bartaco brings the vibrant beach culture of Brazil, Uruguay, and Southern California to life across its 33 locations in 15 states. With white-washed interiors, wanderlust-inspiring photography on the walls, woven basket light fixtures, and a sprawling bar at the center, each restaurant feels like a coastal escape straight out of South America. Known for its upscale street food, freshly-squeezed juices, specialty cocktails, and relaxed, beach-inspired atmosphere, bartaco delivers an unforgettable break from the everyday. But behind the scenes of this stylish resort-like experience lies a complex challenge: managing payroll, HR, and tip distribution for more than 2,000 employees across multiple states.
20+ Hours
Saved per month for the payroll team
50%+
Reduction in tip reconciliation effort
Visibility into every tip for employees
15 US States
33
Full-service restaurant (FSR)
Scott Rodney, Director of HR and Payroll
Managing payroll, tips, and compliance across 33 multi-state locations relied on manual, error-prone systems, making accuracy, transparency, and real-time visibility difficult, especially for a fast-paced weekly payroll with 2,000+ employees.
By implementing TipHaus in just 30 days, bartaco automated and centralized tip management, saving 20 payroll hours per month, cutting retroactive payouts by over 50%, improving compliance and accuracy, and giving employees clear, trusted visibility into their earnings.
Reduce tip calculation time by 80% while eliminating manual errors and discrepancies—ensuring accuracy and legal compliance
Calculate your ROI
Give your team daily access to their earnings. No cash, no bank runs, no stress.
Find out how digital tip payouts are transforming restaurant operations and employee retention.
Founded on the idea of creating moments of joy and escape, bartaco’s brand is all about atmosphere and experience. From freshly-squeezed juices to specialty cocktails and bottled beers, bartaco aims to make every guest feel like they’ve stepped out of the ordinary and into something special. With over 2,000 team members across 15 states and 33 locations, and continued expansion on the horizon, Bartaco needed a solution that could keep pace with its rapid growth while maintaining operational consistency and employee satisfaction. We sat down with Scott Rodney, Director of HR and Payroll, to discuss how TipHaus helped them streamline tip management and payroll processes while dramatically reducing administrative workload and improving tip transparency for their teams.
14 States, One Mission: Bartaco’s Approach to Payroll, HR, and Happy Employees
Discover how bartaco builds community, invests in learning and development, and stays true to its authentic brand experience, all while preparing for future expansion. Whether you’re in HR, payroll, or restaurant operations, this episode is packed with actionable strategies for scaling a brand without losing its soul.
Managing payroll and HR across 33 locations presented significant operational hurdles. Manual spreadsheets and outdated systems made reconciling tips, tracking hours, and ensuring compliance a time-consuming and error-prone process.
Consistency was key: bartaco needed a way to ensure that every team member across all states was paid accurately and transparently. Audits, labor law compliance, and fair tip distribution were constant concerns, and the existing processes made it difficult to get real-time insight into payroll and tip data, especially for a weekly payroll operation where accuracy and speed are critical.
As Scott Rodney notes, “With so many locations and over 2,000 employees, we needed a system that could scale quickly, reduce errors, and give our team visibility and confidence in their pay.”
TipHaus has transformed how we manage payroll and tips across all locations. Our team feels more confident, and we can focus on delivering the bartaco experience our guests love.
Scott Rodney
Director of HR and Payroll
bartaco implemented TipHaus across all 33 locations in just 30 days, fully integrating the platform into its operations. Automated tip calculations now save the payroll team approximately 20 hours per month, while real-time distributions have reduced retroactive tip payouts by over 50%. TipHaus provides centralized, automated tip management that eliminates manual spreadsheets, improves accuracy, and ensures fairness for all employees. Employees gain clear visibility into their earnings through the TipHaus Employee App, increasing satisfaction and trust, while managers and Payroll can audit and address issues quickly without late-night calculations. Multi-state compliance and payroll processing are now smoother and more reliable, supporting rapid growth without disrupting operations. Overall, TipHaus has drastically reduced administrative effort, minimized errors, and enhanced the overall employee and leadership experience across bartaco’s 2,000+ team members in 15 states.
The very first payroll we ran with TipHaus, our team actually got out of the office at a normal time for the first time in ages. That alone said everything. TipHaus didn’t just streamline our processes, it gave our payroll team their time and work-life balance back.
Scott Rodney
Director of HR and Payroll
See why TipHaus is trusted by 500,000+ hospitality professionals
With TipHaus, bartaco now manages payroll, HR, and tip distribution efficiently across 15 states, serving more than 2,000 employees with confidence and transparency. Team members benefit from timely, accurate payments and clear insight into their tips, fostering trust and satisfaction across every location. Just as importantly, bartaco’s leadership team knows they have a responsive, reliable support partner behind the scenes.
For Scott Rodney and the bartaco team, TipHaus has delivered not only a smoother, more compliant payroll process, but also exceptional customer service that keeps operations running seamlessly, allowing the brand to stay focused on what it does best: creating unforgettable, coastal-inspired experiences for every guest.
