U.S. Patent No. 9,741,050

GratShare

Automated tip management for complex hospitality operations

GratShare is Gratuity Solutions' tip management and distribution engine. It helps restaurants calculate, allocate, distribute, report, and archive tips, gratuities, service charges, commissions, and related pay data with accuracy and consistency.

Distribution rules engine
POS-driven inputs
Payroll-ready output
How GratShare Works From activity to payroll

Collect operational data

POS sales, checks, tips, time records, service charges, employee roles, and location rules feed the calculation.

Apply distribution logic

Configured pools, tip-outs, weights, departments, exceptions, and item-level rules determine who earned what.

Prepare clean outputs

Results move into payout, payroll export, reporting, employee transparency, and audit-ready records.

Payout Calculated earnings move to supported payout workflows.
Payroll Clean exports show what was earned, paid, and still owed.
Audit Rules, exceptions, approvals, and records stay traceable.

See GratShare in action.

How configured pools, tip-outs, and rules decide who earned what — and how GratShare connects to GratSync, CHOICE, and Archive across the platform.

Inside GratShare: Tip Distribution Logic — Gratuity Solutions

GratShare connects restaurant activity with the rules that determine how money should be shared.

Built for real restaurant operations, GratShare supports complex tip pooling rules, tip-outs, service charges, employee roles, time-clock data, manager exceptions, payroll reporting, and advanced distribution models that go far beyond basic spreadsheets or one-size-fits-all POS tools.

It can use POS data, employee data, time records, sales information, gratuity totals, service charges, and location-specific rules to calculate who earned what, why they earned it, and how that information should move into payout and payroll.

Automated tip pooling and tip distribution
Configurable tip-out rules by role, shift, pool, department, or location
Support for service charges, commissions, and other earned pay data
Manager review, overrides, and exception handling
Employee transparency into calculated earnings
Payroll-ready reporting and export workflows
Secure records and audit history
Tippable item tracking for item-level distribution logic

How GratShare turns restaurant activity into payroll-ready distribution

Source systems feed the platform through integrations and normalization. GratShare then applies the rules that turn that activity into payout, payroll, reporting, employee visibility, and audit history.

Inputs via GratSync

POS sales, checks, tips, gratuities, and service charges
Labor, time-clock, employee role, and eligibility data
Normalized item, location, and operating data for the rules engine

GratShare Rules Engine

Applies pools, tip-outs, weights, hours, departments, and custom rules
Handles service charges, commissions, exceptions, and manager overrides
Supports item-level distribution when POS item tracking is part of the rule

Outputs

Manager review, exceptions, approvals, and audit trail
Employee visibility into calculated earnings and payout activity
Payout, payroll export, reconciliation, and reporting workflows
Why this matters: GratSync helps prepare the data. GratShare decides how it should be shared. Together, they give operators a controlled way to calculate complicated distributions while keeping payroll, employees, and compliance records aligned.

Tip management rules for real-world operations

GratShare is the rules engine that keeps complex tip programs consistent, transparent, and ready for downstream systems.

GratShare Rules Engine Click a rule
Selected Rule

Tip Pooling Rules

Build distribution logic around pools, shifts, departments, roles, locations, points, hours, sales, or custom operating structures.

Configured once, applied consistently across the operation.

Tippable item tracking

Some restaurants need tip distribution to reflect more than the total check. In quick-service, fast-casual, and hybrid service environments, specific menu items may involve specific stations, preparation steps, or team members.

GratShare can use tippable items tracked in the POS so tip logic follows the actual work behind the order, from the menu item to the stations, roles, and teams involved.

The simple idea

1
The POS identifies the item

The order carries more detail than the check total, including which menu item was sold.

2
GratShare reads the item rule

The item can trigger station, role, pool, or support-team logic.

3
The output stays payroll-ready

The result moves into payout, reporting, employee visibility, and audit history.

Follow the item Quick-service example
POS ticket Order #1842
Tip $4.80
Bottled water $3.50
Caesar salad with grilled salmon Tippable item tracked $18.75
Cookie $2.95
Work connected to the tracked item
Counter
Salad station
Grill station
Support

GratShare applies the item rule

  • The salad item carries its own distribution logic.
  • The rule can recognize the stations, roles, or pool connected to the preparation work.
  • The calculation is recorded with the same payroll and audit workflow as the rest of the shift.
Manager review See the item, rule, and calculated result before closeout.
Employee view Team members can understand calculated earnings.
Payroll output Clean data moves into payout, payroll, and reporting.

Check-level distribution

Check totals show the overall sale and gratuity amount for the order. This gives the operation a basic foundation for tip calculation and reporting.

Item-level distribution

GratShare adds item context when the operation needs more precision. The POS item can connect to the stations, roles, or pools involved, then stay automated, consistent, and payroll-ready.

GratShare works inside the broader Gratuity Solutions platform

Together, the platform turns daily restaurant activity into accurate tip distribution, payout, payroll, compliance records, and auditability.

GratSync

Moves the right POS, sales, time, and related data from source systems into the workflow.

GratShare

Applies the configured distribution logic, including pools, tip-outs, exceptions, and item-level rules.

Manager Tools

Supports review, exceptions, approvals, operational judgment, and traceable records.

Employee Access

Improves transparency so team members can see calculated earnings and understand payout activity.

Payroll Reporting

Delivers clean, auditable data for payout, payroll, reconciliation, and reporting workflows.

GratShare is the rules engine for modern tip management.

It connects restaurant activity, distribution logic, manager review, employee transparency, payout, payroll, and audit-ready records in one automated workflow.

Ready to see GratShare working end to end?

Start with a pilot built around your current POS, payroll, payout workflow, and real distribution rules.