Customer Stories: Côte Brasserie
Transforming Tipping Across a 2,000+ Person Hospitality Estate
The Challenge
Côte Brasserie, one of the UK’s most recognised restaurant brands, needed to modernise its approach to tips and tronc management across 70+ locations.
The existing process was manual, and offered limited visibility to team members. With new legislation on tip distribution, Côte sought a future-proof solution that could scale.
The Solution
Côte partnered with TiPJAR to implement a fully digital tronc system that:
- Automated tip calculation based on shifts worked
- Enabled weekly tip payouts and real-time visibility for team members
- Integrated seamlessly with existing tech stack (EPoS and workforce management systems)
- Reduced admin overhead and ensured full compliance with legislation
£1.25m
Taken in tips in May 2025 alone
2.3%
Increase in overall online review scores
23%
Increase in team mentions in positive feedback
9.6%
Increase in Efficiency sentiment on online reviews
4.4%
Increase in Speed sentiment on online reviews
All Guest Review data is provided by Sentiment Search and these figures are from 3 months post onboarding
Onboarding at Scale
Rolling out new technology across a large estate is never simple, especially when it touches something as personal and sensitive as tips and pay. But for Côte, the onboarding process with TiPJAR was smooth, structured, and fully supported from day one.
With a dedicated Customer Success Manager leading the rollout, Côte received a clear and methodical plan that covered every aspect of implementation, from systems integration to team engagement. Communications and training were tailored to each audience within the business—ensuring HQ teams, managers, and in-venue team members all understood not just how TiPJAR worked, but why it mattered.
This thoughtful and collaborative approach resulted in rapid adoption, minimal friction, and a motivated team that felt confident using the new system from the very start.
Empowering team members in Real Time
TiPJAR gave Côte team members full transparency into how tips were calculated, and the ability to access them instantly or receive scheduled weekly payouts.
By improving visibility and control, the system helped reduce financial stress and strengthened the connection between performance and reward.
A new savings feature is also being trialled, enabling team members to set aside a portion of their tips automatically.
significant increase in positive reviews
In just three months, Côte has already seen a notable increase in online review scores, rising from 4.26 to 4.34—a significant shift in such a short timeframe. Data provided by Sentiment Search reveals that all categories related to team performance, including friendliness, attentiveness, and efficiency, saw positive growth. Most impressively, there was a 23% increase in mentions of team members within reviews, highlighting a clear link between recognition, reward, and guest experience. When team members feel valued and fairly rewarded, they go the extra mile and guests are noticing.
Transforming Tipping and Service
Côte’s partnership with TiPJAR delivered measurable improvements in team engagement, operational efficiency, and guest satisfaction—while ensuring full compliance with evolving UK legislation.
By modernising their approach to tipping, Côte empowered its teams, enhanced its culture, and improved the guest experience.
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