-Samantha
Most serving positions pay a servers' minimum wage (usually $2 and change/hr in GA) and you keep whatever tips you make. Some restaurants have you "tip out" the bartender, hosts, etc. Tilted Kilt is a little different. While you are still paid the servers' minimum wage, you are not actually hired as a server. You are hired as an entertainer. They do this mainly because you are hired to do more than a typical server, ie sit and talk with your guests, play games, and basically entertain. They also do this also so they can critique your appearance without the fear of getting sued.
So basically, you are making your $2 an hour (which you will not see much of after taxes are taken out), plus tips. Tips in restaurants like Tilted Kilt, and Hooters are, on average, higher in percentage than in a regular casual dining restaurant. Whereas a typical tip in a casual dining restaurant (for good service) is between 15% and 20%, a typical tip at TK starts at 20% and is sometimes even larger than the actual bill. If your restaurant is in a nice area, or there is a large sporting event going on, it's not unusual to see a $100 tip. However, during weekday lunches, and where regulars are concerned, tips are generally just the usual 15-20%.
Most Tilted Kilts also require you to "tip out" your bartender and hosts. Tipping out is when you give a percentage of your tips to the other employees involved in your customers' dining experience. Bartenders and hosts usually get 5-10% of your tips. This works out extremely well for the bartender on busy nights, because not only is she getting tips from her bar customers, but also a percentage of every single server's tips. Hosts at TK generally make whatever the state's minimum wage is, $7.25 in Georgia, plus whatever they are tipped out at the end of the night.
Hope that answers any questions about wages, and good luck on your interview Samantha!
As always, you can email or comment any questions and I will do my best to answer them the same or next day!
adarameow@gmail.com
