A college student working at Outback Steakhouse found a creative way to maximize his earnings.
But it’s raising questions about tip-splitting policies and the ethics of trying to work around them.
Server Requests Cash App
In a viral video with more than 85,000 views, content creator Fini (@thatshowa_bxtchdoit) shared the surprising note her Outback Steakhouse server gave her.
It seems he stealthily put a thin piece of paper with her check or on the table. It contained a printed message that read: “Happy holidays! Would you mind sending my tip through Cash App so I don’t have to split it—thank you so much, I really appreciate it as a college student!”
“Y’all, when I say I’m crying, look at what our server at Outback was, y’all,” Fini says in the TikTok, showing the note. “He was not playing.”
The server’s Cash App information was printed at the bottom of the note, which Fini covered in the video to protect his privacy.
“He in college,” she explains. “He was not trying to split his tips.”
In her caption, Fini clarified that despite the unconventional request, the server provided excellent service.
“He was serious too but genuinely did a great job serving & I honestly understand no shade!” she wrote.
What Is Restaurant Tip Pooling?
Toast, a restaurant management platform, explains that tip pooling is “when some or all of the tips earned during a shift, typically credit card gratuities, are collected into a shared pot and then redistributed among staff, either evenly or based on a set formula.”
There are several common methods for dividing pooled tips. Some restaurants split tips by hours worked, dividing the total amount by the number of employee hours. Others use a percentage-based system where different roles earn specific percentages. For example, the bar staff might receive 45% of the night’s tips. And hostesses get 5%.
According to Toast’s 2025 survey data, tip pooling is controversial among restaurant workers. Twenty-five percent of tipped employees say they’re indifferent to tip pooling, and 46% report disliking or hating it. However, those who actually participate in tip pools tend to feel more positively about it. Thirty-nine percent of tip pool participants say they love or like it.
One anonymous server told Toast, “My hard work is to their advantage, and their lack of it is a disadvantage to me.”
The system tends to work best in high-volume, team-driven environments like coffee shops, fast-casual restaurants, and busy brunch spots where many hands contribute to the guest experience. It can foster teamwork and ensure fair wages for support staff who wouldn’t otherwise receive tips directly.
Is Tip Pooling Legal?
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, tip pooling is legal under federal law as long as certain conditions are met.
When employers pay servers the full minimum wage (currently $7.25 per hour), they can require participation in a “nontraditional” tip pool that includes employees who don’t typically receive tips, like dishwashers and cooks. But when employers take a “tip credit” (paying servers as little as $2.13 per hour and using tips to make up the difference), they can only require servers to share tips with employees who “customarily and regularly receive tips,” like bartenders, bussers, and food runners.
The DOL is clear on one thing: managers and supervisors cannot participate in tip pools or keep any portion of employees’ tips, regardless of the arrangement.
The Tax Implications Of Tips
The server’s Cash App request isn’t just about avoiding tip splitting. It could also have tax consequences. All tips are considered taxable income under federal law, whether they’re received in cash, through credit card payments, or via digital payment apps like Cash App.
According to CNBC, approximately 6 million workers report tipped wages to the IRS. While President Trump’s “big beautiful bill” enacted a “no tax on tips” deduction allowing certain workers to deduct up to $25,000 in qualified tips per year from 2025 to 2028, not all tipped workers benefit from this policy.
Low-income workers who don’t owe federal income tax—which in 2022 included 37% of tipped workers—can’t claim the deduction because they already don’t pay federal income taxes. For 2025, workers won’t owe federal income taxes until earnings exceed the standard deduction of $15,750 for single filers.
Commenters React
“This is smart but i hope no one tell on him,” a top comment read.
“And I would send it to them. Anyone ask me for a cash tip or separate tip will get what they asked. Straight like that. Got you,” a person said.
“Restaurants get away with soooo much. Only paying servers $2 an hour then allowed to force them to split tips. Crazy,” another wrote.
@thatshowa_bxtchdoit He was serious too but genuinely did a great job serving & I honestly understand no shade! #fyp #outbacksteakhouse #dmv
BroBible reached out to Fini for comment via TikTok direct message and comment and to Outback Steakhouse’s parent company via email.