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!

When figuring out taxes, there is a misconception that servers are required to report their tips as at least 8% of their sales revenue. 8% is simply a bottom line that the IRS uses when attempting to determine how much a server earned in tips over the year. The IRS does not expect to be paid 8% of a server’s sales as tax – that would be akin to taxing the customer for their bill. What it means is that in the absence of documentation to show how much that server earned in tips the IRS is going to assume that they earned at least 8% of their food and beverage sales. So if a server sells $1,000 of food than the IRS is going to automatically assume that they took home $80 in tips that night. They’re going to treat that $80 as taxable income and depending on what tax bracket the server is in they might get 25% of the $80 which is $20. So when a customer tips 8% it isn’t all going to the government, it’s simply that all of it is going to be taxable automatically.

To put it another way, if everyone tipped 8% the server would still make some money (albeit half of what is typical), it wouldn’t all go to the government. Most service employees average 15-20% of their sales in tips, so using 8% as a default is conservative from the IRS’s point of view. Servers are required to report ALL of their tips, even if they made 25% (or more) of their sales in tips. Naturally most of them will report far less than this, but still more than the default assumption of 8%. In places where credit cards are used the IRS can use the tips on charged receipts to estimate the amount of tips received from tickets paid in cash. The two are generally close to each other, so if a server shows 16% of tips on all of the charged receipts they’ll be sending up a red flag if they under declare their cash tips too drastically (e.g. 6%).

When servers are reporting income sales revenue through their income tax software, just keep in mind that 8% is just a guideline, not a hard fact of income and you are in-fact required to report all of your income. For all of the details of the law, see IRS Tipping Tax Laws

Still when a server is stiffed they are still losing money – they’re getting zero on a ticket that the IRS will assume they made at least 8% on, paying taxes on revenue they didn’t make.

Reprinted without permission from from Employment Law Allience®

Many restaurants require servers to participate in a “tip pooling” arrangement. This policy requires tipped employees to share a portion of their tips with host employees, bussers, or kitchen staff. A new decision from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals refused to declare standard tip pooling arrangements as a violation of the minimum wage provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

In Cumbie v. Woody Woo, Inc., a server brought a class action claim against her employer, seeking invalidation of the mandatory tip pooling policy. The restaurant requires tipped employees to pool a portion of their tips for distribution to kitchen employees among others. The FLSA’s minimum wage requirements permit restaurants to pay a cash hourly wage of $2.13 to tipped employees, and obtain a credit for the remaining portion of minimum wage through tips. The plaintiff alleged that mandatory participation in a tip pooling arrangement violated this requirement, especially where traditionally non-tipped employees such as cooks participate in the pool.

The Ninth Circuit rejected these arguments, affirming summary judgment for the employer. If as in this case, the tip pool compensated kitchen personnel, the employer could not claim credit toward minimum wage. However, as long as the employer otherwise meets the minimum wage requirement, the FLSA does not independently prohibit the tip pooling arrangement. The court also rejected use of the Department of Labor’s anti-kickback regulations to prohibit tip pooling. The pooled tips never “belong” to the server, and therefore are not deemed to be an illegal rebate to the employer.

Many states limit the amount of server tips that can be made part of a tip pool. Under North Carolina law, this maximum is fifteen percent.

