Vol. 105 Issue 98
@thepittnews MARCO!
Pittnews.com
Friday, January 23, 2015
Don’t keep the change
Pittsburgh restaurant trades tips for salaries Lauren Wilson Staff Writer
Men’s and women’s intramural water polo team scrimmaging in Trees Pool. Heather Tennant | Staff Photographer
Pitt starts online child abuse prevention program Dale Shoemaker Assistant News Editor Twenty-three days after Act 31 took effect in Pennsylvania, Pitt’s School of Social Work has announced a free, comprehensive, online training program to help prevent child abuse. The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource
Center developed the course in conjunction with the School of Social Work in response to the Pennsylvania Task Force on Child Protection’s recommendation for improvements to child protection throughout the state, according to a University press release. The course is free, and users can access it 24 hours a day. Read the rest online at Pittnews.com.
As Bar Marco gains recognition for being the first restaurant in Pittsburgh to pay servers by salary, industry employees and experts wonder if the move actually helps wait staffs. This April, Bar Marco, located in the Strip District, will ask patrons not to tip servers and will, instead, pay their serving staff a salary. All full-time employees, including cooks and bartenders, will receive a salary of $35,000, health care benefits and company shares. Kevin Cox, co-owner of Bar Marco, said he thinks server salaries could encourage waiting staff to stick with one restaurant. “There’s a lot of turnover and a lot of jumping around in the restaurant industry,” Cox said. Cox said he and the other co-owners are seeking wage stability and long-term benefits for employees, many of whom have worked at Bar Marco for multiple years. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Pennsylvania’s hourly minimum wage is $2.83 for tipped workers. This is higher than the federal minimum wage for tipped workers, which is $2.15. Consumers have always been expected to make up the difference in tips until a few individually owned restaurants across the country started refusing tips. The discussion began when an employee mentioned hearing national news of restaurants making similar moves, Cox said. Restaurants that pay servers a salary will
employ fewer people and increase menu prices to make up for costs, according to James Craft, a professor of business administration. Price hikes may not serve as a deterrent to consumers in expensive restaurants, Craft added. “I go [to expensive restaurants] with the expectation of paying a lot of money, anyway,” he said. Instead of tacking on a service fee for menu items, Cox said, Bar Marco will “add more depth to the menu and start serving dishes that require more skill to make.” The most desirable payment methods for staff at restaurants can still vary as significantly as in-house recipes. While some restaurants are adopting a salary or management-paid hourly rate, Craft predicts a majority of the industry will stick with the current tipping standard. Clientele at upscale restaurants won’t mind an increase in prices if the owners start paying the staff minimum wage, Craft said, especially if more restaurants choose to follow this trend. Less-expensive restaurants, where the clientele are accustomed to low prices, however, will probably stick to standard tipping, according to Craft. Another consideration is that servers may not like having a salary. Bar Marco owners seek to provide employees with wage stability, but others in the restaurant industry say tipping is one of the primary appeals of serving.
Tips
2