Feature Focus Guide: Distribution · Tip and Sales Distribution Page 7 13. Type the minimum number of guests required to apply an automatic gratuity. 14. Select the Tax ID to determine

Feature Focus Guide:
Tip and Sales Distribution
Table of ContentsAbout Tip and Sales Distribution............................................................................................. 3Configuring Tip and Sales Distribution.................................................................................... 4

Establishing Days Available for Distribution......................................................................... 4Activating and Defining the Automatic Gratuity Function..................................................... 5Activating and Defining Automatic Gratuities in a Revenue Center..................................... 7Setting Up a Job Code to Have Team Service Capabilities................................................. 8Editing Back Office Security Levels ................................................................................... 10

Using Tip and Sales Distribution........................................................................................... 11Operating in a Team Service Environment ........................................................................ 11Declaring Tips at Checkout................................................................................................ 12Performing Distribution Procedures ................................................................................... 12

Reporting Tip and Sales Distribution .................................................................................... 19Troubleshooting Tip and Sales Distribution .......................................................................... 20Feature History .................................................................................................................... 20

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Tip and Sales Distribution Page 2

Copyright ©2008, Radiant Systems, Inc. The information contained in this publication is confidential andproprietary. No part of this document may be reproduced, disclosed to others, transmitted, stored in aretrieval system, or translated into any language, in any form, by any means, without written permission ofRadiant Systems, Inc.

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About Tip and Sales Distribution

The Tip and Sales Distribution feature (formerly known as Team Tip Distribution) enables a manager toaccess closed guest checks and distribute the sales, non-cash tips, and auto gratuities among order entryemployees in a team service environment. In a team service environment, several employees operate as ateam on one or more tables, such as a banquet or a large party. For example, you sit a party of 20 in theBanquet revenue center. Four employees clock in using the team service job code with the intention ofserving the party in cooperation with each other. One of the employees (check owner) opens a guest check,and the other employees (team servers) add items to the check, using the Get Check function. The checkowner closes the check. Anytime after the check owner closes the check, a manager uses Tip and SalesDistribution to distribute the sales, non-cash tips, and auto gratuity among the employees.

Tip and Sales Distribution at a GlanceCore Product Aloha Table ServiceSeparate License Required? NoOther References Aloha Table Service Manager’s Guide; Aloha Table Service

Reference Guide


Configuring Tip and Sales DistributionTo configure a team service environment and establish the ability to distribute sales and tips, you must con-figure several settings, in various locations in Aloha Manager. When configured correctly, Tip and SalesDistribution makes it easy for you to distribute tips equitably among employees, in accordance with theirjob codes, and the revenue centers in which they work.

This section details the configuration requirements for the Tip and Sales Distribution feature. You mustaccess several functions to complete the configuration. If you are an experienced user, refer to Proceduresat a Glance for abbreviated steps. If you prefer more detail, continue reading this document.

Establishing Days Available for Distribution

You must establish whether you allow the distribution of tips and sales for checks from prior days, checksfrom the current day, or checks from both, when using Tip and Sales Distribution. In the following proce-dure, we discuss only the settings related to the Tip and Sales Distribution feature. We do not discuss theother settings on this function.

1. Select Maintenance > Store Settings.2. Select the Security group.

Procedures at a Glance:

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1. Access Maintenance > Store Settings > Security group > Restrictions tab, to establish the days available for distributions.

2. Access Maintenance > Store Settings > Financials group > Automatic Gratuity tab, to activate and configure Automatic Gratuity.

3. Access Maintenance > System > Revenue Centers > Options tab, to activate automatic gratuities in revenue centers.

4. Access Maintenance > Labor > Job Codes > Job Code tab, to configure a job code for team ser-vice.

5. Access Maintenance > Labor > Back Office Security Levels, to configure back office security levels for Tip and Sales Distribution.


3. Select the Restrictions tab.

4. Select ONE of the following from the Tip and Sales Distribution drop-down list:

Select Prior, to work with checks from previous days only, not checks for the current day.

Select Current, to work with checks for the current day only, not checks from previous days.

Select All, to work with checks from previous days and for the current day.