By John Dimsdale – Reposted from PublicRadio.org

The IRS figures the food and beverage business should be sending in some 200,000 tip disclosure forms every year. But only about a quarter ever show up. The IRS wouldn’t go on the record, but said it recently hired an outside contractor to identify slackers and that it’s conducting more audits.
Here’s the way it’s supposed to work: Servers and valets are supposed to report their tips to the boss. The boss reports that cash as employee income. Both the establishment and employees pay taxes on it. But Patrick, a former parking valet in Nashville, who didn’t want his last name used, says it didn’t worked that way in his experience.
“It was more of a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy with ignorance being bliss on both sides,” said Patrick.
He says restaurants aren’t anxious to pay extra taxes, and neither are workers. The National Restaurant Association wouldn’t grant us an interview about IRS compliance, but says it is working to improve tip reporting. A narrow sample of food service workers finds most decide not to report about half their cash gratuities. We granted them anonymity so they would speak freely.
Erik, a former bartender and waiter here in Washington, says he started out reporting all his tips.
“Originally, I was declaring 100 percent until an older server told me I was essentially being a moron,” said Erik. “She told me, you never declare all your tips, especially not all of your cash tips.”
Tips on credit cards have a paper trail so they have to be reported, but not cash tips. Restaurants say they do advise employees to report all tips — and Jessica, a former waitress from Upper St. Clair, Penn., says hers did.
“In the break room of the restaurant where I worked, they had an entire wall of posters and a lot of them had to do with reporting your tips and what happens when you don’t report your tips correctly,” she said. “There were newspaper clippings of people who got investigated by the IRS.”
Still, cash transactions have long been an opportunity for tax evasion. Sheldon Cohen started the national tip compliance program when he was IRS commissioner 50 years ago.
“Waiters are not less honest than other people,” said Cohen. “They have more opportunity than other people. We discovered it basically doesn’t go necessarily with the occupation, it goes with the opportunity.”
For example, Cohen says, back when he was commissioner, doctors were frequent tax scofflaws.
“Forty-five or 50 years ago doctors received most of their payments in small amounts,” he said. “Doctors’ visit was $5 or $10 and people left cash most of the time.”
It wasn’t long before insurance companies and credit cards put an end to cash changing hands, so doctors had a harder time hiding income. But restaurant servers and bartenders still get an average 40 percent of their tips in cash.
Chris Bergin, publisher of Tax Analysts, says the IRS is under the gun to capture more of that lost revenue.
“We’re running huge deficits. We’ve got an enormous debt,” said Bergin. “The IRS is under political pressure to close what’s called the “tax gap” and go after people who are not paying their taxes.”
But as long as tips are cash, and essentially a private transaction, there may be only so much the IRS can do.

by Alexis Jeffries
MONEY Magazine – Money Poll

It’s an annual dilemma: What’s an appropriate holiday tip for the people who serve you throughout the year? Etiquette expert Peggy Post recommends a gift of a week’s to a month’s pay for full time help like a nanny; and the cost of at least one visit for people who provide a regular, less frequent service, such as a hairstylist. But you probably also want to keep in line with what your neighbors are giving so you don’t look like a tightwad. In a MONEY poll, readers owned up to the tipping sums below; Post says they are suitably generous.

Average Tip

• Mail Carrier – $20
• Hair Dresser – $20
• Cleaning Person – $75
• Occasional Babysitter – $25
• Full-time Nanny – $270
• Gardener/Yard Worker – $50
• Newspaper Carrier – $15
• Garbage Collector – $20

13 Crucial Tools Every Successful Bartender Must Have

By: Jeremy Sherk

“A man is only as good as his tools” is a phrase I’m sure you’ve heard before and it applies to bartending as much as anything else.

You’ll only ever be as good as your tools, so make sure you’re not without them. The quality of your tools can make or break your experience behind the bar so it’s important you take this lesson seriously.

There are countless bartending tools out there. Will you use them all? No. But there are certain tools that every bartender must have. In this first lesson, we’ll be taking a look at those ‘must-have’ tools so pay close attention.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Bottle Opener
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Now whether you’re working in a low or high volume bar, a bottle opener is not only crucial to your speed, but also your hands!

Imagine opening every bottle of beer ordered with your bare hands… you wouldn’t last the night without seriously doing damage to your palms.

There are many different types of bottle openers out there on the market… everything from a simple ‘key-chain opener’ all the way to a ‘butterfly bottle opener’, you know, like a butterfly knife? Pretty cool.

Find out what works for you. I’ve used the same stainless steel ‘speed opener’ for years now, it does the job (with style) everytime so I’ve had no reason to switch.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Wine Opener/Corkscrew
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

The best, most versatile wine opener is known as the ‘waiter’s wine opener’. It’ll always do the job, even on the most difficult and the most stubborn corks. Compare this to many others out there that often break the cork or have you struggling in front of the customer to get the damn thing open.

A waiter’s wine opener includes a corkscrew (worm), a sharp blade to cut the seal of the wine and also a bottle opener device if you’re desperate for one.

I recommend a ‘two-level’ lever on your opener as well, that’s what I personally use. Mine has never failed me in opening a bottle of wine.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Cocktail Shaker
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

This is the stainless steel thingy you see bartenders pour ingredients into for a martini or shooter and shake vigorously. This is a must-have for all bartenders.

A good rule of thumb for cocktails is, the colder it is, the better it tastes. Why else would bartenders concoct a drink by pouring pre-chilled ingredients into a shaker with ice, shaking like crazy and then serving it in a chilled glass? Because you want every part of the process to be ‘chilling’ to prevent any ‘warming’ of the cocktail.

There are two types of shakers out there:

1) Standard Shaker

This is a three-piece stainless steel shaker that has the strainer built into it. I find the Standard Shaker is not as common among professional, working bartenders.

