CashoutGlossary / Section
Section
The group of tables you're assigned for a shift, also called a station. Your section shapes your sales, your tips and often your tip-out.
A section, or station, is the set of tables a server covers for a shift. A manager or a rotation usually decides who gets which one, and sections can differ a lot: a patio on a nice night, a run of big tables, a slow corner, the bar.
Why it matters beyond one night's tips:
- Tip-out. On a sales-based tip-out, a busy section means more sales and a bigger tip-out, even on tables that tipped poorly.
- Tip allocation. At a large restaurant that uses the gross receipts method on Form 8027, your share of any allocated tips is figured from the sales attributed to you and the tips you reported, so a bigger section puts more sales on your name.
- Fair comparisons. Two shifts can pay very differently just because of the section. Tracking it shows whether a pattern is you or the floor plan.
Cashout lets you tag each shift with the section you worked and see your tips by section. On Android, sections sync with an account; on iPhone they're stored on the phone only.
A common mistake is judging your own performance from raw tip totals. Compare tips per hour in the same section and on the same day of the week before drawing conclusions.
Related terms
Front of house (FOH) · Tip-out · Comp · Allocated tips
