TipHaus + Deputy Partner Webinar Recording
Originally aired: Wednesday, May 13, 2026
From Service Charges to Voluntary Tips: How Restaurants Are Adapting to OBBBA
Why operators are rethinking service charges, scheduling practices, and tip transparency in 2026
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Meet our Webinar Host
Kirk Grogan
COO of TipHaus
Kirk Grogan, co-founder and COO of TipHaus, leverages over two decades of hospitality expertise from fine dining to luxury resorts, driving innovation and operational excellence in his ventures. A leading voice on OBBBA compliance, Kirk frequently speaks on federal tax law's impact on hospitality labor. He champions company culture and believes in the power of great employees to foster a transparent work environment, enhancing TipHaus’s ability to innovate and provide exceptional customer experiences. An accomplished public speaker and mentor, Kirk enjoys the outdoors, tech startups, and motorcycle touring from his base in Dallas, Texas.
Meet our Guest Speaker
Sohail Punjwani
Product Compliance Counsel
Sohail Punjwani serves as Product Compliance Counsel at Deputy, where he acts as a strategic legal advisor on regulatory exposure for a global workforce management platform. With a strong background spanning SaaS, labor and employment, and public-sector advisory, he specializes in guiding leadership through complex, multi-jurisdictional wage-and-hour compliance. His diverse career includes serving as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Oklahoma, as well as holding senior in-house and private practice roles where he led nationwide compliance strategies and represented employers in complex labor disputes.
About This Webinar
Over the past few years, service charges became the standard for stabilizing restaurant wages. But with the OBBBA introducing new federal tax incentives for tipped income, the math is changing. This webinar is for restaurant owners and finance leaders who need to decide if their current model is still the best path forward, or if it's time to pivot back to voluntary tipping.
What You'll Learn in This Recording
We’re skipping the fluff. This is a practical session for operators who manage complex labor environments.
➤ The OBBBA Impact: Why your staff is paying closer attention to tip income again.
➤ The Pivot Strategy: How to transition models without upsetting BOH staff or payroll workflows.
➤ The Transparency Gap: Why many servers miss out on benefits due to poor reporting.
➤ Scheduling & Tips: How hours worked connect directly to tip distribution and employee trust.
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