It consists of the shaker tin, lid with strainer and cap. Perhaps it’s more complicated design with smaller parts discourages working bartenders from using this more often. But it will do the job just as well as the…

Bartender Tools

2) Boston Shaker

From my experience, the Boston Shaker is actually more standard among professional bartenders. This one is simply a shaker tin with a separate mixing glass that’s slightly smaller in size. It’s a two-piece device that you simply seal together to shake the cocktail.

The tendency is seal it as tight as you can and proceed to shake, although this is not necessary as you can often seal it too tight, and then not be able to open it when you’re done shaking and ready to pour the concoction.

If you’re ever in this situation, use the edge of the bar and clip the overlapping metal lip (which will always be on the outside, as the glass is always smaller and fits inside) against the edge of the bar. You can also ‘twist’ them apart, that will often break the seal too.

But avoid all that by fitting them together nice and snug instead of as tight as you can.

You can purchase shaker sets in all types of different sizes and styles, but they pretty much fall into one of the two types listed above.

=-=-=-=-=
Strainer
=-=-=-=-=

Again, you’ll find many different types of strainers on the market. But the only kind I’ve ever used and would want to use is the Hawthorn Strainer.

You know, it’s that real funny looking stainless steel thing with the handle and the spring coil. The purpose behind the spring coil on the strainer is so you can fit it into all types of different shaped glasses. So it’s a very versatile tool.

I should mention that when using a shaker I often do not use a strainer. I use the Boston Shaker and simply crack a tiny opening in the seal between the two and pour out the concoction ‘cracked egg’ style.

If you’re more of a visual learner like me, Tom Cruise does this when pouring his ‘Turquoise Blue’ Martini for Gina Gershon in the two floor NYC nightclub in the movie Cocktail.

=-=-=-=-=-=
Coasters
=-=-=-=-=-=

Not every bar uses coasters. But it’s a good thing to have. They’ll prevent a lot of unnecessary wet spots or ‘rings’ on the bar from moisture off the side of the glass.

I’ve worked in slower, classier places where using them is mandatory. I’ve also worked in higher volume nightclubs where you don’t use coasters because you’re wiping the bar down every five minutes anyway, so why bother? Which leads me to…

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Bar Towel (Rag)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

A fresh, clean set of bar towels is something every bartender needs. In high volume places, the bar is constantly needing a wipe down from spilt drinks, drink rings, sticky shooter glasses, etc.

I like to have a minimum of four, strategically placed wet bar towels in my working area at all times.

One thing I teach you in Bartending Secrets Exposed is to have everything systemized. You want things as seemingly insignificant as location of your bar rag to be the same every night. You don’t want to think about where it is everytime you need it, you want it to be second nature, you want to be able to grab it without even looking!

The party can often get sloppy so you must have your bar rags close at hand.

=-=-=-=-=-=
Ice Scoop
=-=-=-=-=-=

Forcefully cutting through and scooping your ice with an actual glass is a very stupid thing to do. Yet I see bartenders do it all the time. I don’t even recommend you ‘gently and carefully’ scoop the ice with the glass. There’s just too much margin for error.

If you chip the glass, and you know it, you’re spending the next ten minutes emptying and refilling your ice well. If you don’t know it, and you happen to serve a customer a drink garnished with glass shavings you could be in some serious trouble.

Using a metal ice scoop is mandatory as a bartender. It really doesn’t take more time to scoop ice with a separate scoop. You can also do some fancy tricks once you get good too.

=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=
Jigger/Measuring Glass
=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=

If you work in a bar that allows free pouring, you won’t be needing this handy tool. But in most regions of North America free pouring is illegal and you’re required to use some sort of measuring device, whether it’s an automatic or manual device all depends on where you work.

While I’m not a believer in the automatic devices you see nowadays, using a shot glass or jigger (manual device) to measure the amount of alcohol you pour into each drink is what I’ve always done as a bartender.

For those of you who work at places with extremely tight inventory control. I offer you an amazing ‘overpour fake’ technique in Bartending Secrets Exposed to keep the ‘tip friendly’ relationship with your customers while keeping your integrity with the boss. Click here to get it now!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Garnish Picks
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Skewers, plastic swords picks, arrow picks… or whatever you want to call them… are for those exclusive garnishes like olives and cherries. They really add to the presentation of a drink and are a must-have for those customers you want to really impress.

Whether it’s giving the customer three olives with their martini or an orange slice and a cherry with one of my seductive martinis, I always have a supply of garnish picks close at hand.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Pour Spouts
=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Whether you free pour or not, a bar that deals with any type of volume and has any interest in inventory control should have these on all of the high moving liquor bottles. There are many different styles of pour spouts out there:

-plastic
-metal
-neon
-glow in the dark
-slow pour (3 seconds per ounce)
-fast pour
-screened
-flapped
-measured

All have some associated benefit or gimmick. But I like things simple so I use the metal ‘slow pour’ spouts on all my liqueurs and the metal ‘fast pour’ spouts on all my well liquor which I’m using a shot glass for anyway. Why wait three seconds when you’re measuring with a glass already?

