David Chang tries no tipping

momofuku nishi

Momofuku titan David Chang is trying his hand at no tipping at his latest concept, Nishi.

At the Manhattan eatery, which opened last week, “[w]e want to pay sous chefs, cooks and dishwashers a living wage,” Chang said in an interview with Lucky Peach, the magazine he co-founded.

“The real cost of selling food is not accurately reflecting the labor that’s going into it,” he added. “In 2000, I got paid maybe $10 an hour. Inflation has definitely risen, but cooks’ wages haven’t. That’s one of our biggest issues. We want to be able to grow as a company so we can provide for more people. [No tipping] is a way we might be able to do that.”

Chang isn’t the only high-profile restaurateur to venture into no-tipping territory. Danny Meyer recently made waves when his Union Square Hospitality Group announced it was eliminating tipping at its restaurants.

Read the full story via Lucky Peach.

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