5. Click Save, and exit the Store Settings function.

Activating and Defining the Automatic Gratuity Function

Most team service environments utilize the automatic gratuity function. Using this function, you can addgratuity to the check based on the percentage of the check amount, or as a flat dollar amount. You canenable the system to automatically add gratuity globally to all guest checks or to checks in a specific reve-nue center, such as in the following sample restaurant layout:

You can also access a check in the FOH and manually add a gratuity. In the following procedure, we dis-cuss only the settings related to the Tip and Sales Distribution feature. We do not discuss the other settingson these functions.

Figure 1 Store Settings, Security, Restrictions Settings

Sample Restaurant LayoutMain Dining Area (no automatic gratuity) Banquet

Room (auto-matic gratu-ity)

Bar Area (no automatic gratuity)


To activate and define an automatic gratuity to add to all checks:

1. Select Maintenance > Store Settings. 2. Select Financials from the Group drop-down list to access the Automatic Gratuity tab.

3. Select Use Automatic Gratuity to activate the feature.4. Select Manager Needed to require a manager to apply automatic gratuity.5. Select Server Override to allow a server to change the automatic gratuity percentage.6. Select Manager Override to allow a manager to change the automatic gratuity percentage.7. Select Combine Gratuity Tax with Other Guest Check Tax to combine gratuity tax with other

taxes as one entry on the check.8. Select On Tax to automatically apply gratuity to the total of the guest check, including taxes (gross

sales). Clear this check box to automatically apply gratuity to the guest check before taxes (net sales).

9. Type a Default % amount to specify the standard automatic gratuity percentage to apply to guest checks.

10. Type a Maximum % amount to specify the maximum gratuity percentage permitted. Maximum % works in conjunction with ‘Manager Override’ and ‘Server Override’. The system adds an extra zero to any gratuity percent that does not have one. For example, if you enter 8 as a default or max-imum percentage, the percentage displays as 8.00; if you enter 12.5, the percentage displays as 12.50. These percentages automatically display on the Enter Gratuity Percent screen in the FOH. You can either accept the default gratuity or enter a gratuity with up to two decimal places.

11. Type a Default $ amount to specify the standard automatic gratuity flat dollar amount to apply to guest checks.

12. Type a Maximum $ amount to specify the maximum gratuity dollar amount permitted. Once you apply the gratuity, the Edit Gratuity button in the FOH replaces the Add Gratuity button. You can either accept the default gratuity or press Edit Gratuity to enter an amount up to, but not exceeding, the amount specified here. If you is set this value to $0.00, the Edit Gratuity button does not dis-play in the FOH.

Figure 2 Store Settings, Financials, Automatic Gratuity Settings


13. Type the minimum number of guests required to apply an automatic gratuity.14. Select the Tax ID to determine the tax table to use for taxing the automatic gratuity.15. Select the Gratuity Tax ID to determine the sales category in which the gratuity taxes should dis-

play, if you configure the BOH Sales report to show detail for the Sales by Category section. If you do not select a category, the ‘Taxes’ column of the first sales/retail category displayed in the list includes the gratuity taxes.

16. Click Save and exit the Store Settings function.

Activating and Defining Automatic Gratuities in a Revenue Center

You must activate automatic gratuities in team service revenue centers, and configure them properly, toapply them to guest checks.

To activate and define an automatic gratuity to add to checks in a specific revenue center:

1. Select Maintenance > System > Revenue Centers. The Revenue Centers function tab appears.

2. Enter an unused number for a new revenue center in the Code text box, or select an existing rev-enue center, and press Enter.

3. If this is a new revenue center, type a name for the revenue center, such as ‘Banquet’.4. Select Force Automatic Gratuity to automatically apply the gratuity to guest checks from this

revenue center, and to enable the ‘%’ and ‘$’ settings.5. Type a minimum gratuity amount to specify the minimum gratuity amount for the guest check.

This amount is the lowest amount allowed until you select a greater amount. 6. Type the percentage to use to calculate the automatic gratuity for checks from this revenue center

in the % text box, such as the standard 15%. If you leave this blank, the system uses the percentage defined in the ‘Default %’ text box in Maintenance > Store Settings > Financials.

Figure 3 Automatic Gratuity Settings, Revenue Centers


7. Type the gratuity dollar amount to apply to checks from this revenue center, such as $10.00, in the $ text box. If you leave this blank, the system uses the amount in the ‘Default $’ text box in Maintenance > Store Settings > Financials.

8. Type descriptive text to print on the guest check for an automatic gratuity in Gratuity Text. This accommodates text descriptions for separate revenue centers. If you leave this blank, ‘Gratuity’ prints on the guest check.

9. Click Save.10. Repeat steps 2 through 9 until you activate automatic gratuity on all necessary revenue centers.11. Exit the Revenue Centers function.

Setting Up a Job Code to Have Team Service Capabilities

Team service employees must log in under a job code configured with ‘Order Entry’, ‘Can Get Checks’,‘Auto Return Get Checks’ and ‘Must Declare Tips’ selected. You can create a separate job code for a teamservice environment, or modify an existing job code. In the following procedure, we discuss only the set-tings related to the Tip and Sales Distribution feature. We do not discuss the other settings on this function.

To set up a job code for a team service environment:

1. Select Maintenance > Labor > Job Codes. The Job Codes function appears.

2. Enter an unused number in the Number text box or select an existing number, and press Enter.3. If this is a new job code, type a name and description for the job code, such as Team Service or

Banquet. 4. Select Order Entry to allow the team service employee to view and enter orders.5. Select Can Get Checks to allow the team service employees, other than the owner of the check, to

access and modify the check.

Figure 4 Job Codes, Job Code Tab Configuration


6. Select the Functions tab.

7. Select Must Declare Tips.8. Select the Table Service tab.

9. Select Auto Return Get Checks to automatically return checks accessed by other team service employees to the original owner of the check, when they complete their modifications. If you clear this check box, then the check owner must perform the ‘Get Check’ function to receive the check, as well as the other team service employees.

10. Click Save.

Figure 5 Job Codes, Functions Tab Configuration

Figure 6 Job Codes, Table Service Tab Configuration


11. Repeat steps 2 through 10 for each job code, as necessary. 12. Click Save and exit the Job Codes function.

Editing Back Office Security Levels

Managers must have security access to run Tip and Sales Distribution. Most likely you will modify allexisting Back Office security levels for managers who will distribute tips and sales. In the following proce-dure, we discuss only the settings related to the Tip and Sales Distribution feature. We do not discuss theother settings on this function.

To edit an existing security level to run Tip and Sales Distribution:

1. Select Maintenance > Labor > Back Office Security Levels to display the Back Office Security Levels function tab.

2. Select the security level to edit from the ID drop down list, and press Enter.3. Scroll down the Function list box and click Tip and Sales Distribution.4. Select the Run check box. An X appears under the Run column for the function.5. Click Save and exit the Back Office Security Levels function.

As with any job code, you must assign it to an employee in Maintenance > Labor > Employ-ees, so the employee can clock in with team service capabilities.

Changing the settings in a specific security level affects all employees assigned to that security level in Maintenance > Labor > Employees > Back Office Security.

Figure 7 Back Office Security Levels Configuration


Using Tip and Sales DistributionWhen you perform FOH procedures, it is important to distinguish between the check owner and the otherteam service employees working on a table. Your role determines how you operate in a team service envi-ronment and how you declare tips.

Operating in a Team Service Environment

All team service employees must clock in using the appropriate job code with team service capabilities.During the course of the day, the sales and tip amounts post to the employee who started and closed thecheck. The sales and tips remain with that employee until you distribute them to other employees. Teamservice employees perform a Get Check function to enter and modify items. The check is then returned tothe check owner through the system. The following table describes an example of the roles and functionsof a team service environment with three employees.

1. All team service employees clock in under the team service job code or a job code with team ser-vice capabilities.

2. The check owner starts the check, and can add items as normal.3. If a team service employee needs to add items to the check, he or she touches the Get Check button

on the Working with Tables screen, or a floor plan in use. The Get Check screen appears.

a. The team service employee enters either the check number or table number using the numeric keypad, and touches OK. The Order Entry screen appears with the check in the guest check window.

Employee Team Service Role FunctionsEmployee 1 Check Owner Opens, enters items, and closes the check.Employee 2 Team service employee Enters items using Get CheckEmployee 3 Team service employee Enters items using Get Check

Figure 8 Get Check Screen


b. The team service employee adds and modifies items on the check, and touches Done. The sys-tem returns the check to the check owner.

