Pool Types: Setting up Standard Pools

There are two pool types available to be configured in the Tip Pooling Admin tool; standard and event.

• Standard- after the initial setup this pool runs automatically on chosen effective dates.
• Event - allows you to manage a pool for a particular check, or checks.

The Tip Pools tab on the Tip Management screen allows you to create multiple pools with varying configurations, which can then be assigned to locations based on operational needs. This article will demonstrate the setup process for standard pools.

Creating a Standard Pool

Step 1. To begin creating an standard tip pool, navigate to the Tip Pools tab on the Tip Management page and select Create Pool.

Fig. 1 - Creating a New Tip Pool

Step 2. Select standard as the pool type. This will set up a pool that will continuously run in the background, without the need for manual intervention.

Fig. 2 - Choosing Standard Pool Type

Step 3. Configure your pool by:

• Choosing a name,
• Pool Configuration,
• Schedule (the days the pool will apply to)

Please note: You can create more than one pool with different schedules, for example if you have different rules that apply on weekdays vs. weekends.

Fig. 3 - Enter Pool Details

• Choose the day part that the pool applies to,
• When the pool is effective from and an optional end date

Step 4. Define the Contribution Type for the pool:

• Sales % tip out,
• From Credit Card tips,
• From Service Charge

The example shown below in fig. 4 - 7, walks through the settings for Sales % tip out.  

Please note: There is an optional configuration to exclude checks with zero tips if selecting Sale % Tip Out option. This could help prevent employees going negative on their tips

Fig. 4 -Select Pool Contribution Type

• Define the contribution roles - choose jobs or job groups that will contribute a set percentage of their sales to the pool. 

  Please note: If you select a job group, everyone in that job group will need to submit the same stake %. If you want to break this down by job code, select the individual job codes from the list instead. 

• If the POS provider provides sales category data, then you will also be able to define the sales categories.

Please note: You can add multiple contributors here.

Step 5. Define how you would like the pool to be distributed. The options are as follows:

• Equal - for example if employees work roughly the same shift and you are happy to split evenly amongst everyone, this is a good option
• Hours worked - base the pool distribution by how many hours the employee works. This can be done in two ways:
  • By total hours worked in the selected day part
  • Or by Time of Sale; where the employee only receives tip distribution for the time they have worked in relation to the duration of the check.

Fig. 5 - Select Pool Distribution Type

• Define the jobs that will receive from the pool,

  • This can also be taken a step further to define what percentage each job code will receive.

    Please note: If you select a job group, everyone in that job group will need to submit the same stake %. If you want to break this down by job code, select the individual job codes from the list instead. 

  • Where no eligible receivers are present, you can define how the remaining tips will be allocated.

Step 6. The last page provides a chance to review the configuration. Navigate back to the previous pages if you would like to make any edits at this stage and then return to the review page to save the pool.

Fig. 6 - Review & Finish

Once you have saved your new pool, this will be visible on the tip pools tab. The pool will at first show as unassigned, as denoted by the tag next to the pool name. This is because the pool has not yet been assigned to any locations.

Fig. 7 - Confirmation of Pool Creation

Step 7.  Click the assign locations button to the right of the pool, to bring up the location list. On the next page, select the locations you want to assign the pool to. 

Please note: You will only see locations that have been assigned to the Pool Configuration.

Fig. 8 - Assign Locations

Fig. 9 - Choose Locations to Assign

After locations have been assigned to the tip pool, the pool will now show as active and can be filtered by the location filter. For location managers, only the pools assigned to your location(s) will be visible.

Further action can be taken against the pool by clicking on the 3 dots on the right, as displayed below. This brings up options to edit or deactivate the pool at the location.

Fig. 10 - Pool Actions

Fig. 11 - Edit Pool