Found out servers at Chili's pay 3% of my bill to the bartender

Was grabbing dinner at the Chili's on Central Ave in Albuquerque last Friday. Talked to my waitress Jenny while she refilled my Dr Pepper. She told me that on every table's bill, 3% of the total automatically goes to the bartender as a tip-out. So if I tip 15% on a $50 meal, only $7.50 actually goes to her. The other $1.50 goes to the bar even if I drank water. Found this out from her directly. Anyone else surprised how much of your tip gets split up behind the scenes?

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alicec865mo ago

Yeah that "even if you drink water" part is what gets me too. So basically servers are subsidizing the bar staff whether you order a drink or not. And @alex_taylor10 you're right that Jenny is definitely losing money on water tables. Think about it, if she gets stiffed on a tip she still owes that 3% to the bartender out of her own pocket. That 3% comes off the total bill not just the tip so she could end up paying to serve someone who didn't tip at all. I've heard some places the tip out is even higher like 4 or 5% which sounds insane to me. It makes you wonder how much of your intended tip actually lands in your server's pocket at the end of the night.

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alex_taylor105mo ago

Wait, 3% of the whole bill goes to the bartender even if you didn't order a drink? That seems crazy to me. So Jenny is basically losing money serving tables of people who only drink water or soda. I wonder how much of that tip-out she actually sees after all the splitting happens.

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