TipRecord

Practices · Hidden

Tips retained by the business or managers

Reports or official records state that the business, an owner, or a manager kept some or all of employees' tips, or that managers were included in a tip pool.

Under federal law an employer, manager, or supervisor may not keep any portion of employees' tips for any purpose. The Department of Labor publishes its findings; this site documents them with their dates and amounts.

Worker reports on this record are attributed and dated. Agency findings are quoted from the release. Customer statements about where tips go are stored as relayed and weigh less.

Spot it on your receipt

  • Workers: note how card tips reach you (cash, paycheck, pay card) and who is on the tip-out sheet.
  • Keep paystubs and tip-out sheets; names will be redacted before anything is published.

On the record

Locations with a published claim that fits

Ordered by the number of independent reports behind the claim.

Bao Bao House

Eugene, OR

1report

House keeps a portion

Legally confirmed2022-07

Chopstix Buffet

Gretna, LA

1report

House keeps a portion

Legally confirmed2025-11

Johnny Fab's Cadillac Grill

Lubbock, TX

1report

House keeps a portion

Legally confirmed2024-08

La Tolteca Authentic Mexican Restaurant

Wilkes-Barre, PA

1report

House keeps a portion

Legally confirmed2024-08

LaLobe Piercing Studio

Dallas, TX

1report

House keeps a portion

Legally confirmed2024-07

Ma's Kitchen

Rowland Heights, CA

1report

Managers or owners receive a share

Legally confirmed2025-12

Nate's Coffee & Cocktails

Buda, TX

1report

Managers or owners receive a share

Legally confirmed2026-04

Ohana's Japanese Steak Restaurant

Lamesa, TX

1report

Managers or owners receive a share

Legally confirmed2024-08

Sly Fox Pittsburgh Taphouse and Brewery

Pittsburgh, PA

1report

Managers or owners receive a share

Legally confirmed2024-11

Sushi Bay

Kapolei, HI

1report

Managers or owners receive a share

Legally confirmed2023-05

The Catch (Lubbock)

Lubbock, TX

1report

Managers or owners receive a share

Legally confirmed2024-08

Tutti Frutti (Holyoke)

Holyoke, MA

1report

House keeps a portion

Legally confirmed2024-03
Report this

Law

The federal baseline

  • Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, tips are the property of the employee. An employer, including managers and supervisors, may not keep any portion of employees' tips for any purpose, whether or not it takes a tip credit.

    Source: 29 U.S.C. §203(m)(2)(B); DOL Fact Sheet #15 · Verified 2026-09

  • No federal law requires or forbids a tip prompt at checkout. If money collected as a "tip" is retained by the business rather than paid to workers, the federal tip-ownership rule and federal and state deceptive-practice laws may apply.

    Source: FTC Act §5; FTC v. Amazon (Amazon Flex), 2021 · Verified 2026-09

Law by state