Someone told me that when you go to a restaurant and add the tip onto the check(bill) instead of leaving a cash tip, the waiter doesn't always get the tip. I had also heard other businesses that automatically add the 20% gratuity onto the bill don't always give the gratuities to their employees.

Is the above true? How can you be sure the employee is actually getting tipped?

Often, if not always, when you pay with a credit card, the tip does not get paid until either the end of the week, or even month.

Not sure about the procedures restaurants have, that automatically include tips.

Best thing is a cash tip. No waiting on anybody or anything.

Often, the waiter/waitress has to share his/her tips with several people. Those include bus-people,servers, host/hostess, bartender.
Even if you do not get a single thing from the bartender, you still must give a tip at the end of the night. Bus-people usually get 10% of the waitpersons tip.

It can happen that you make $200 in one night in tips...but come home with only $150. (almost like income tax) On top of that, you must claim your tip income on your taxes. No...you can't just say you made only $50 when in fact you made $200. The IRS expects to see a certain amount of taxes taken out of paychecks, and will compare that figure to sales, and will look at receipts if they have to.

Oh...most waitstaff is paid $2.13/hour...if they don't make too much on tips, the $2.13 will cover their income taxes...if they make good money on tips, then part of their tip money goes towards taxes also.

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Sometimes tips are shared equally among the servers. If there are bussers the servers then tip out the bussers, usually 10-20% of the tip. Bartenders also get tipped out if they provide drinks for the servers. Kitchen gets naught.

I haven't yet been to a restaurant which has the audacity to add 20% to the bill for a tip. Some chinese restaurants which do dim sum automatically add 15-18% but I've yet to see 20%.

Remember, always tip on the pre-tax amount, not after tax. And don't forget to talk with the manager if service is not up to par.

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

Kuan, so many restaurants have bad service. But if service is bad my parents taught me not to complain but just to stay away from the restaurant.

When we went to resort areas my dad always got mad because the servers were always in a hurry and lots of times served the appetizer at the same time as the main course. The last time this happened the manager saw our table was overcrowded with plates and give us the main courses for free. The waitress said when the appetizer and main course are served together thats called "stacking" but the kitchen does it on purpose to keep the orders straight.

Well, gotta tellya, if you don't let someone know the service won't get better. Turnover in the restaurant biz is high, bad service migrates from one place to another. Very soon you have a whole industry dedicated to charging you for poor food and mediocre service. It's not complaining, it's letting them know that your expectations weren't met.

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman