Hospitality Workers Accuse Bosses of Keeping Tips for Themselves

The Staff Canteen

HOSPITALITY WORKERS ACCUSE BOSSES OF KEEPING TIPS FOR THEMSELVES.

More than half of the workers in the UK say their bosses lie about tips, according to new research by leading price comparison site money.co.uk.

The nationwide study reveals that 1 in 5 hospitality workers in the UK claim their bosses keep all the tips for themselves.

The worrying report follows a government announcement that makes it illegal for restaurant, café, and pub bosses to withhold tips from hospitality workers, who currently represent around 3.2 million employees nationwide, that’s 10% of the entire UK workforce.

Analysis from financial experts at money.co.uk has revealed that waiter and bar staff believe they lose as much as £140 a week as a result of unfair tip distribution by their bosses and managers. This could amount to £7,000 annually.

More than Half of Hospitality workers (55.3%) say they “don’t trust” that their boss or manager is honest about the tips they receive while around 1 in 5 (18.6%) believes their boss takes every penny of the tips they earn.

According to trade association UKHospitality, the hospitality industry contributes £130 billion to the economy each year, with many workers relying on tips to top up their income.

Today’s data finds that the average UK hospitality workplace earns £1,311 a week in tips, with establishments in Scotland (£1,639) earning more than any other UK region, almost double those in the West Midlands (£888), which comes bottom of the pile.

Despite Scottish customers happily parting with their cash, workers north of the border claim they are short-changed more than those in any other region, losing out on a whopping £172 each week due to their employers.

Customers in Manchester are the worst tippers in the UK, according to the research. Hospitality workers in the city take home an additional average of £137 per week. Meanwhile, those in Brighton on the sunny south coast are the best tippers, with workers there taking home a weekly average of £227 in tips.

There’s also a difference in tips when it comes to age, with hospitality workers in Gen Z earning the most a week in tips (£211), which almost doubles what Baby Boomers, who are bottom of the pile, earn in addition to their wage (£119).

James Andrews, Senior Personal Finance Expert at money.co.uk, said: “Within the next year, restaurant, café and pub bosses will be banned from keeping tips left for staff by customers in Britain.

 “Following the change in policy, hospitality staff should in theory be taking home more in tips than ever before.”

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall and restrict access – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 12 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 500,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.

The Staff Canteen

The Staff Canteen

Editor 19th October 2021

Hospitality Workers Accuse Bosses of Keeping Tips for Themselves