Pay is called "guaranteed minimum". This is purposely confusing to take advantage of younger people who aren't aware of what they're getting into. From my experience, next to nobody who gets the job understands this or was adequately informed about this in their interview.
Every dollar you earn in tips must be reported--usual. The catch is cash and credit card tips you earn WILL BE TAKEN AND USED BY THE COMPANY to pay your 15/hr paycheck. This means if you work 10 hours and made $100 in tips, your paycheck will be $50. Even if you do really good one hour, your tips end up in a weekly pool and that pool pays your salary for the week. To put it as simply as I can: you only earn tips in this job if you have earned OVER 15/hr in tips spanning ALL THE HOURS on your pay period. (ex. 156 in tips earned on 10 hours: take home is $6 in tips.
They tell you that you get your tips--which *technically* you do--but the only way you receive them is in the form of your actual paycheck. I have worked at Citrin for nearly a year and have never earned more than 15/hr in tips over a pay period--this means I have never once received ACTUAL tips doing a job infamous for tips. In a place where patrons assume the workers get the tips--not the company--it is beyond disheartening to watch people tip a company for my hard work.
