What does a server usually tip out?

It varies by house. A common shape is 1–3% of alcohol sales to the bar, 1–2% of total sales to bussers and 1–2% of food sales to runners, sometimes with a flat amount to the host stand. Your employer sets the actual numbers.

Do I tip out on a table that left nothing?

Under most house policies, yes — the rules are written against sales, not against tips, and the support staff still worked the table. It is the main reason a walkout or a stiffed check stings twice.

What sales figure should I use?

Whatever your closeout report shows for the categories your rules name. Check whether your house calculates on gross sales or net of comps and voids; it changes the number.

For servers

Server tip out calculator

The math nobody wants to do after a shift.

Saved setupsSave tonight’s rules and next shift is two taps.

Tonight

Total tips

Total sales

Food sales

Alcohol sales

Cash and credit, declared tips

Track cash and credit tips separately

Take “% of total tips” rules from a declared figure instead

Who you tip out

3 rules

Role or name
gets
Bartender rate
of
$0.00
Role or name
gets
Busser rate
of
$0.00
Role or name
gets
Food runner rate
of
$0.00

You keep

$0.00

$0.00 tipped out

Where it goes

Bartender$0.00needs that sales figure

Busser$0.00needs that sales figure

Food runner$0.00needs that sales figure

Total tips$0.00

TYPTAPP does the math. Your workplace is responsible for making sure its tip policies follow applicable laws. More

Loaded with a common server setup

Three rules to start: bar off alcohol sales, busser off total sales, runner off food sales. They are a shape, not a standard — every number is editable, rules can be deleted, and new ones take about five seconds to add. When it matches your house, save it under the name of the shift.

Closing out

The order that tends to be fastest at the terminal:

Pull your closeout report and enter total, food and alcohol sales.
Enter cash and credit tips separately — you will want them apart in a moment.
Check the tip-out lines against what you are actually handing over.
Read the You keep figure and go home.

The sales figures do not have to add up

Food plus alcohol often will not equal total sales — retail, gift cards, merchandise and non-alcoholic categories sit outside both. TYPTAPP flags the gap rather than assuming it is an error, because on plenty of shifts it is not.

Doubles and section changes

If you worked two shifts under different rules, run them as two setups rather than one. The totals from each are what you actually owe; adding two nights together and applying one set of percentages will quietly produce the wrong number.

TYPTAPP does the math. Your workplace is responsible for making sure its tip policies follow applicable laws.

Common questions

What does a server usually tip out?: It varies by house. A common shape is 1–3% of alcohol sales to the bar, 1–2% of total sales to bussers and 1–2% of food sales to runners, sometimes with a flat amount to the host stand. Your employer sets the actual numbers.
Do I tip out on a table that left nothing?: Under most house policies, yes — the rules are written against sales, not against tips, and the support staff still worked the table. It is the main reason a walkout or a stiffed check stings twice.
What sales figure should I use?: Whatever your closeout report shows for the categories your rules name. Check whether your house calculates on gross sales or net of comps and voids; it changes the number.