4. When the guest is ready to leave, the check owner closes the check.

Declaring Tips at Checkout

During the checkout procedure, the owner of the check must declare the tips for the full amount of thecheck before distribution, and the other team service employees declare their apportioned amount. You canthen change the tip declaration of the owner on the following day using Functions > Edit Punches.

As shown in the following example using the equal split method on a $100.00 check with $30.00 of tipsand gratuities, the check owner receives all sales and declares all tips, and the other team service employ-ees receive no sales and declare their expected proportional tip amount. After you distribute tips and sales,all team service employees receive the same amount.

Performing Distribution Procedures

After the check is closed, and the team service employees clock out, you can distribute the tips and sales tothe other team service employees, run the Team Service Tip report, and edit the tip declaration of the checkowner.

Distributing Tip and Sales to Team Service Employees

How you define the available days for distribution, determines when you can split the tips and sales. Forexample, if you select ‘Prior’ as the available days, you must wait until the following business day to workwith a closed check for today.

Refer to the Aloha Table Service Server Guide for more information on the order entry proce-dures.

Team Service Role Sales Posted to the Team Service Employee Tip Declaration

Check Owner $100.00 $30.00Team service employee $0.00 $10.00Team service employee $0.00 $10.00

Procedures at a Glance:

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1. Distribute tips and sales to team service employees.2. Run the team service tip share report.3. Edit the tip declaration, filed by the check owner.


To distribute tips and sales to team service employees:

1. Select Functions > Tip and Sales Distribution. The date selection dialog box appears.

2. Select a single date to process in this list. You cannot select multiple days. 3. Click Process. The Tip and Sales Distribution Check Selection dialog box appears with all closed

checks for the selected date.

The date of the selection appears in the title bar of the dialog box, and checks from all revenue cen-ters appear in the list.

Click a column heading to sort the checks by that particular column. Click the same column again to sort the column in reverse order. The following columns appear on the screen:

Figure 9 Tip and Sales Distribution Dialog Box

Figure 10 Tip and Sales Distribution Check Selection Dialog Box

To view the checks from a specific revenue center, select the revenue center from the drop-down list.


Check # — The check number assigned to the check when it was entered into the FOH.

Owner — The owner of the check, which is the employee who started the check, or the employeewho received transfer of the check.

Time Opened — The time the owner started the check.

Food/Bev $ — The total sales, after tax, for the check.

Service $ — The automatic gratuity added to the check.

Gratuity $ — The non-cash tips applied to the check, such as credit card tips.

Gross $ — The gross sales amount of the check based on the following calculation: Food/Bev $ +Service $ + Gratuity $.

# Emps — The number of employees receiving credit for the distribution.

Dist? — The status of the check. ‘Y’ indicates you already distributed the tips and sales for thecheck. ‘N’ indicates you have not. If you reopen a check you already distributed, the Dist? statusresets to ‘N’.

4. Select the check to distribute from the Select a Check for Association list.

5. To add another employee to the distribution, select an employee from the Available Employees list, and click Add. The employee appears in the Employees on Check(s) list box.

To remove an employee from the distribution, select the employee in the Employees on Check list, and click Remove. The employee appears in the Available Employees list box.

6. Continue to add and remove employees, if necessary.7. When the employees to include in the distribution are correct, click Process. The Tip and Sales

Distribution dialog box appears. If you selected more than one check to distribute, each column represents a total from the checks.

8. Select ONE of the following options:

Select Equal Split, to distribute the sales and tips for the check equally among all employees inthe list. The columns update accordingly.

The Refresh Checks button only displays if you select ‘Today’ as the available day for distri-bution. Click Refresh Checks to update the list of checks generated from the FOH and return to the default sorting order of Check #.

To select more than one check, hold down CTRL and select the individual checks. To select more than one consecutive check, select the first check, hold down the Shift key, and select the last check.


Select By Percentage, to distribute the sales and tips for the check based on the distribution per-centage. Click inside the distribution percentage amount and type the percentage to allocate tothe employee. Repeat for each employee until the total distribution amounts equal 100%. The col-umns update accordingly.

9. Click Review Changes to update and review the distribution. The Save button becomes available.10. Click Save to return to the Tip and Sales Distribution Check Selection dialog box. The #Emps and

Dist? update accordingly.11. Click Cancel to exit.

