Dining Out: Would you pay more for your servers health care?

[blue-wave]

Logan Square (Chicago) restaurant Fat Rice adding surcharge to benefit employees


CHICAGO (WLS) --
Expect to pay a little more at one of Chicago's hottest restaurants. Menu prices will stay the same at Fat Rice in Logan Square, but the restaurant will now add a surcharge to every bill.

Starting January 1st, your bill will include a 4-percent surcharge. The owners hope this is a watershed moment for the entire industry, and they say it will solely benefit their employees.

<snip>"Our 4-percent hospitality provision is two-fold," Conlon explained. "Not only to provide health care for all of our employees, but also to provided higher wages for back of the house employees."<snip>

Full Article with video: https://abc7chicago.com/food/logan-square-restaurant-fat-rice-adding-surcharge-to-benefit-employees/4982756/

[violetpastille]

1. No problem.

I honestly cannot remember the last time I had a restaurant meal. It's like 1949 over here. If I don't cook it, we don't eat it.

But if I'm going to be extravagant..what's an additional 4%?

Sure. Tack it on.

[GoneOffShore]

2. Time to eliminate the 'tipping culture'

It's been a blight on the restaurant business and really only benefits the owners.

[edhopper]

17. so true

Why am I paying the employees? Adopt the European model. Give them a living wage.

[Merlot]

26. It's also a holdover from post-slaverly

[Hermit-The-Prog]

34. time to eliminate the health insurance industry

It's too big a burden to pay for an industry to act as a barrier to health care.

[akraven]

3. Yep.

In a heartbeat. We don't eat out much (no $$) but when we do tip is at least 20% of the bill direct to the server. And I don't mind paying more for the meal to ensure it.

[CreekDog]

4. Restaurants in San Francisco have been charging this for years

They aren't required to, but they are allowed to.

Restaurants are still very busy in San Francisco.

[rpannier]

5. I'd pay more

As long as that is where the money went, yeah I'd pay

[bluecollar2]

6. Absoloutely

I've never been a server or worked for tips, but I have knowen plenty of people employed in that capacity over my life.

Damned hard work.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

7. I'd pay more for everyone's health care

Raise my taxes, get single-payer insurance. I'm all for it. Then a restaurant's employees will be covered no matter what.

As to the tactic at Fat Rice, it sounds like a gimmick. Why not just raise the price of things by 4 percent, give the employees health care, and shut up? It's not like anyone would notice. Adding "health care" to the bill is a cute marketing ploy.

[WeekiWater]

20. This. NT

[Merlot]

28. I like it and think it's a good idea, raises awareness

[calimary]

8. Yes.

I’d definitely support this. I’d go to this restaurant.

Reinforce and reward good behavior - like the behavior this business is showing toward its employees.

Any others doing this too?

[handmade34]

9. food and service prices should reflect

their worth... we should eliminate tipping, pay all employees a livable wage, and pay a bit more in federal taxes to insure all people have health care... stop the "nickel and diming"... it is exploitive and encourages inequality

[3Hotdogs]

10. A New York restaurant tried this several months ago. Eliminated tipping and raised food prices.

That lasted a few months.

It was a high end steak house so the patrons weren't expecting a $5.00 Whopper.

However, sales of the higher priced meals dropped when the customer was faced with a $50 bill for a steak which costs $35 somewhere else.

They went back to tipping last week. Public Radio show.

[woodsprite]

12. I would rather them raise prices, wages,

Cover insurance and go back to the old definition of tipping, or do away with it altogether.

We eat out frequently. For the past couple of years, some have been listing “suggested” tipping totals at the bottom of their receipts. When they started it, it listed 10-15-20% figures. Recently they switched to listing 18-20-25%.

A tip is supposed to reward above average service and we have occasionally left tips of 25-27% if service was exceptional. We have also left tips if only 10% when we felt we were not served well. All others have fallen between 15-20%. I’ve even been told by a server they would prefer their ti in cash since the owner doesnt give them their tips if they’re added to the receipt and charged to a card.

