tipping

Big-name operators hit with no-tipping lawsuit

By Heather Lalley on Oct. 11, 2017

Class action alleges no-tipping policies are "conspiracy" to raise menu prices.

Service fees catch hold as tipping alternative

By Peter Romeo on Oct. 26, 2017

With minimum wage hikes increasing the pain of full-service places grappling with an in-house pay gap, operators are increasingly giving surcharges a try.

Operations

Tip pooling gets an OK from DOL

By Peter Romeo on Dec. 04, 2017

The Trump administration has proposed the practice be allowed again as a way of equalizing front- and back-of-house pay, a reversal of the 2011 prohibition.

Operations

Tip pooling proposal runs into trouble

By Peter Romeo on Dec. 14, 2017

A procedure change suggests the measure is meeting considerable public resistance.

Operations

Will service fees bridge the in-house pay gap?

By Peter Romeo on Jan. 08, 2018

Fees aimed at fixing disparities between the front and back of house meet mixed results.

Workforce

Tip pooling plan runs into a buzzsaw of public outrage

By Peter Romeo on Feb. 05, 2018

Public comments on a proposal to allow tips to be shared with back-of-house staff have been plentiful and negative. There are also allegations the Department of Labor hid a damning projection of the rule change's impact on servers' income.

Workforce

Understanding the argument over tip sharing

By Peter Romeo on Feb. 12, 2018

A proposal to allow tip sharing between front- and back-of-house employees has touched off a firestorm. Here is what the two sides are saying about the plan, which is awaiting action from the Department of Labor.

Operations

Delivery backlash and 4 other head-spinning moments

By Peter Romeo on Feb. 23, 2018

The dash for off-premise business is taking a detour around third-party delivery. Meanwhile, Amy Poehler isn't making restaurateurs laugh, R&D kitchens are cooking up some unusual new products, and the drug epidemic is prompting some controversial changes in operations.

Operations