Mass transition to cashless payments has seriously impacted the income of Russian waiters, because half of it is often comprised of tips. In order to halt the staff loss, restaurateurs have to develop technological solutions that will enable patrons to tip via bank cards.

Kommersant reports that Sberbank, Russian Standard and Tinkoff banks are already trying to enter into that traditional part of restaurant business.

Café network Shokoladnitsa is going to test an e-tipping system this fall in cooperation with Russian Standard. The bank has confirmed it, noting that Visa card holders will be able to tip waiters in the new way before the year-end.

Sberbank is creating a tipping service as well: the bank’s FoodPlex (single digital platform for restaurants – Banks.am) has developed Plazius app, which will be available to users of all payment systems.

Tinkoff Bank is working on a technological tipping solution as well.

According to experts, the shift away from cash is leading to decrease of the amount of tips. Restaurateurs are looking for solutions to stop the staff loss, such as making the tips an official payment and processing them through the cash register, but that overcomplicates the procedure because this way the restaurateurs have to pay taxes.

Russian Standard has explained that tips are not taxed: the patron and the waiter enter into a gift contract, which does not require participation of the accounting department of the restaurant, if it decides to allow cashless tips.

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