Did lawyers file a whole bunch of class actions on tip pooling at about the same time a year or two ago? Apparently so. Several judicial opinions have now emerged. They're not good for the plaintiffs.
We recently posted about Budrow v. Dave & Buster's here. There, the court decided that a restaurant's requirement that cocktail waitrons tip out a bartender was lawful.
Now, in Etheridge v. Reins International California, Inc. opinion here, the court of appeal reached the same conclusion, albeit with a slightly different formulation. Tip pooling, the court held, is fine when the tips are doled out to employees in the "chain of service." It is still forbidden to involve managers / supervisors in tip pools. But the bussers, bar backs, and hosts can breathe again.