Time truly is money in this industry.

Now at this point you might be thinking, “Jeremy, you’re talking about the kind of tools and supplies the bar should be supplying, you’re making it sound like I have a choice on what kind of pour spouts I use.”

Realize I don’t want you to go out and start buying pour spouts and garnish picks. Those expenses should be left to the bar you’re working for. But remember that YOU’RE the one working the bar, not the manager. If the bar where you work has crappy pour spouts and doesn’t even use garnish picks, it’s up to you to suggest it!

I believe it’s your choice. After all, you’re the one using it, right? Managers will always be open to suggestions if it will improve your speed and performance, thus, increase sales.

=-=-=-=-=
Straws
=-=-=-=-=

This is obvious, but you should always have straws close at hand. The bigger or more you give the customer, the better. You control the speed at which your customers drink by how many straws you give them. Make ‘em drink fast so you increase your sales (which equals more tips).

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Lighter/Matches & Pens
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Ask any bartender out there and they’ll agree that besides ‘a drink’, you’ll be asked for ‘a light’ or a pen more than anything else.

So what’s the best thing you can do??? Have them close at hand!

Have a ton of pens to lend, because you may not always get them back and you always want to have enough. Also, always have a load of matchbooks to give to customers in need.

I also recommend you have a sleek butane lighter of your own for customers needing a light right at your bar and also when flaming drinks are necessary.

=-=-=-=-=
Tip Jar
=-=-=-=-=

Last, but certainly not least is to have your own tip jar.

While I go into extreme detail in Bartending Secrets Exposed on the true art and science of the tip jar, what I’ll tell you here is that having one is a must! You’re losing tips without one!

