Restaurant Equity Charges

[LDAHL]

I haven’t seen it anywhere I’ve dined recently, but I hear some restaurants are tacking on an “equity charge” for their staff to reflect the fact that some customers tip insufficiently or unfairly based on various identity criteria. Traditional tipping is still allowed. I’m not sure how the management would determine how to distribute that money.

They could simply pay their employees more, but I suppose that wouldn’t provide the same opportunity for moral exhibitionism. I’m not sure how eager I would be to dine somewhere that considers me too cheap or bigoted to decide how much to tip for myself.

[iris lilies]

Count me out of those dining establishments.

[happystuff]

For any "extra" charges I get on a restaurant bill, I usually deduct that from what I would normally have tipped and then just tip the difference. Sometimes I will actually write out the calculation on the bill so they will know what I did. (i.e. I tipped you less because you charged me extra.)

[Yppej]

I have heard of some restaurants doing away with tipping altogether because wait staff earn so much more than the staff in the kitchen and they think it's unfair, but not this latest twist.

[ApatheticNoMore]

because wait staff earn so much more than the staff in the kitchen and they think it's unfair, but not this latest twist.

what a bunch of jerks, they could just raise the pay on the kitchen staff. Restaurants sometimes seem run by the worst jerks imaginable. One wants to feel good about eating out when they do, but the industry is so exploitative.

But the reality is the kitchen staff is illegal immigrants, at least here, and everyone knows it. The wait staff is usually not. And illegal immigrants aren't necessarily paid as well as legal workers in ANY INDUSTRY.

[Teacher Terry]

It’s a bad idea but here they get paid minimum wage. My DIL is a cocktail waitress and she is making more money than ever in tips. People are happy to be out and Californians think things are cheap here).

[frugal-one]

I have heard of some restaurants doing away with tipping altogether because wait staff earn so much more than the staff in the kitchen and they think it's unfair, but not this latest twist.

Unless you live in a state where the tipped wage is still $2.13/hour. Just wish restaurants would pay a living wage.

[bae]

Just wish restaurants would pay a living wage.

Bingo.

Right now here we have local restaurant owners complaining that they can't hire help. They typially blame the lack of affordable housing. The answer they typically propose involves the County and taxpayers swooping in to build affordable housing.... For the restaurant's employees. Which just seems like asking for taxpayer support for your practice of paying a substandard wage.

[iris lilies]

Bingo.

Right now here we have local restaurant owners complaining that they can't hire help. They typially blame the lack of affordable housing. The answer they typically propose involves the County and taxpayers swooping in to build affordable housing.... For the restaurant's employees. Which just seems like asking for taxpayer support for your practice of paying a substandard wage.

Here in the land of affordable flyover country they still can’t get restaurant workers. Even at the high-end restaurants. For my birthday last month we went to a higher restaurant, not on a Friday or Saturday, and a little earlier than the usual high dinner hour of 7 to 8:30.


The head honcho turned us away saying he didn’t have enough staff to service those who didn’t have a reservation.

[sweetana3]

Here in Indy, it looks like a lot of new tiny restaurants have opened that are mostly ethnic varieties. Perhaps the back kitchen staff have had a chance to figure out how to open their own spot? We even have a combo Mexican/Chinese place which I think is hilarious. Gets good reviews.