In a 2-1 split decision, the California court of appeal for the appellate district that includes Los Angeles expanded the class of restaurant employees who can participate in an employer’s tip pool. Following the decison in Etheridge v. Reins International California, Inc. the tipping pool is no longer dedicated only to restaurant employees, such as servers or bussers, who provide "direct table service" to patrons but includes all employees in the "chain of service"—meaning any employee who contributes to the service a restaurant patron receives.