[HAB911]

13. If it means when they are sick

they get to stay home instead of sneezing and hacking over my food, make it 8%

[Delmette2.0]

15. I totally agree.

[Generic Brad]

14. I'd pay more in taxes for everyone's health care

Government is a support group and it's about time we returned to supporting each other.

[Greybnk48]

16. NO! Healthcare should NOT be tied to one's job or salary!

That makes it too easy to weaponize; to make some feel resentment toward others! Healthcare should be a single payer system provided by our income taxes. And the restaurant can raise their pay by cutting their profits a fraction.

I support repealing the tax cuts for the wealthy and raising their tax burden to something fair. We can use that money to fund universal healthcare instead of pissing people off by raising the price of dining out and pretending that's the ONLY way to provide healthcare to food service workers, and a living wage.

It's divisive and not fair to the restaurant workers who deserve healthcare coverage and a living wage.

The same divisive assholery as Hardee's and Papa John's tried to pull, just wrapped up in a different ribbon.

[Merlot]

30. I agree with you, healthcare should not be tied to a job

and the tipping system in restaurants should be done away with. But until that day (which won't happen any time soon), this does something.

I feel the same way about the ACA - very flawed, but a lot of peole have lived longer and better lives because of it. Hopefully it's what gets us from here to there (single payer).

[hedda_foil]

18. Four percent? You bet I would!

[WeekiWater]

19. I think we need to ditch the concept of healthcare being attached to employment.

I see nothing wrong with this under the current system. Be real about it. It seems to be a strictly business move.

Attaching what should be a right to employment limits personal freedom.

[Iggo]

21. I'd pay more in taxes, not more to a restaurant owner.

[Merrill1066]

22. I would rather see ...

a national health insurance that everyone can buy into, and that is supported by a national sales tax (among other things).

A kind of Medicare for all, but one in which everyone contributes

That way, employers don't have to worry about providing health insurance to employees, since many cannot do it.

[delisen]

29. depends on what kind of health insurance restaurant provides

Last edited Sat Dec 29, 2018, 01:58 PM - Edit history (1)

[MichMan]

23. Finance it with a 15% national sales tax like the Canada GST or Europe VAT

[brooklynite]

24. Why a "surcharge"?

The menu price presumably has food, taxes, front of house labor etc. built in. Why break out this extra amount instead of adjusting the menu?

[Adrahil]

25. Would happily do that. NT

[Codeine]

27. Of course not; what a stupid notion.

They mean well, but employment should have fuck-all to do with health care access. Time for our nation to grow up and provide the same universal access to health care that the rest of the Western world takes as an absolute given, a norm.

[Heartstrings]

31. Since my daughter is presently a server at a high end restaurant in Chicago (RPM Steak)

I would absolutely support this addition. As it is, like most "companies" playing the insurance game, she is only scheduled just under the max # of days needed to qualify for healthcare. Yes, she did pick up a policy, but it's only catastrophic so covers nothing....
I will be watching to see if the larger, company owned "chains", such as Lettuce Entertain You (represents all RPM restaurants and others) will follow this lead....

[SWBTATTReg]

32. There should be no discussion of how to provide benefits to these workers, e.g., raise salaries, ...

surcharges, etc., when you go into another business, do you pay a surcharge for them (as employees of that place) to receive benefits (and it's listed on the bottom?). Usually not.

My other half worked in the restaurant/bar business for way too long, and finally got out of the field when they got a regular, decent paying job, w/ benefits.

If you want my opinion, don't ever work in this entire field. And if you can escape this type of career, do so.

If enough of us/you don't work in this field, they'll be so desperate for workers that they'll finally pay what they should be paying all along, living wages. There are other professions like this too, in that living wages should be paid. We just need (each of us) to start by not applying for these jobs, working these jobs, etc. until reasonable wages are paid.

[underpants]

33. I tip at a flat 15% on my card and the rest in cash

Rarely RARELY do I tip less than 20%. Having been a server back a while ago we all lied about tips. The Commonwealth of Va got wise to it and now assumes 15% so I tip with cash the server can stick in their pocket (the owner can’t see it either) tax free for them to use as the need.