Tracker Pixel for Entry

Changing the face of the restaurant industry

All About Food | November 12th, 2015

There is a movement afoot in several major restaurant cities around the country, led by some of our most prominent restaurateurs, to get rid of tipping, thus leveling the financial playing field between the front and back of the house. This is a bold and risky move that will change the face of fine dining and upscale casual as well. Some say it is long overdue.

I have been following this conversation for a while, and now Danny Meyer, of the Union Square Hospitality Group and owner of 13 high-profile, very successful restaurants in New York City, will test the waters in November at his Michelin-starred restaurant, The Modern, located in The Museum of Modern Art.

Ironically a friend of mine, who in the past has worked in the front of the house at a fine dining restaurant in the Twin Cities, asked if it bothered me as a back of the house person when servers would walk out with pockets full of cash while we worked on. I can say it did aggravate the cooks at times and it didn’t seem fair, but for me I was passionate about my craft and I had tried front of the house on occasion for the experience but it wasn’t my cup of tea. It really begs the question: Is this a fair and equitable situation?

Diners in Europe haven’t been in the tipping business for years and service is included in your bill. Cities that receive well-heeled European travelers can be a bit of a curse for the poor server. Which brings us to one side of the equation. As a tipped employee you receive a low hourly wage and therefore rely on the good manners of your guests. In essence you have hundreds of employers (guests) paying a substantial portion of your yearly income. As a non-tipped employee you would have one employer (the owner) and therefore could be monitored and paid on a performance-based platform.

Another factor is that with the state and federal government establishing higher minimum wage standards (surprisingly the tipped employees base goes up by a higher percentage than back of the house employees) it will make it harder to retain an already dwindling workforce. You can go down the street and work at a fast food joint and make as much as a kitchen worker in a fine dining restaurant. By eliminating tipping, the front of the house employees might get rewarded through a sales incentive program, while the back of the house would get a raise so everyone is on the same level. That would be a game changer.

It all sounds good but it is much more complicated and the restaurant owner takes on a larger burden of financial responsibility. But the real question is, who is paying for all of this? That would be the customer. Menu prices would have to increase anywhere from 20 to 35 percent to cover the costs and to not overly impact the bottom line. But there are ways to do this that won’t make it a negative. Not every item would get raised, and with that point at the end of the day, the customer benefits by having a professional workforce taking care of them.

With Minneapolis being named one of the top food towns in the country this year, they get to join the short list of cool places to visit if you are a foodie, along with New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle and Houston. It will be interesting to see how long it takes this game changer to be adopted nationwide, if it does at all. Thank goodness Congress doesn’t have any involvement. I am sure there will be a lot of eyes on The Modern come November. I like Meyer’s moniker for the program as it will appear on guest checks: “Hospitality Included” -- that’s classy. So pay attention Fargo, as we are the center of the universe, you might be able to lose that “tip calculator app” on your cell phone in the relatively near future.

Recently in:

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comArea children ages 10 and over are invited to join the Fargo-Moorhead Science Museum to explore how rivers work at two Fargo Public Library locations this summer. Stream Table Workshops will…

Back-to-school season is on the horizon, but there's still plenty of summer left. Check out our favorite August attractions and events in North Dakota and western Minnesota. And if if you missed them, here are a few excellent May…

Friday, July 25, doors at 8:30 p.m.Aquarium above Dempsey’s, 226 N. Broadway, Fargo"This is what you need to know about Daikaiju,” said Kelly Weidman. “They're loud. They're all instrumental (duh). And they're the band to see…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com On July fourth, Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest took place at Coney Island. The winners, Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo, reigned victorious. Chestnut earned his 17th title by…

By Ed Raymond fargogadfly@gmail.comThere might be room for Trump on Mount Rushmore after allDuring King Donald’s first term he told Kristi Noem, then a congresswoman and now his secretary of homeland security, his dream was to be…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…

By Rick Gion and Simone Wairickgion@gmail.com The Red River Market returned to downtown Fargo on Saturday, July 12. The event will take place every Saturday except July 19. (That date will be moved to Sunday, July 20, due to the…

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comThe Moorhead Public Library will offer three free, all-ages outdoor concerts featuring regional bands this summer. The series begins on June 12 with the Meat Rabbits, a group that blends…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.comAri Aster’s political satire “Eddington” premiered in competition for the Palme d’Or at Cannes in May, where Jafar Panahi’s “It Was Just an Accident” received the prize. A…

Press ReleaseTouchmark at Harwood Groves will host a special artist reception featuring renowned glass artist Jon Offutt on Tuesday, July 29, at 2:00 p.m. in the community’s auditorium. The event celebrates Offutt’s temporary…

By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comPhoto by Yvonne Denault There is something intimate and personal about plays. Even in our age of multimillion dollar Hollywood productions and droves of streaming services, watching actors…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

The drug that keeps re-purposing itselfBy Ellie Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com There is a drug that is getting a lot of attention nowadays all over the world. It has various commercial names (Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus), but…

By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…

By Vern Thompsonvern.thompson@rocketmail.com Working in the Bakken oil fields of the Williston Basin is so different from my home in Fargo. I'm not judging, because the people working and living in western North Dakota are very…