended by striking subsection (h).

(c) Exclusion From Unemployment Compensation Taxes- Subsection (s) of section 3306 is amended to read as follows:

`(s) Tips Not Treated as Wages- For purposes of this chapter, the term `wages’ shall not include tips.’.

(d) Exclusion From Wage Withholding-

(1) Paragraph (16) of section 3401(a) is amended to read as follows:

`(16) tips;’.

(2) Section 3401 is amended by striking subsection (f).

(3) Section 3402 is amended by striking subsection (k).

(e) Tips Defined- Subsection (a) of section 7701 (relating to definitions) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:

`(51) TIPS- The term `tips’ includes any gratuity provided to a salaried employee by a customer or client of the employer’s business.’.

(f) Conforming Amendments-

(1) Clause (i) of section 32(c)(2)(A) (defining earned income) is amended by striking `tips,’.

(2)(A) Section 45B (relating to credit for portion of employer social security taxes paid with respect to employee cash tips) is hereby repealed.

(B) The table of sections for subpart D of part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 is amended by striking the item relating to section 45B.

(C) Subsection (b) of section 38 is amended by striking paragraph (11) and by redesignating the succeeding paragraphs accordingly.

(D) Subsection (c) of section 196 is amended by striking paragraph (8) and by redesignating the succeeding paragraphs accordingly.

(E) Subsection (m) of section 6501 is amended by striking `45B,’.

(3) Section 220(b)(4)(A) is amended by striking `tips,’.

(4) Section 451 is amended by striking subsection (c).

(5) Section 6001 is amended by striking the last sentence.

(6) Section 6041 is amended by striking subsection (e).

(7) Subsection (c) of section 6041A is amended by striking `, 6052, or 6053′ and inserting `or 6052′.

(8) Subsection (a) of section 6051 is amended by striking `In the case of tips received by an employee in the course of his employment, the amounts required to be shown by paragraphs (3) and (5) shall include only such tips as are included in statements furnished to the employer pursuant to section 6053(a).’.

(9) Section 6053 (relating to tip reporting) is hereby repealed.

(10) The table of sections for subpart C of part III of subchapter A of chapter 61 is amended by striking the item relating to section 6053.

(11) Section 6652 is amended by striking subsection (b) (relating to failure to report tips).

(12) Section 6674 (relating to fraudulent statement or failure to furnish statement to employee) is amended by striking `or 6053(b)’ each place it appears.

(13) Subparagraph (B) of section 6724(d)(1) is amended by striking clause (xvi) and redesignating the succeeding clauses accordingly.

(14) Paragraph (2) of section 6724(d) is amended by striking subparagraph (X) and redesignating the succeeding subparagraphs accordingly.

(g) Effective Date- The amendments made by this section shall apply to tips received in calendar months beginning after the date of the enactment of this Act.

———————————————

Sources: thomas.gov, CampaignForLiberty, New York Post

Dean Serneel has created an excellent 4 Volume DVD set which is all you need to become an expert in the bar tending industry. Each disc is packed with step by step techniques and vital training information. Special Features include: trailers, short videos, and bonus footage. The Menus are broken down into specific categories, so your not wasting time looking for the content you need to see.

Volume 4, Practical Bar Magic, includes tried and tested magic tricks from years of working as a professional restaurant magician. Over one hour of epic, memorable, Bar Magic. Learn how to do tricks with props found behind your bar. Slow motion step by step instructions of over 25 different tricks. Learn the Floating Shaker Tin, make a Lit Cigarette disappear, and how to Steal Watches right of the arms of your guests. This disk is perfect for anyone working the wood.

This is not only a super way to improve your tips and customer loyalty, it’s loads of fun at parties too!

To get more information, see video clips or purchase Practical Bar Magic click here!

A great little clip from Oprah’s OWN network, where Dr. Phil, Suze Orman, Dr. Oz and the ever present Gayle King take on a guy who doesn’t believe in tipping. See it HERE.

A Tip20! Original Article, by Tom Mason

When you play casino games you will most often be offered free beverages. Then there comes the dilemma… to tip or not to tip?

At the end of the day, tipping is still a voluntary practice but it is customary and relied on for income by those in the industry just as they are by restaurant servers. Without tips from patron, the workers are very underpaid for the work they do. Also keep in mind that the IRS will assume that these employees are earning tips and will tax accordingly.

At a casino, cash as well as chips are generally acceptable for tips. For dealers, it is best to tip always with chips.

