Grateful

Grateful provides direct tipping and tronc compliance services for hospitality businesses. It applies allocation rules automatically across shifts, team members and sites, and venues can use different rules managed centrally from one dashboard. Independent troncmaster oversight is intended to help schemes operate in line with HMRC requirements. Employees can view tronc earnings in the app, including how distributions were calculated, though Peer to Peer earnings are not visible there. Customers can send tips directly to workers' accounts without cash or business administration. STASH divides tips and tronc payments between spending and an FSCS-protected savings account; it is included with every Grateful customer at no additional cost. Tronc data can flow into payroll through API integrations including Xero, Sage and Fourth. Other listed integrations include 3SPOS, Bizimply, Deputy, Epos Now, Fourth Hospitality, Harri, Kobas, Oracle Simphony, Toast and workforce.com. Grateful is available on Android and the web. Pricing for tronc and compliance services is on request; direct tipping has a small incremental fee charged to the customer, with no business cost.

Grateful combines tip allocation, compliance oversight, direct tipping and payroll integrations for hospitality businesses. Consider the visibility limit for Peer to Peer earnings and the transaction fee for direct tipping.

Grateful suits hospitality businesses that allocate tips or tronc across staff and venues. Its direct tipping and payroll connections may also suit teams seeking to reduce cash handling and connect distributions to payroll.

Grateful is a tipping and tronc service for hospitality businesses, particularly operators managing pooled tips across shifts or venues. Its automated allocation, independent oversight and payroll connections make it a strong fit for complex operations, but it is less suitable for businesses that need a published compliance price or staff visibility into Peer to Peer earnings.

Overview

Grateful combines tronc administration with direct customer-to-worker tipping. Operators can configure allocation rules once and apply them across shifts, teams and sites, while keeping different rules for individual venues under one central dashboard. That flexibility suits groups with varied practices; a single-venue business with simple tip distribution may not need that level of control.

Independent troncmaster oversight is intended to help schemes operate in line with HMRC requirements. Employees can review tronc earnings and see how distributions were calculated in the app, although Peer to Peer earnings are not visible to team members on the platform. That distinction matters if staff need one place to see all tip income.

Key features

Allocation, governance and payroll

Automatic shift allocation reduces recurring distribution work after rules are set. Custom pool rules and shift-level records give operators control over how pooled amounts are handled. Payroll data can flow through API integrations including Xero, Sage and Fourth, while the wider integration and partnership list includes 3SPOS, Bizimply, Deputy, Epos Now, Fourth Hospitality, Harri, Kobas, Oracle Simphony, Toast and workforce.com. These connections are useful for businesses whose existing operations use those systems.

Direct tips and savings

Customers can tip workers directly to their accounts in seconds without cash or business administration. Recipients receive 100% of a direct tip instantly; the customer pays a small incremental transaction fee, while the business has no cost, setup charge or contract. STASH, included as standard at no additional cost, automatically splits tips or tronc payments between spending and an FSCS-protected savings account without requiring another app or manual transfers.

Employee access and support

The Grateful app gives employees a breakdown of tronc distributions, but not Peer to Peer earnings. Support is available through Messenger, email and telephone. Grateful says it uses technical and organisational security measures and staff data-protection training, and Grtfl Limited is registered with the UK ICO.

Pricing

Grateful has a paid pricing model, with a free component in STASH. STASH costs nothing and is included as standard with every Grateful customer. It provides automatic savings from tips or tronc payments, but it is not a standalone substitute for the paid tronc or tipping services.

Tronc & Compliance has custom pricing: the price depends on which part of Grateful a business uses, and operators need to request a quote. It includes multi-site management, independent troncmaster oversight and payroll integrations. This is the plan to consider for pooled-tip administration, but the lack of an upfront price makes budget comparison harder.

Direct Tipping has no setup costs or contracts and no cost for the business; a small incremental fee per transaction is charged to the customer. Recipients receive their full tip instantly. The per-transaction fee is the key trade-off for customers, while the no-cost business model may suit operators that want direct tipping without taking on a service charge.

Platforms

Grateful is available on Android and the web. Its employee app supports access to tronc earnings and distribution breakdowns; the platform’s visibility limit for Peer to Peer earnings remains relevant regardless of access method.

Who it's for

Grateful is best suited to hospitality operators that need automated shift allocation, different rules across venues, independent tronc oversight or payroll connections. Direct tipping and STASH add employee-facing options to the same service. Businesses focused solely on a simple tip pool, requiring all tip earnings to be visible to employees, or needing predictable published compliance pricing should weigh those limitations before choosing it.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Rules apply automatically across shifts and sites, reducing repeated allocation work.
• Pros: Independent troncmaster oversight and payroll APIs support compliance administration and payroll handoff.
• Pros: Direct tips reach recipients in full instantly, with no setup charge or contract for the business.
• Pros: STASH is included at no additional cost and automates savings from tips or tronc.
• Cons: Tronc & Compliance requires a quote, so businesses cannot compare its price upfront.
• Cons: Employees cannot see Peer to Peer earnings in the platform, leaving a gap in earnings visibility.
• Cons: Direct Tipping charges customers a transaction fee, even though the business pays no fee.

Alternatives

For a broader comparison, see the Restaurant Tip Management Software list. Choose 7shifts instead if scheduling is also a priority: its free Comp plan covers up to 15 employees at one location, and it offers a free trial. TabPref is an option for small teams that want scheduling, time clock, team chat and basic labor analytics on its free starter plan.

Consider Homebase if its labor-management tools and add-ons better match your needs; its free plan and free trial are available. Ferry is another paid tip-management option, with pricing available by contacting sales. DishOut is a paid option with a free trial and no free plan.

Divvy may suit businesses that prefer published monthly pricing: its Core plan costs $39 a month, billed monthly per restaurant, with unlimited staff and pay periods. eTip offers custom pricing for each property, with unlimited team members, storage and team training. TipHaus is a paid alternative with a free trial and sales-contact pricing.

Verdict

Choose Grateful if your hospitality operation needs flexible shift and site allocation, independent tronc oversight, payroll integrations and direct tipping in one service. Its strongest case is reducing repeated allocation work while connecting compliance administration to payroll. Look elsewhere if you need a clear upfront compliance price or employees must be able to see Peer to Peer earnings alongside tronc distributions.