Tronc, transparency & tips: JustTip’s James Fahy on fixing gratuities

Tech on Toast, The Hospitality Tech Podcast

Chris chats with James Fahy, co-founder of JustTip, about building a tipping and tronc platform straight out of school, the UK’s evolving tipping legislation, and why faster, more transparent payouts matter for teams.

James shares what he’s learnt as a first-time founder, how operators can save £5–6k per year through compliant tronc schemes with no NIC for businesses or staff (as discussed), and why partnerships now beat cold calls.

We also touch on weekly “JustTip Tuesdays”, EU expansion, and practical AI use across support and outbound sales.

Thanks to our friends at Lightspeed — the point-of-sale and payments platform helping restaurants run smoother during peak season.

James Fahy — Co-founder, JustTip
Web: justtip.net / justtip.co.uk

• Origin story: a coffee-shop moment that sparked JustTip at age 19

• What JustTip does (the “CAT” pitch): Compliance, Automation of payouts, and Tax savings

• Tronc clarity: paying tips correctly so no NIC for business or staff (as discussed)

• Weekly payouts and transparency for teams (“JustTip Tuesdays”)

• UK vs Ireland: legislation, grey areas, and why big brands move first

• Cost pressures: using tronc compliance to unlock savings and time back

• Holiday pay, agencies, and the realities of complex staffing models

• From cold calls to partnerships and integrations (scaling the lean way)

• EU growth and embedded tipping with merchant services partners

• Sane AI adoption: repeat-issue support bots and smarter outbound — without losing the human touch

• Founder lessons: impatience, resilience, and being the final line of defence as CEO

• Transparency + speed = trust. Weekly, predictable tip payouts boost morale and word-of-mouth.

• Compliance can save real money. Correct tronc flows can mean £5–6k annual savings for a typical site (as discussed).

• Legislation is tightening. UK requirements (e.g., paying collected tips into staff accounts within a month) are pushing operators to formalise tronc and record-keeping.

• Partnerships scale better. Integrations and ISO/VAR channels beat one-by-one selling once the product fits.

• AI helps with the boring bits. Use it for repeat support and structured outbound — keep people for nuanced, emotional interactions.

• Founder reality. Titles mean little; being there “when it goes wrong” is what wins and keeps customers.

• “They don’t care about the product — it’s, are you going to be there when it goes wrong?”

• “JustTip Tuesdays became a thing — like a mini payroll each week.”

• “If you push tips correctly through a tronc scheme, the business pays no NIC and the employee pays no NIC.”

• “I got one of the lowest grades in entrepreneurship — then learnt it all on the job.”

• Intro & sponsor

• James’s backstory and the coffee-shop spark

• What JustTip does (CAT: Compliance, Automation, Tax)

• UK/Ireland legislation & tronc reality

• Weekly payouts, team impact & transparency

• Cost savings, holiday pay & agency complexity

• Scaling: partnerships, integrations, embedded tipping

• Practical AI in support and sales

• Founder lessons & what’s next

• JustTip — justtip.net / justtip.co.uk

• Slush (Helsinki) — tech conference referenced by James

• Connect with James Fahy via the JustTip website.

• If you’re an operator reviewing tipping and tronc, map your current flow and payout cadence — then compare the potential NIC and admin savings from a compliant scheme.

• Subscribe to Tech on Toast for more operator-first, tech-that-works conversations.

Host: Chris Fletcher
Guest: James Fahy, Co-founder at JustTip
Producer: Tech on Toast