In blackjack, the typical method for tipping is to place an additional bet at the front of your betting box. Don’t tip so much or so frequently that you significantly shift the odds of the game. If you’re betting $5 for yourself, a $1 bet for the dealer once or twice an hour, or when you’re winning, will do. If you win the hand, the dealer will get a $2 tip. If you lose, the house gets the money.

While playing roulette it is common practice to give the dealer a chip after hitting a 35-1 single-number payoff. Never hand it directly to the dealer, as dealers are not allowed to take money or chips from a player’s hand. Put it on the table and tell the dealer it’s a tip.

Tipping for slots is less common, but if you hit a large, hand-paid jackpot, and have received good, timely service, it is nice to tip.

Those playing Craps sometimes place bets for the dealers. Often, this is done either by having the dealer place a specific bet “for the boys”. Bets on 11 or the field are frequent choices, or by placing a bet on one of the “hard ways” and telling the dealer it goes both ways. That is, a $10 hard six both ways means the player is betting $5 for himself and $5 for the dealers that two threes will come up before a seven and before any other six. If you want to give the dealers the best chance to win, place a pass line bet for the boys.

Until recently in all UK casinos gaming staff were not allowed to accept tips. From August 2008 tipping of all employees is permitted in casinos.

Also please don’t forget to tip at the buffet. At least 10% of the tab or a dollar per guest if the server has been attentive with your beverages and plate clearing.

Whether or not it is just great Karma to tip at a casino we will leave for another day, but while gambling, a bit of extra good Karma probably couldn’t hurt.

Casino Tipping Guide

• Cocktail Waitresses $1/every drink or two.
• Dealers $5/hr.
• Slot Attendants (hand pays) 0.5% to 1% or $1-2 chip when they repair your machine.
• Roulette dealers – $5+ chip per session.
• Keno writers/runners – $1+ for first ticket. If you play a lot, tip more. 5% if you win.
• Poker dealers – $5+ chip per session. You may tip 10% of your winnings, but not to exceed $25.
• Craps or blackjack dealer – $5+ chip per session. If you prefer, you can place a side bet for the dealer up to 10%. The size depends upon the table’s minimum bet; however, it need not ever exceed $25. At a $5 table, the tip would be a $1 chip. At a $25 table, use a $5 chip.
• Of course there is a benefit to on-line casinos, you need not tip at all!

Note: At tables, you should only feel obligated to tip when you are winning, not if you are losing that is understood.

It turns out that tipping Italy is a bit of a mixed bag.

What when and where you tip largely depends on where you are. Generally speaking most people are paid a decent living wage and tipping tends to be more for exceptional service. Tipping is not expected and often the would be gratuity is included in the bill or in the form of a cover charge. Sometimes the service charge is included in the bill and it’s under position called COPERTO – the cover charge. In a sit down restaurant it is customary to leave a 10 to 15% over the service fee for superior service and as in the US, cash is generally preferred over credit card tips and leaving it on the table is fine.

In an obviously very small, family run trattoria, with family members in the kitchen, family members serving you, family members at the cash register, it is not comfortable for anybody for you to tip, as it would be if you ate at a friend’s home and left a tip. Family-run restaurants take great pride in making you feel like you are in their home.

It has been observed that taxi cab drivers in some of the more dense tourist areas such as Rome have been a bit spoiled by better than average tips simply due to their passengers not knowing the standards.

If you get great service from a concierge it may warrant a €10 – 20 tip or for a chamber maid, €1 – 2 is sufficient.

Newsweek recommends the following tipping situations:

• Pizzeria: €1 for each person, unless you are alone, then leave €2 or €3
• Restaurant: About 5 to 10 percent
• Taxi: Round the bill up, if you’re feeling generous and the taxi driver took the short route
• Hairdresser: About 5 to 10 percent
• Hotel porters: €1 to €5
• Bar: Maximum €2

Resources: ClassicItalian.com, Tours-Italy.com, ricksteves.com, msadventuresinitaly.com and Newsweek

A Tip20! original article.

If you celebrated yesterdays national food holiday, drink a beer day, and went out and celebrated by enjoying a few too many beers, like us, than you will be happy to know that today is the perfect follow-up holiday. Cure that hangover and get back to work for National Coffee Day!

If you just love and live on coffee like the rest of us, than today if your day as well, Happy National Coffee Day!

Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark, slightly acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia, South Asia and Africa. Green (unroasted) coffee is one of the most traded agricultural commodities in the world. Coffee can have a stimulating effect on humans due to its caffeine content. It is one of the most-consumed beverages in the world. A coffeehouse or coffee shop is an establishment which primarily serves prepared coffee or other hot beverages. It shares some of the characteristics of a bar, and some of the characteristics of a restaurant, but it is different from a cafeteria. As the name suggests, coffeehouses focus on providing coffee and tea as well as light snacks. From a cultural standpoint, coffeehouses largely serve as centers of social interaction: the coffeehouse provides social members with a place to congregate, talk, write, read, entertain one another, or pass the time, whether individually or in small groups of 2 or 3.

A few general rules of thumb from Tip20! for tipping etiquette at the café – Most often at the café upon checkout you will see it sitting there in the corner near the register. The tip jar. Just sitting there, looking sort of hopeful and unauthorized with it’s hand made label emblazoned on the front. What is the etiquette for that little jar? Well this tends to be a tipping gray area and the answers are a diverse as coffee drinkers are.

Make money in the coffee shop business!

Baristas are performing a service for you, much the way a fast food restaurant does and while it is indeed a service it is not the same as being waited on for 1-3 hours by a dedicated waiter or waitress so the same tipping rules do not really apply. Tip jars in general are a way for you to express your gratitude to the barista for what they do and it is a particularly nice gesture to throw them your change or perhaps a bit extra as many in that industry are working at or around minimum wage. They will appreciate it and you get to feel good about yourself and frankly it doesn’t hurt your Karmic universe either! So you should not feel obligated to tip, but tipping is a good thing and we certainly encourage it.

Ever want to be a barista? Or at be a better barista? You can learn at the best online Coffee Barista Training Course. If you want a piece of the action and  make money running a coffee shop  you can  Find out how.

Coffee Trivia: Did you know the term “Hogwarts” now made famous by the Harry Potter series is the French word for coffeehouse (café) means a drink that turns you into a rabbit, offering a range of hot meals!

Here is a Coffee deal for you from our friends at Coffee For Less 5% off Coupon Code: CFLESS

Tip20!’s favorite coffee innovation ever is the Keurig K-Cup! K-cups are quick for before a long shift, you don’t need to run to a café before work, nor do you need to wait hours for coffee to brew a whole pot – of which you will only drink one or two cups, K-Cups are cheaper than buying a cup of coffee at the local café , and best of all, K-Cups taste great!

Happy Drink Beer Day!

Who doesn’t love this type of holiday – another reason to enjoy a brew!  To celebrate this wonderful holiday, Tip20 wanted to remind everyone about a few “rules of thumb” for tipping at the bar.

• Tip $1 per drink as a baseline, lacking anything better to go on, even if the only visible drink preparation involved is opening a bottle of beer.  It is customary to tip between $1–2 per drink, or in the same 15% to 20% range as at a restaurant.
•  If a bartender is taking special care to take and fill your drink orders quickly at a busy bar where others may be waiting for service, a tip in the higher range is appropriate.  It may also be customary to tip higher with your first drink in order to signal the bartender to take special care of you. Typical amount for this action is $5.oo, but note that it may not always work!
• Repeatedly asking for water deserves a tip too. A drink is a drink, the effort is still being put forth and you are taking the bartenders valuable time.
• If you are sitting at a table, if the  liquor amount is substantial, your tip may be split between the server and the bartender.  Specific “liquor service tips” can be included in the total tip amount and can go directly to your bartender, as long as you make it clear what amount and who it’s for.  At very fancy restaurants, you should tip the sommelier or bartender separately, at your discretion.
• To get the most bang from your tipping buck, always leave tips in cash, handing them directly to the person you are tipping, whenever feasible.  This makes sure that the right person is rewarded, and keeps the cash out of the hands of ne’er-do-wells.
•  And finally, when you are at an “open” bar”, always tip as much as you would if you were purchasing a well drink.

Our Tip20! suggestion for this holiday, go out and try a new beer at your local pub that you have never tasted before, and remember to tip your bartender properly!

Great Beer Resources:

CraftBeerClub.com-The Finest Craft Beers Delivered Each Month Direct-To-You or Your Gift Recipient! Click here!

Mr. Beer Beer of the Month Club Receive everything you need to keep you brewing great tasting beer all year long.

New Products Available at WearYourBeer.com!

