Multi-State Restaurant Compliance

Nobody automates multi-state tip pooling compliance. We're building it.

Tip distribution platforms say "check with your state." We're building the orchestration layer that actually handles it.

Book a 20-minute discovery call No pitch. Just questions about your compliance workflow.

What happens when you get it wrong

"You will be indefensible if you did the tip pool incorrectly." Kickfin (tip management platform)
$60M+
Class-action settlements
in 2024-2025 alone
13
Companies cited by DOL
Summer 2024
3
Major rule changes
Dec 2024 - Jan 2025

Recent Settlements

Chain Settlement Violation
Starbucks $23.5M MA tip pooling violations
TGI Friday's $19.1M Nationwide 80/20 rule violations
Bluegrass Hospitality $9M Non-tipped task time
Bob Evans $3M 80/20 violations (1,800+ employees)
Jeff Ruby Culinary $1.55M Illegal tip practices
Red Robin $900K NY 80/20 violations

Manual compliance systems demand perfect inputs and perfect execution every single time. Across 8 states with 8 different rule sets. Every pay period. Forever.

Every platform says the same thing

"Consult your state regulations." Because nobody's built the compliance layer. Every tip distribution platform stops right where the hard part starts.

The state variance isn't a footnote. It's the whole problem.

California
No tip credit. Criminal charges possible for violations. 60 days jail.
New York
$5/hr tip credit. Prohibits tip pooling entirely.
Minnesota
No tip credit. Strict back-of-house exclusion rules.
Texas
$5.12 tip credit. Federal FLSA rules apply.
Florida
$3.02 tip credit. Federal FLSA rules apply.
Washington
No tip credit. Full state minimum wage required.

7 states have no tipped minimum wage at all. Each state has different rules for who can participate in pools, tip credit amounts, back-of-house inclusion, and documentation requirements.

You're running one restaurant chain. You need one system that knows all of this.

The missing compliance layer

Not tip distribution (Kickfin does that). Not payroll (Toast does that). The piece that sits between your POS and your payroll and validates everything against state-specific law.

No more "check with your state."

This isn't a product demo.
It's a 20-minute conversation.

You explain your compliance nightmare across states.

We figure out what an automated solution needs to handle.

Your input shapes what gets built.

Book a 20-minute discovery call No pitch. No slides. Just the right questions.
Christo Wilken

I'm a software engineer based in Germany, building compliance automation that solves specific, painful problems.

If you're managing tip pooling across multiple states and tired of "check with your state" being the best answer, I'd like to explore building something that actually fixes this.