Case Study

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Columbia Hospitality

Columbia Hospitality

QR Code Tipping at Scale: How Columbia Hospitality Streamlined Tip Management with TipHaus

Columbia Hospitality Group, based in Seattle, specializes in boutique and unique hospitality properties, including hotels, restaurants, conference centers, residential spaces, and special venues. With operations across the Pacific Northwest and growing nationwide, the company manages multiple service types and locations, each with distinct operational needs. Columbia Hospitality partnered with TipHaus to streamline tip management, reduce manual payroll processes, and improve transparency for team members across their diverse properties.

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Results

15 min

Saved per pay period on end-of-period reconciliations

30 min

Saved per property, per day on tip management

100%

Increase in tip transparency for staff

Executive Summary
Region

Pacific Northwest & National (United States)

# of Locations

6

Business Type

Boutique hospitality, including food & beverage, event venues, and hotel operations.

Interviewee

Greg Sheer, Area Director of Food & Beverage

Problem

Columbia Hospitality relied on manual, fragmented tip-tracking processes across multiple properties and POS systems, creating heavy administrative overhead, inconsistent workflows, and extended payroll timelines. Limited tip visibility for employees and a poorly integrated prior QR tipping solution further increased confusion, questions, and management burden.

Solution

TipHaus automated tip distribution by integrating directly with POS and timekeeping systems, cutting daily tip management time from up to 30 minutes to about 5 minutes while supporting property-specific configurations and service charges. Branded QR code tipping, real-time employee visibility, guest feedback, and hands-on implementation support improved staff satisfaction, operational consistency, and overall efficiency across locations.

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Background

Managing tips across multiple hospitality properties with varied service styles posed significant challenges for Columbia Hospitality. With operations ranging from full-service hotels to small brewpubs, each location had unique tip structures, manual processes, and differing POS systems. Columbia Hospitality sought a solution that could scale with their growth while maintaining operational consistency and supporting employee satisfaction.

Problem

 Before implementing TipHaus, Columbia Hospitality faced several challenges:

  • Manual, time-consuming processes: Tip tracking involved spreadsheets, POS reports, handwritten paper slips, and frequent cross-checks, consuming 20–30 minutes daily per property.
  • High administrative burden: Manual entry required exhaustive reviewing and constant double-checking to maintain accuracy, which placed a heavy load on management and extended the time required for payroll-related tasks.
  • Multi-location complexity: Different POS systems (Silverware, Toast, Micros, LightSpeed) and varying tip structures across properties created inconsistent processes.
  • Limited transparency: Team members had little visibility into their tips until the end of a shift or pay period, resulting in frequent questions and potential dissatisfaction.
  • Ineffective previous solutions: Greg noted that a previous vendor for QR code tipping didn’t integrate with their timekeeping system, requiring manual tip allocation and creating extra administrative work.
Solution

Columbia Hospitality implemented TipHaus across multiple properties, leveraging features that directly addressed their pain points:

  • Automation of tip distribution: TipHaus integrated with POS and timekeeping systems to automatically calculate tip pools and allocations, reducing daily tip management from 30 minutes to roughly 5 minutes.
  • QR code tipping & Service Charges: For housekeeping, engineering, and other service teams, branded QR codes allowed guests to tip digitally. TipHaus also enabled Columbia Hospitality to introduce and seamlessly administer service charges at two properties, ensuring those funds flowed directly to culinary team members where it was not previously part of the program. This provided a new stream of income for back-of-house staff while the system automatically integrated these allocations with payroll, removing the need for manual administrative work.
  • Customizable interface: TipHaus allowed property-specific branding, team-level or individual QR codes, and role-specific tip structures to accommodate diverse operational needs.
  • Transparency for employees: Team members accessed the TipHaus Employee App, displaying real-time tip earnings, weighted by hours and position, improving understanding and satisfaction.
  • Guest feedback functionality: TipHaus allowed guests to leave comments alongside tips, giving team members recognition for exceptional service, something Columbia Hospitality values highly for employee morale and engagement.
  • Implementation support: TipHaus provided top-tier onboarding, training, and ongoing customer success support, ensuring smooth rollout and adoption across locations.

TipHaus gave us the ability to fully customize QR code tipping with our hotel branding, while also allowing guests to leave comments for our team members. It’s been great for both facilitating gratuities and recognizing our staff for the exceptional service they provide.

Mattie Koeneman - The Briar Group

Greg Sheer

Area Director of Food & Beverage

Results
  • Daily time savings: Daily tip management decreased from 20–30 minutes per day to about 5 minutes.
  • End-of-period efficiency: End-of-period reconciliations were reduced from 30 minutes per pay period to approximately 15 minutes.
  • Operational efficiency: Automated tip allocations and POS integration reduced the need for manual review and repetitive double-checking, freeing up administrative time.
  • Enhanced employee experience: Real-time transparency and clear reporting improved communication, confidence, and satisfaction among team members.
  • Scalable solution: TipHaus accommodated multiple properties, service types, and tip structures, allowing Columbia Hospitality to continue scaling operations without adding administrative burden.
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By partnering with TipHaus, Columbia Hospitality successfully transformed its tip management from an exhaustive, review-heavy manual process into an automated, transparent, and scalable system. The implementation has significantly reduced administrative time through seamless POS integration and enabled the administration of new service charge programs, ensuring Columbia Hospitality can focus on delivering exceptional hospitality experiences while maintaining absolute accuracy in staff compensation.