[cballard]

This is illegal, in New York at least. The employer cannot take the worker's tips.

[christianmann]

Not with the employer or manager, but with e.g. the busboy, dishie, line cook, cashier, etc. is allowed[0].

[0]: http://www.wigdorlaw.com/2014/04/07/unlawful-tip-pooling-und...

[e12e]

I'm sorry if I worded that poorly, I meant that the workers shared their tips, not that the restaurant/owner/employer made that decision.

Although in practice, the employer would probably act as arbiter for pooling tips. (Those restaurants I'm aware of are in Norway, so circumstances are quite different: while there is no minimum wage, the de-facto minimum wage usually hovers around what the unions negotiate -- and end up being quite substantial as compared to eg: the US).