Have your own, preferably a wine carafe. The tapered neck of a wine carafe means once a tip is in the jar, it’s in. You won’t have any hands dipping in to swipe your hard earned tips, which can often happen in a busy nightclub.

~~~
The author of this article, Jeremy Sherk, is an expert, world-class bartender who has helped

thousands of bartenders land their dream job and explode their level of cash tips.

Rather than hitting your head against a brick wall trying to succeed on your own, let him take

you by the hand and show you exactly how to land the bartending job of your dreams making

hundreds in cash per night! 100% Guaranteed! Click here now for all the details!

For a great selection of Bartender Tools, check out the Tip20! Bar Store!

Author: Victor Epand

The issue of tipping can cause a lot of problems, usually as a direct result of a lack of understanding or clear communication. This is not helped by the fact that policies and expectations on tipping vary widely depending on which cruise line company you are traveling with and even, in some cases, which ship you are going on.

Often it used to be the case that passengers would tip each waiter, waitress or steward a small amount each time they did some kind of service, but then found out later that 15% had been added to the bill anyway for gratuities. In this way, the passengers ended up paying twice, and it can certainly add up to a considerable sum of money, especially since many cruises are ten to fourteen days.

Some companies make it clear that no tips are expected, but that instead there is a 15% gratuity charge on each bought service. Of course, this does mean that if your steward provides you with an excellent service you are quite free to tip him or her at the end of the cruise. As a usually guide, tipping is considered to be in the region of 1.50 pounds per person per day. There are some cruise line companies that don’t include gratuities but also don’t expect tips. Instead, they add a 5 pounds charge per person per day to the cruise, and this is then divided between the restaurant staff, the stewards and waiters. Again, you are more than free to add your own tip, but this reduces the expectation and helps clear up the matter so that people know where they are.

Having said all that, it is still the case that you are likely to expect a slightly higher level of service, and a slightly more prompt one, if you are known as someone who tips. Word will spread, and it is important for you to bear in mind whether the additional cost is worth it for a very slightly sharpened service.

An alternative way of managing this which a few companies have started doing is to have a single pot of tips that are automatically included in the overall cost, but that passengers have the chance to vote for their favourite steward or waiter. In this way, you can still reward those staff you feel have provided an exceptional service, but not directly from your pocket. Those staff who receive the most votes win a proportion, or greater proportion of the overall funds available for tipping.

As you can see, the schemes and rules are very varied, and it is not easy to tell in advance what the advice will be. If in doubt, it is always best to contact the cruise line and ask. Often, you’ll find that you will be given literature which will offer you specific advice regarding this, usually to be found in a section of ‘frequently asked questions’ Make sure you look at this in advance and query anything you’re not sure of. If this is your first cruise you are likely to be somewhat flummoxed by the varied expectations, and if this is not your first cruise, you may be unsure as to the expectations since it will have varied so much in the past. Don’t assume, ask, if in any doubt at all.

About the Author:

Victor Epand is an expert consultant about luggage, cruises, hotels, and shopping. You will find the best marketplace for luggage, cruises, hotels, and shopping at these sites for bags, luggage, cruises, etiquette, tipping, and shopping.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – To Tip Or Not – Cruise Etiquette

Author: Patti Farnham

When we go out to eat we often take the waitress for granted. We want her to be doing all she can to help us enjoy our meal. While we are visiting and eating though she is tending to many other people. She has her own method of keeping everyone on track. That is if she is a very good waitress. When you have one that isn’t organized it can be frustrating. At the very least it does interrupt the flow of your meal.

Many who do this type of work depend on waitress tips to help them pay the bills. The paycheck they take from such a job is very low. Depending on where they live it can be just a few dollars an hour to minimum wage. However, a very good waitress at a busy location can more than compensate for it with her tips.

Waitress tips are left by customers who have had a meal there. It isn’t mandatory part of the meal but one that is customary. You will find that some people don’t leave a tip if they are very unhappy with the food or the service. Yet most people will leave something if they feel the waitress made some type of effort to help them have a great dinner out of the house.

That amount can range from a few dollars to much more. It depends on the establishment and those who frequent there. A couple of dollars per person is standard but someone may leave a very nice tip just because they can afford it or they want to do something nice for the waitress.

You will find that waitress tips increase around the holidays too. I guess people just get into the spirit of the holiday. They want to make sure they are giving what they can for others to enjoy it as well. Many waitress tips go to pay for college and other things that can help a person move on to a better job. That means they really do rely on that money to help them make ends meet.

You will find that many restaurants have mandatory waitress tips for large parties. This is because they do consume so much of that waitresses time. Generally this is from 10% to 15% of the total check. Some people don’t think that waitress tips are fair but they leave one anyway. They don’t want to be viewed as being a cheap skate.

For those on the other end of it though, they really need those tips. It can be a long time between paychecks. Knowing you will have some money in your pocket at the end of the shift though can help you to pay for gas, food, and other necessities in between.

Knowing they have to work hard for waitress tips, most of them do their best to earn it. They go out of their way to make sure everyone dining at the restaurant gets the best possible service. This means that the restaurant often gets many return customers which keeps the owner happy as well.

About the Author:
Patti Farnham has a great deal of experience in the hospitality business. You can get more great information at waitress tips. Check out her website Gratuity-Ingenuity.com to learn more on how to make bigger tips.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Waitress Tips Make a Difference

Becoming An Extraordinarily Fast Bartender – Part 1

By: Jeremy Sherk

Your speed and efficiency behind the bar is crucial to your level of tips as well as the quality of bar you can work at…

So, how does one become a faster bartender?

Speed and efficiency are the two primary ingredients of a “fast” bartender. Efficiency is working “smarter”, exerting raw speed is working “harder”.

With that said… please do not underestimate the importance of speed. Both efficiency AND speed are crucial to becoming a fast, money-making bartender. Just because you’re efficient doesn’t mean you can slack it behind the bar, being efficient simply means you won’t be wasting any effort.

If you’ve ever been “in the weeds”, you know that there’s no time to waste… you’re flying and moving as quickly as possible! Having a systematized, efficient bar setup will allow your night to flow… you’ll be able to effortlessly stay in the zone without hitting any unnecessary “speed-bumps”. Being “in the weeds” will no longer take you over. You’ll actually find yourself relishing the opportunity to be behind the bar when it gets crazy!

Increasing your actual speed, like anything, comes with practice. If you’re concerned about your speed, try practicing pouring shots over your kitchen sink at home.

Does this sound crazy? Well, in my early days I did exactly that. I would fill up an empty liquor bottle with water, stick a pour spout in it, and just crank out shots as fast as possible.

Doing this for just 10 minutes a day will drastically increase your shot pouring speed in as little as a week!

You can also try setting up a few different bottles with water to more closely resemble an actual behind-the-bar experience… where you’re moving back and forth, grabbing different bottles, etc.

~~~
The author of this article, Jeremy Sherk, is an expert, world-class bartender who has helped thousands of bartenders land their dream job and explode their level of cash tips.

Rather than hitting your head against a brick wall trying to succeed on your own, let him take you by the hand and show you exactly how to land the bartending job of your dreams making hundreds in cash per night! 100% Guaranteed! Click here now for all the details!