The Long, Uphill Fight to End Restaurant Tipping

New York City reports that international visitors account for about half of all tourism direct spending. One wrinkle for restaurant workers: The United States for the most part stands alone in mandating a low minimum wage for servers - $2.13 nationwide and near $5 in New York – forcing them to rely on customer tips. Peter Moskowitz, writing for Vice, points out that servers can earn anywhere from $25 to near $1000 during a shift. He profiles a vegetarian restaurant in Manhattan that pays servers a full minimum wage of about $15. “Over the last few years, a backlash against so-called ‘tipping culture’ has begun brewing,” he writes. Many international diners don’t realize that wait staff rely on tips or regard the practice as demeaning or rude. Restaurants profit from the low labor standards. “According to some experts, the American system is not only bad for workers, but for the entire economy,” Moskowitz writes. Employment in the restaurant industry has grown by 80 percent since 1990, and because those workers are making less than the regular minimum wage, the country as a whole has lost spending power.” – YaleGlobal