Colorado Tipping Laws

[jane_doe]

Is there any particular law that states I can not (as a restaurant manager) require my servers to tip out bartenders, kitchen staff, host staff, or event coordinators?

[Pattymd]

There are federal guidelines for tip sharing/pooling, which prohibit tip sharing with employees who are not "regularly and customarily tipped", which would therefore exclude event managers and kitchen staff. See here:
http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/wages/wagestips.htm

[jane_doe]

Thank you for getting back to me and for the informative link. After reading the information am I to understand that if the word "gratuity" were replaced with "service charge" the employer has the right to dispurse those funds as he sees fit? I have worked in several restaurants were the "tip-out" was standardized by management without issue. However, in my new workplace there is no current policy and I want to create a fair and legal procedure. Again, thank you for your time.

[Pattymd]

Service charges are the property of the employer and so may be distributed as the employer sees fit.