Restaurants face special rules for payroll, wages and tips that set them apart from most other businesses. In few industries do customers directly help pay employee wages through tips. These rules come mainly from the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and state laws, and can lead to common compliance issues, if not handled carefully. Minimum wage – While the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, for tipped employees who engage in an occupation in which they customarily and regularly receive more than $30 per month in tips, their minimum wage is only $2.13 per hour in direct wages,…

