Tip Management in 2027: What to Fix Before Year-End

Most restaurants still handle tips the way they did a decade ago: a spreadsheet pool and cash from the drawer at close. Starting with 2026 W-2s, qualified tips must be reported separately, so every gap in that process shows up on paper.

Nate Whatley, Director of Technology at On Deck Concepts, joins Nipul Chokshi, CMO of HotSchedules by Fourth, for a candid conversation about where On Deck’s old tip process fell short, why they moved to digital tip distribution and payouts, and what changed for managers, tipped staff and payroll once they did.

Then they’ll get practical, with the checks every operator should run before December 31 so your tip pools, W-2s and paychecks all line up. Can’t make it live? Register anyway and we’ll send you the recording.

Tune in to hear:

• Where manual tip distribution creates errors, disputes and compliance risk
• What the new W-2 tip reporting rules mean for how you pay out tips
• How On Deck Concepts took managers out of 3 a.m. tip math
• Why faster, more transparent payouts help keep tipped staff when tips aren’t growing
• The three tip checks every operator should run before December 31