Running the Team Service Tip Share Report

You can view and print your distribution amounts and recipients with the Team Service Tip Share report.You can also configure the report to sort by employee or check, and whether to print in landscape.

To view or print the Team Service Tip Share report:

1. Select Functions > Tip and Sales Distribution. The date selection dialog box appears (Figure 12).

2. Select a Date of Business from the list.

Figure 11 Tip and Sales Distribution Dialog Box - By Percentage

Distribution Rule: The system allows you to enter percentages greater than 100. For example, if you enter ‘40’, ‘40’, and ‘40’ for three employees, each value is divided into the total to arrive with a calculated percentage of 33.3% of the total tips and sales for each employee (100%/3=33%). Similarly, if you enter ‘20’, ‘20’, and ‘10’, the system calculates a total of 50%, then divides the individual values into the total to calculate each line proportionately (20/50=40%, 20/50=40%, 10/50=20%. 40% + 40% + 20% = 100%). In the event the calculation results in leftover pennies unequal to the number of employees, the system assigns the overage in equal amounts beginning with the top employee.


3. Click Print Report. The Team Service Tip Split Report dialog box appears.

4. Click View to view the report, or click Print to print the report to the local printer.

5. If you are viewing, click Close to close the report.

To change settings for the Team Service Tip Share report:

1. Select Functions > Tip and Sales Distribution. The date selection dialog box appears (Figure 12).

2. Select a Date of Business from the list.3. Click Print Report. The Team Service Tip Split Report dialog box appears (Figure 13).

Figure 12 Team Service Tip Split Report Dialog Box

Figure 13 Team Service Tip Share Report


4. Click Settings. The Team Service Tip Split Report Settings dialog box appears.

5. Select Server to display checks sorted by the employee, or Check to display checks sorted by the check number.

6. Select Print Landscape to print the report using the landscape format, instead of portrait.7. Click OK to save the settings.

Editing the Tip Declaration for the Check Owner

As explained in the Performing FOH Procedures section, if all team service employees declare theirexpected share of tips, the manager needs to edit only the tip declaration for the check owner. Edit the dec-laration using the Team Service Tip Share report.

To change the tip declaration for the check owner:

1. Select Functions > Edit Punches. The Edit Prior Days’ Time and Attendance function tab appears.

2. Select a Date of Business from the list.

Figure 14 Team Service Tip Split Report Settings Dialog Box

The system does not remind you to change the declaration of tips. If you do not change the tip declaration of the check owner, the employee remains over-declared.


3. Select the check owner and click Edit. The Edit Shift Data dialog box appears.

4. Type the adjusted tip declaration amount in the Tips text box.5. Click Save and exit the Edit Prior Days’ Time and Attendance function.

Figure 15 Edit Shift Data Dialog Box


Reporting Tip and Sales DistributionDistributed tips and sales are written to the Trans.log and grind files. They do not appear on FOH reports orthe FOH checkout report.

The following BOH reports reflect adjusted tips and sales information:

• Server Sales report (This report displays a sales section with an option to print guest and check averages. Guest and check averages are not distributed.)

• Labor report• Tip Income report• Front of House Cash Owed report• Time and Attendance report• Edited Punches


Troubleshooting Tip and Sales DistributionWe cover the following troubleshooting areas for the Tip and Sales Distribution feature:

Unable to Generate Sales Data on the Team Service Tip Share Report

If no sales are generated on the Team Service Tip Share report, then the order mode from which sales arereported may not be configured as ‘Tippable.’ Select Maintenance > System > Order Modes, and select‘Tippable’ for the order mode.

Unable to Save My Distribution Changes

If you cannot save your distribution changes when you exit the Tip and Sales Distribution Check Selectiondialog box, then you may not have the FOH running when you distributed your changes. This only occurswhen you select ‘Today’ as your available day for distribution. The FOH terminal should always be run-ning.

Feature History

Supported Versions DescriptionAloha Table Service, v5.3.2 and higher

Renamed and enhanced Team Tip Distribution to become Tip and Sales Distribution


Documents

Feature Focus Guide: Distribution · Tip and Sales Distribution Page 7 13. Type the minimum number of guests required to apply an automatic gratuity. 14. Select the Tax ID to determine