Today is “National Food Service Employees Day” and we are excited to look back and reflect on the history of Tip20, and the positive impact that we have had on consumers and helping fellow waiters, waitresses, bartenders and managers all make the service industry a little bit better.

Our article about “Why you should tip” as been viewed thousands of times and has been frequently reposted across the world wide web.

We’ve covered important server topics such as handling campers, How to tip on free and discounted meals, how to handle difficult management situations, your legal server rights, service industry wages and so much more.

We’ve had a lot of fun too! We enjoyed visits from reality show celebrities, interviews from magazines and newspapers and we’ve been talked about on radio stations across the country. We have even been included for reference in a few educational text books! We have developed a great relationship with many other industry bloggers over the years too. It is great to see our industry getting the attention it so deserves and letting the world know that serving is a “real job” for many of us!

Working in the service industry can be very grueling. Typically working the hours when everyone else is playing and playing while everyone else is working. We do long shifts often with no breaks, but it can also be very rewarding and profitable. We’ve had great stories about restaurant guests going way over the top both in good and bad ways. We have also seen how the economy forces restaurants to raise prices and that raised and prices often gets taken out on the servers tips.

When Tip20 was started back in 2002, the mission was to educate consumers on how, why, where, when and who to tip and also to educate servers and bartenders on how to earn their tips and be better at their jobs. We have always felt that tips should be earned and not be just automatically given. Although tips are a critical part of every server’s income and in fact one of the biggest reasons to show up for work, tips in reality are a gift from the consumer who has been satisfied with the services they received from their server or bartender.

Our article on “tipping and taxes” has helped thousands of servers to get a better grip on their taxable income, what needs to be reported and what doesn’t. We have answered hundreds of questions e-mailed to us or post our discussion forum and throughout the blog. We listened to your feedback we try to make changes to Tip20.com to improve the speed and security and informational value and are offerings.

As we approach our 10 year anniversary next year in 2012. We are looking to further growth, development, change and more robust, interactive, useful information for our readers. Over the month of October you can expect to see some changes around Tip20, a little bit of a facelift, some simple overhaul and most importantly more regular content for you to learn from and enjoy.

A as we grow, we would very much like to have your input as to what is important to you. What would you like to see, what are you are not finding other places on the internet and basic overall feedback. Do you have an article to contribute or opinion to share? Send it in! We’ll ensure you get proper credit!

We will be integrating Facebook and Google+ more prominently in our site so it will be easier to share articles and information you like with your friends and coworkers. You will see improved product offerings for things like shoes, insurance options, job searching, etc. So if you haven’t subscribed to our feed you may want to now as we will be offering special offers for our subscribers. Also while your at it, please follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook!

So the team here at Tip20! would like to thank you Service Industry for helping us make it to where we are and keep us going long into the future!

by Tom Mason, Founder Tip20.com

CBS has a new restaurant sitcom and the pilot aired on Monday night. This half hour irreverent new comedy is called 2 Broke Girls and features two waitresses in a Brooklyn, NY diner. One waitress, Max (Kat Dennings) has worked there for some time and survived the revolving door of low standard servers that have come and gone. The other, Caroline Channing (Beth Behrs), is the daughter of a wealthy but crooked and busted business man ala Bernie Madoff. She has no serving experience, but is  armed with a degree from Wharton and is willing to try to work her way back via the serving job.

The restaurant called the “Williamsburg Diner” is managed/owned by a tiny Asian man named Hon Lee, who has assumed a clever new first name “Bryce”, to fit in better with the American culture. The diner was alegedly purchased by Lee from the Russian mafia 8 months prior. There are a few additional minor characters, Oleg the lecherous cook and Earl the cashier that sits by the front door and spouts one liners. Max also has a second job as a babysitter for a “Manhattan Socialite Diva” who has twins “Brad & Angelina”.

Caroline earns Max’s trust when she rejects a come on from Max’s ripped boyfriend and tells her about it. The girls decide to become roomies and get together to start a business selling the delicious cupcakes that Max makes. They need to raise $250,000. The show ends with a cash total on the screen that rolls from $000 to $387.25, indicating that this will a running theme during the series.

I found the comedy to be quite funny and truly enjoyed the quips from Max to her restaurant patrons, laying it on the line and telling it like it is in a way that real servers only dream about. The humor is sharp and intuitive, yet at times sensitive and thoughtful. It is good to see some new restaurant humor out there and I have high hopes for this series.